Pio Connect: From the MOV to NYC

There is nothing prettier than snow blanketing Marietta College. Campus seems to have a bit more sparkle when there is a fresh dusting of snow on the Mall. Students recently returned to a chilly campus for their Spring semester after a much-deserved winter break. Before classes resumed, students could be seen sledding down the hill near Mills Hall, curled up enjoying the latest Netflix special, and getting organized for the upcoming semester. This is an especially critical time for juniors on campus: They’re jockeying for one last internship, they’re networking, and in a host of ways they’re searching for their first post-graduation job.

?

Emily Pfouts (’21) recognized the importance of networking and building relationships with the Career Center and with alumni throughout her junior year to set her up for success in her senior year. As a Marketing and International Leadership double-major, Emily had her eye on landing a marketing role. However, like many students Emily ?understood that her first role after graduation might be a bit different than she planned for, and so she was open to any opportunity that would pique her interest and allow her to leverage the skills she had developed and honed through her coursework and her active campus involvement in the McDonough Leadership Center, the Scholars Community, the Business Association, and the Spanish club.

But navigating her way to that first job wasn’t easy. As a first step, Emily reached out to members of the MCAA Marietta College Alumni Association Council to find an alum who would be willing to coach her through interviews and to help review and polish her résumé. Emily knew that MC alums welcomed opportunities to help current students and that students shouldn’t hesitate to reach out and ask for help. That is the beauty of the Long Blue Line: Students and alumni share a special bond based on their affection for their small college tucked away on the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers. Alumni connections Emily made through the Council helped her with job applications and interview preparation, which she says gave her greater confidence in completing applications and interviewing.

?

Emily was a December 2021 Marietta College graduate – a time when the COVID pandemic had injected lots of uncertainty into the job market – but despite the challenges she was determined to find her first job after college. In addition to making alumni connections through the Alumni Council, Emily began building a relationship with the College’s Career Center, which turned out to be an important part of her job search: Kevin O’Neill (’87), one of the co-owners of Acertitude, an executive search firm and leadership consultancy and an MC Trustee, reached out to the Center seeking a Marietta College graduate for an open position at the company. The Center requested recommendations from MC department heads, and Dr. Robert McManus, former McDonough Leadership Program Interim Dean, thought Emily would be a great candidate. Within days of her graduation, Emily began the formal interview process, at the end of which it was clear that all her hard work – along with her persistence in collaborating with alumni and staying in close touch with the Career Center – had paid off. She landed the role of Analyst with Acertitude in New York City, and the rest is history.

?

Emily is now two years into her role, and since being promoted to an Associate she is responsible for identifying prospective candidates to fill C-Suite leadership roles for high-end clients within the public and private equity space. Additionally, she is responsible for all outreach to candidates, and she leads interviews using “topgrading” skills?to qualify candidates for the roles she fills for her clients. At first, speaking to executives seemed intimidating, but with experience her confidence grew. “Not many 24-year-olds can say that they sit-in on calls with CEOs daily,” she exclaimed. It is evident that Emily thoroughly enjoys her early-career autonomy and ownership, which has had an added bonus: When she graduated, Emily had considered going directly into an MBA program, but she feels now that her current role fulfills her desire to continue learning; in fact, she feels as if she is getting a “mini-MBA” because she’s learning so much about other industries and their organizational structures.

?

Throughout the Pio Connect series, we have highlighted students and alumni who have taken the leap of faith and moved across the country to pursue an opportunity. Emily is among them. She now lives in Queens, New York, where the pace of life is quite different from her small hometown of Magnolia, Ohio. Before moving to Queens, Emily again tapped into the alumni network to get advice on where she should live in the city, which helped ease the anxiety of a significant move. When asked what she likes best about being a New Yorker, she mentioned that she loves attending concerts and visiting cafés. “People watching in a café is one of the most ‘New York’ things one can do,” she adds. Every day, she is reminded of the diverse and vibrant city that surrounds her.

?Just as Emily had to adapt to her new home and her new way of life, she also had to adapt to her new role at Acertitude. Prior to graduation, Emily had her heart set on a marketing role, but sometimes the perfect opportunity presents itself when you least expect it. Until Acertitude came knocking, she had never considered executive recruiting. “I never thought about those [C-Suite] positions being filled by a consulting firm,” she conceded, but the more she learned the more she realized that recruiting would be a great career opportunity. The beauty of a liberal arts education is the many skills students gain outside of their primary field of study. The focus of Emily’s academic work was Marketing and International Leadership, but the liberal arts courses she took gave her the agility to leverage her diverse skill set in ways that helped her stand out.

Like many members of the Long Blue Line, Emily hit the ground running early in her career. As we concluded our discussion, we asked Emily what advice she would give Marietta College students and early-career alums. She re-emphasized taking advantage of the alumni network for assistance in résumé writing, interviewing, and networking, all of which had a positive effect on her job choice and career. She also stressed the importance of coming to an interview prepared and asking good questions. Students can find plenty of information about companies and organizations they’ll interview with online or by reading job descriptions carefully. “Be thoughtful, intentional, and curious in your line of questioning,” she reminds others just starting out “Always remember that you aren’t only selling and advocating for yourself in an interview, but the company should also be selling itself and the job to you as well.”

?

Follow us!

Instagram: @marietta.alumni

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariettaalumni

LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/mc-alumniassociation/

Join Pio to Pio: https://www.dhirubhai.net/groups/14303119/

?

?

Witten by the Marietta College Alumni Association Council and edited by Paul Adams (’69)