A day in the life of an: Account Manager, Staffing
This series highlights different professionals from various careers who share background information about getting into their fields.
Tell me about yourself in a few sentences:
Hi, I’m Marzia Chowdhury. I am 32, living in Columbus, OH. I love talking to people!
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
A professor
What is your current profession?
Account Manager - Staffing
What led you to this profession?
By happenstance
What skills did you have to gain to get into your field? Class/courses or experiences?
No specific classes or courses really. You have to communicate with people and work closely with them. Also, you have to be super organized.
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
You have to be open to having tough conversations, dig deep and just ask questions. Also, you have to be a really good listener.
What kinds of accomplishments tend to be valued and rewarded in this field?
The end goal is to get placements, and get fills. You work with program managers to fill roles. The more fills you get the more money in the bank for you and your company. At the end of the day, you’re building and maintaining relationships.
How do most people get into this field? What are common entry-level jobs?
You start off as an entry-level Account Manager and then become a Senior Account Manager or Strategic Account Manager. You oversee larger accounts.
What kinds of challenges do you face in your profession? How do you overcome them?
This is a people-facing job so you have to have a lot do difficult conversations. Sometimes people are angry and do not comply, so you have to deal with that as well.
How does your job affect your general lifestyle and/or work/life balance?
It’s really important to set boundaries otherwise you’ll be working at all times of the day. Earlier in my career, I was fielding emails and calls well after 5 p.m., but these days I keep it working hours only.
Describe a day in your life for your profession:
I have a morning meeting so everyone on my team is on the same page. The rest of the day is updating CRM, communicating with IT recruiters, and program coordinators, and running reports.
What advice would you give to those who wish to pursue your profession?
This can be a lucrative career so be patient and work hard and you’ll go far.
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?
Probably not
Anything else you’d like to share:
There is a good work-life balance and you get to work with a lot of great people throughout the day.
To contact Marzia, email marzia.m.chowdhury@gmail.com
LinkedIn: @marziachowdhury
If you’d like to submit your story for the “A Day in the Life of A” series email thesaanasta@gmail.com.
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Event: June 18th from 5-7 PM
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