Entry-level positions for aspiring Category Development Managers
Evan, a Category Development Manager, suggests that entry-level data analyst roles, requiring skills showcased during college, or field sales positions are excellent starting points. The latter provides "Baseline skills" in understanding consumer behavior and retail operations, transferable to various industries beyond consumer packaged goods.
Data Analysis, Sales, Entry-Level Positions, Consumer Packaged Goods, Business Operations
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Evan Reed
Category Development Manager
The Wonderful Company
University of Arizona 2014
University of Southern California MBA 2019
Marketing
Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Communication and Marketing
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Data analyst roles are valuable entry points, requiring demonstrable skills in data analysis programs.
2. Entry-level field sales positions offer insights into consumer behavior, retail operations, and merchandising, providing transferable skills applicable to various industries.
3. Baseline skills in business operations at the point of sale are highly valuable and transferable across diverse sectors including entertainment, finance, technology, and travel industries.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
The best ways to get into this industry are with a couple of types of roles. I think the data analyst role is a great one.
That's something where you would be running a lot of reports and analysis, and you would be learning that skill set. I think one of the biggest ways to get into that is to showcase within your college career that you've had some skills with certain programs and certain types of analysis.
This shows that you're someone they can hire and train, and there won't be a huge skill gap from where you are in college to where they need you to be.
Probably the other way to get into an industry like this is by starting in some sort of entry-level field sales type role. It's a great way to understand consumers and their objections at a retailer level.
You can also figure out what good merchandising looks like and how to operate at the store. I think these are great baseline skills that would serve you well even if you didn't want to stay in the consumer package goods industry.
These skills are valuable in many other industries, whether it be entertainment, finance, technology, or even the travel industry. You just need to learn the baseline skill set of how a business operates at the point of sale.