What are your primary job responsibilities?

I am responsible for a sales quota for chromatography and mass spectrometry instrumentation.

What is a typical work day-in-your-life like?

It varies day-by-day, but can consist of customer meetings (both in person and virtual), generating and sending quotes, internal meetings for training or other projects, and personal development.

How did you find your first job?

Through Networking! I worked at the U of M while I was in graduate school and it was through getting involved as an undergraduate that I met the woman who ended up being my manager in my first role.

What level of education (Bachelor's, Masters, PhD, etc.) is required to do your job? 

Bachelor's, preferably in science

What is your work schedule like? Do you ever work weekends or nights?

Typically M-F and standard 8-5 hours. If I do have to work nights, it's usually for a work/customer dinner or a meeting for a local industry professional society. I rarely work weekends unless it's for travel (which is rare).

Do you travel for work? If so, in what capacity, and how often?

The territory I cover is Minnesota so on a monthly basis, the most travel I have is to Rochester, Duluth, Mankato, etc. In some cases I might travel to Agilent locations in CA or DE, but it's rare (maybe once a year).

What is your work environment like? Do you work mostly with a team or mostly independently? Do you stand, sit, or move most of the day?

I work from my home office, so it took some time getting used to the transition from a true office setting to a remote, home office. Most of the time I do my own work independently, but I do have a team and we'll have meetings as well. I sit most of my day - though I should invest in a standing desk!

What do you like most about your job?

The variety - I get to work with so many researchers doing very different, very cool research that it's fun.

What are some tools or skills that you can't live without? These can be technologies, soft skills, hardware, or anything else you can think of.

Interpersonal communication is key, time management, organization (OneNote comes in handy for this) are the top ones I can think of.

What skills, traits, talents do you have that you think make you a good fit for your job?

I deeply care about what my customers are doing and what their priorities are. A lot of people get into sales for the earning potential, but for me, I care most about making sure the customer is getting what they need. That brings me joy.

What's your best productivity trick?

It can be hard to know what are the things that NEED to get done in a day - so I like to make a full list of items to do, and then highlight or somehow indicate the items that absolutely need to get done in that day. I also block off my calendar for tasks so I don't forget to do them or forget to make time.

What's the best career advice you've ever received? What career advice would you give to someone starting out in your field?

I would say network early and often. A lot of times people find their next position because of someone they know and it's crucial in today's work environment. Get to know people and ask who they know as well.

How do you build community in your career field? Are you part of any professional organizations?

There are local organizations like the Minnesota Chromatography Forum (of which I'm on the Board) and the Minnesota Mass Spectrometry Discussion Group that are great.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time at the University of Minnesota?

All of them! I truly got to accomplish everything that I wanted to, which was amazing.