Anolee Shah
Major: Applied Economics
Years in the Field: 1
Organization: Nestle USA
How did you find this job?
By attending the St. Paul Career Fair.
Currently I am a Retail Sales Representative with Nestle USA that will last anywhere from 12 months to 18 months before they move me into my next position. In this position I call on different retail convenience stores. I sell a variety of Nestle products to the store manager with the goal of increasing distribution in the store. I also do a variety of other tasks such as merchandising, cutting in new products, checking product freshness, creating presentations, discovering new tools, etc.
My Food Marketing class was extremely helpful because it taught the terminology I use in the food industry. Also, my agricultural economics courses helped me to understand how a price change affects the business overall. In general, I had courses that helped give insight on small details I use in my everyday tasks, but there were others that gave me a clear idea of the "big picture", both skills that are needed in the sales industry.
The biggest misconception is that the daily tasks of a Sales Rep are often described as being redundant and boring. Also, Sales Rep's are often described as being fake. These are huge misconceptions! There is never a store I go into that is the same—each store has their own unique needs and they are constantly changing from month to month. Thus, different tasks are completed each time. Also, in sales there are new products constantly coming out so there is never a dull moment! As far as being "fake", I go into every store being myself and the relationship building with each one of my store managers is probably the most exciting part of my job!
Get a head start on your resume from the beginning of your college career and don't be afraid to get it critiqued throughout your years, it can only help you! Also, make use of the career fairs - that's how I found my job! Lastly, have fun and don't stress out about finding a job. Just examine what you want out from your job and you will find the right fit in no time.