“I would advise students to look beyond the easy options and what they already know”
Second session of the School of Economics and Business Administration Alumni Experience
Former students from the School of Economics and Business Administration, now working at companies such as LinkedIn, Amazon, Docusing, Hubspot and Jobandtalent, took part in the second edition of the Alumni Experience roundtable discussion. The former students shared their experiences in an industry that offers more employment opportunities and a higher turnover every day: new technologies.
Javier Unda (ECO ‘11), Business Development Talent at Jobandtalent, did not hesitate to advise students to “look beyond the easy options and what they already know”. Miguel Ángel Zapatero (ECO ‘14), an International Account Manager at Hubspot (Dublin), reminded them that “all that matters is ability and talent. And don’t be afraid to leave Spain”.
Likewise, Ludovico Mastrocinque (ECO ‘14), a Sales Strategy and Operations Analyst at LinkedIn (Ireland), urged the students to show initiative: “You have to awaken your curiosity and go for what really excites you”. Íñigo Arias (ECO ‘12), a Retail Vendor Manager at Amazon (Madrid), underlined the importance of learning how to manage frustration in the workplace: “I’ve got to know myself better and learned how to control myself and overcome any failure”. He also stressed that there’s no exact formula to achieving success in the workplace: “No one expects you to stick to your job description. You have to solve problems, simplify processes and even create new projects”.
Alba Gómez (ECO ‘13), Head of Business Development at Docusign (Ireland), underlined the importance of the new technologies sector in the innovation of the business world: “Consider what technology means for today’s businesses; it has a real impact”.
To confront this new challenge, Miguel Ángel Zapatero advised students to use LinkedIn to connect with the employers who are offering the jobs they want: “The power of networking is huge, and LinkedIn is the right tool for the job”.
Javier Unda singled out experience as one of the most sought-after qualities in candidates. Íñigo Arias urged the students to apply their experience using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to show employers their talent and merits.