Account Manager
(Female, Age 34) from Memphis, TN
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 34 who works as a Account Manager in Memphis, TN. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Account Manager |
|---|---|
| Salary | $55,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Memphis, TN |
| Years Experience | 15 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
We do a little bit of everything including: 1:1 marketing, Personalized print communications, Variable data printing, Digital print on-demand, Offset printing, Online brand asset libraries, Web-based marketing portals, Web-to-print workflows, Photography Color management services, Pre-media services, File management, Database management, Graphic design, Web/Interactive development, Mailing services, Personalized URL’s/Response Management Displays, banners & trade show graphics, Pressure-sensitive labels, Flexible packaging
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
On a daily basis, I handle certain accounts and see that all their needs are taken care of. I handle phone calls, email requests and in-person requests for jobs and quotes. I enter instructions for each job into our production system to tell our production team what exactly needs to be done with each job and when it is due. I handle quotes for my clients and communicate within my organization to be sure they are done in a timely manner. I follow jobs through the plant and see they are shipped as they are complete. I follow-up with clients after jobs are complete to ensure everything was to their satisfaction.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
3 weeks paid vacation, 1 week paid sick leave, 401k retirement plan with employer matching, I don’t particiapte in our health insurance here
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel I am paid well for now as our company has been struggling with the economic changes, but I would expect an increase if/when the economy picks up.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with many others on a daily basis. There are 2 other people within my department with whom I work alongside but not on the same accounts with. I communicate and work directly with our production team to be sure my jobs are handled properly. I communicate and work with our printing and bindery departments to answer any and all questions on jobs to ensure they are completed properly and timely. I communicate with salespeople on an ongoing basis frequently to maintain relationships with the clients we are servicing. I enjoy the team aspect we have in our company and cannot imagine not working with others to get our jobs done.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in our only office location. I have a cubicle that is in the same room with two other people. I would much prefer an office with a door and a window so I could have a little more privacy and see the sunshine now and then, but it is productive to have an open working environment so it suits me just fine.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 4
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 6
Supervisors: 7
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 3
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | N/A |
| 8am to 9am | I came in and met with a client to go over a proof (a printed sample off of our printing press) for him to look at for approval prior to use running the full job. We discussed a few things pertaining to the look and feel of the piece then he left. He called around 8:30 to approve the proof and I took our production job folder to the printing press to let them know the job was approved to print.
I then had a phone call with a client to discuss quoting a new item and what particulars I needed to know about the item to get the pricing done for her. We have a quote system set up on an intranet site. I plugged in the quote information for our estimator to do the pricing for my client. |
| 9am to 10am | A client came by to pick up printed samples from a job we recently finished printing. She and I discussed the samples and looked them over. She was very happy with how they looked. We talked about personal things for a few minutes.
I entered 3 jobs into production. We have a large client, of whom I am the Account Manager. It is actually the biggest client our company has. They have an internal site that we have built for them. We have an inventory room with printed items (that we have printed) as well as other items that they have provided. I entered a few things into production to get them reprinted to replenish our inventory in their room because we were running low on some things. This took me all hour. |
| 10am to 11am | I created an Excel sheet with content for a mailing we have coming up for another client. They provided several different lists and I had to merge them all and clean them up to make them usable for variable data printing. Variable data printing is when we print variables using our printing press per an Excel file. It prints the various pertinent information along with the artwork unlike an inkjet machine which has to come back over printed artwork. It’s a beautiful process. This list took me all hour to fix up as what they had sent us was in terrible shape. |
| 11am to 12pm | I received my quote from my estimator and emailed it to the client that I had spoken with earlier this morning. Then, I went to lunch until noon. |
| 12pm to 1pm | This has been a slower time for me today. I did get in a few new jobs. I met with one of my salespeople to discuss 3 new jobs coming up to get all the details and specifics to I would be prepared when the client sent them in. I couriered a job locally that was complete. I fielded a few phone calls and returned some emails as well during this quiet time. |
| 1pm to 2pm | I had a conference call with a new internal graphic designer at my biggest account along with my salesperson. We welcomed her and met her over the phone. We went over many upcoming projects and shared information that would be pertinent to her on upcoming and ongoing projects. I entered for our production team to send her several sets of files via ftp site so she could start playing around with the look and feel of what the company she works for likes. We will be working directly with her and will be receiving files from her frequently. We will print from the files she send us so it is essential that we talk upfront with her about the way we need the files delivered and in what formats. We had a great meeting and this took most of the hour. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Researched where to pick up files for several jobs for one client. Had to pull files from several jobs in order to retrieve all pertinent information. Had to go back 3 years on some of the pieces client was requesting to find some of the pieces. She is requesting we print several different business cards and thank you cards with personalized information. This is taking me all hour to locate and gather all the information for these jobs. Emailed client to ask questions on a few of the items and still waiting to hear the answers.
