Career Path Of A Manager Performance And Planning At Delta Airlines
Alex's career path began with an economics degree and diverse experiences including "athletic training" and entrepreneurial ventures like lawn mowing. After graduating and relocating to Atlanta, a chance encounter with a recruiter led to a contracted position at Delta Airlines, which Alex leveraged into a full-time role through dedication and teamwork.
Career Exploration, Job Search Strategies, Networking, Data Analysis, Resilience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Alex Olafsson
Manager, Performance and Planning
Global Airline Company
Kalamazoo College 2011
UCLA Anderson MBA
Economics
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense
Business Strategy
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Alex's diverse college experiences, including economics studies and various part-time jobs (athletic training, construction, lawn mowing), highlight the value of exploring different fields to discover interests and skills.
2. His willingness to relocate to Atlanta without a job lined up and take on a temporary data entry position demonstrates proactive job searching and adaptability.
3. Securing a contract position at Delta Airlines through networking with recruiters and showcasing his skills during the interview process underscores the importance of networking and strong interview performance in career advancement.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
Thank you for that question. I'm originally from Michigan. When I started college, I didn't have a lot of business experience, but I was interested in business.
So I started studying economics. While in school, I did work a little, but not in areas typically considered core business. I wasn't focused on getting a business internship. Instead, I wanted to learn about different businesses and gain different perspectives.
In college, I worked in the athletic training department, which provided basic relationship-building experience. This allowed me to see how that kind of college operation worked. Over the summers and during breaks, I worked quite a bit at home.
I did a lot of construction and had a small entrepreneurial venture mowing lawns. I'd transition that work to my siblings when I returned to college. So, a little of my college experience involved economics and some side work, but I was mostly focused on school.
Nowadays, I work at Delta Airlines. Right after graduating, I decided to move to Atlanta without a job lined up. I was looking for opportunities and something interesting, willing to do anything.
Initially, I took a temporary job doing basic data entry for Deloitte on behalf of Trust Bank. Then, I connected with some recruiters and interviewed for a job. I didn't even know who I'd be working for; it was just a job title on a description.
I tried to answer quickly in the interview, wanting to show I was the right person for whatever the job was. It turned out to be a contracted position at Delta Airlines, which they were interested in. It was serendipitous.
This opportunity came about a year after I graduated college. I went to Delta as a contractor and worked there for about a year and a half. I wasn't even a full-time employee.
But I worked really hard and tried to contribute to the team as much as I could. About a year and a half into my contract, I moved into [unclear].