I Want Your Job: Alexa Marconi ’15
Meet Alexa Marconi ’15, our latest installment of the “I Want Your Job” series! Marconi is an account executive at Salesforce in California. She graduated from PCSB as finance major in 2015, and describes her journey from post-grad to today, giving great advice about maintaining connections and turning her West Coast dreams into reality.
What was your major/graduation year, and what types of internships did you do?
I graduated in 2015 with a major in finance. I initially entered undeclared, but quickly realized that I could do a lot with any sort of business degree. My first internship was at Fidelity Investments with their Corporate Finance Internship Program during the summer of 2014. During my senior year, I interned at Upserve in downtown Providence (formerly known as Swipely). My role there was within the finance and underwriting team, where I was first introduced to Salesforce.
What was the best thing you did as an undergrad that helped you to get to where you are today?
Being proactive! I began meeting with the career education center as early as possible to make sure I was on track to secure the best internships and an eventual full-time role after graduation. I also consistently networked with faculty, other students, and alumni to cast my net wide and ensure I had resources in all areas.
How did you ultimately land your current role and how did you stand out in the interview process?
After working in finance for two years, I decided I wanted a change of scenery, both literally and figuratively. I knew I wanted to move out to California, but I didn’t exactly know what sort of career change I wanted to make. Eventually, with the help of many mentors, I decided that I wanted to leverage my interpersonal skills and begin a career in sales. I networked with a long list of NorCal PC alumni, and eventually I decided to message the director of sales development at Salesforce on LinkedIn. To my surprise, she messaged me back and invited me to apply for the role of sales development representative. Almost three years later, I am now an account executive at Salesforce. I think I stood out in the interview process because I was persistent with my approach, confident in my skills, and eager to learn.
Can you explain what a typical day looks like for you at Salesforce?
I typically get into the office around 7:30 a.m. every day. Luckily, I’m a morning person. My role is completely customer-facing, so I’m usually on the phone with my customers from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. It’s important for me to get in early to answer any urgent emails, and structure my day appropriately around whatever meetings I have scheduled. My meetings consist of introductory calls with prospective Salesforce customers, conducting Salesforce demonstrations, or working with my current customers to help them leverage their instance of Salesforce more effectively.
What challenges did you face in landing your current role and how did you use them to grow as a professional?
Prior to working at Salesforce, I was in a finance role at a defense contracting company. The role was not customer-facing at all, so it was crucial to show the interview team how effective my communication skills were in other areas. Sales is also an incredibly volatile career, so I had to quickly adjust to celebrating the highs, but also dealing with the low points that come with the role.
I have grown immensely in my time at Salesforce, but I would say most significantly in my communication skills. Salesforce does an incredible job training their employees through sales enablement programs, and I can confidently say that I have developed skills for this role and for my career to come.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you offer PCSB students interested in pursuing a career similar to yours?
While I was studying finance at PC, I had a very narrow-minded approach with what I could do post-graduation. PC arms us with one of the best educations money can buy – and it’s not limited to your major. I leveraged the oral and written communication skills that I developed in DWC and my other business courses to ultimately land a role in a career path I never thought I would enter.
My best advice would be to have an open mind and always capitalize on your strengths. Use the strengths that you have developed throughout your time at PC to find a career that you are not only skilled in, but that you also enjoy.
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Instagram: @salesforce
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/salesforce/
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