Met with salesperson on one of my accounts to go over finding a box online that would fit a specific fulfillment project our client is wanting us to do. We are doing some research trying to find a recycled folding box that would house a supplied spiral notebook and two pencils. We will be printing and diecutting a platform that will go inside the box to hold the journal and pencils in place. Research like this takes a lot of time out of our day and unlike an advertising agency, we don’t get paid for it. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Received files for a new order from client’s internet portal. Processed paperwork and entered job into production. Scheduled job according to our normal procedures and logged into my notebook where I keep track of jobs and their due dates. I have a daily notebook where I keep all jobs due for each day so I know each and every day what needs to be shipped out. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Entered big project into production. Researched job information, gathered files and emailed to my production team. Filled out all paperwork on our intranet instruction system and generated job folder that goes through our plant for each job. Took to one of our Mac Operators to get the job started and scheduled the job all the way through the end process to be sure all departments know they have something coming their way. Emailed client to let them know the date they can expect delivery of finished items. Client called to discuss a few of the files and we talked about another project she has coming up this week. After that call, I did some billing I needed to catch up on. Turned my billing in and was done for the day. |
| 5pm to 6pm | N/A |
| 6pm to 7pm | N/A |
| 7pm to 8pm | N/A |
| 8pm to 9pm | N/A |
| 9pm to 10pm | N/A |
| 10pm to 11pm | N/A |
| 11pm to 12am | N/A |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I work for my family’s business. It has been in my family since 1923.
What was the application process?
I didn’t have an application process. I had a probationary period where they made sure I was going to do the job like they wanted.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I did not have to interview for my job. I was asked to come to my current company by my Father as this is a family business.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
N/A
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
I think so. I was trained in all areas of our company to learn what each individual department does. I was able to sit with various individuals for a week at a time to see how things work. I learned a lot in my first summer just by observing.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
N/A
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
I was always a good student and feel like my studies have helped me along the way. I didn’t finish college, but I do think some of what I learned in college in the area of communications and business has helped me get to where I am today.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend they have strong customer service skills to begin with and be a real people person. You have to be able to know how to talk to people, be it on the phone, via email or in person. You need to be able to bite your tongue at times and allow the customer to be right even when you know they aren’t. You need to remember names and faces and always smile when you talk, especially when you are on the phone. It really does make a difference.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You need to have strong communication skills as well as social skills too. You need to be organized, outgoing and friendly. You need to be tough and strong, not someone who has their feelings hurt easily. You need to be able to work under pressure and be able to multi-task without any problem.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
I don’t feel it is necessary. I have learned more working than I ever did in school. I do feel education is important, don’t get me wrong! But, I think there’s a lot to be said for how important experience is!
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
I would advise you to be willing to listen and learn from those who are willing and able to teach and instruct you. I would tell you to never have a chip on your shoulder. I would say it is always good to ask questions and never wrong to bring up new ideas. I would suggest you smile everytime you answer the phone and be prepared for anything!
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
It is part of my career plan at this time, but I would essentially like to be able to stay at home with my 3 year old son. I would love to be a stay at home Mother which is definitely a full time job!
What are your current career goals?
My career goals are to help bring this company back to life. I want to see our company through this economic crisis by bringing in new business and developing the business and clients we already have by growing them.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I love my career, but I love my family more. I want to stay home and be with my son, but I want to please my Father and work at the family business. It is a tough decision that I need make.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Prior Job 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.8
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.2 | University of Memphis | Business |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
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