What a Category Development Manager at The Wonderful Company Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry
Evan, a Category Development Manager, wishes they had known the significant time investment in data analysis and the potential for leveraging technology like AI tools to increase efficiency. The ability to automate tasks using programs beyond Excel, finding "technology solves" for daily processes, would have been invaluable, as these tools can significantly improve workflow.
Data Analysis, Technology, Automation, Efficiency, Problem-Solving
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. The significant role of data analysis in a Category Development Manager's role.
2. The importance of leveraging technology and AI tools for automation and efficiency.
3. The value of continuously learning new programs and tools to improve job performance and efficiency
Transcript
What have you learned about your role that you wish someone had told you before you even started?
I think it's important to understand how much time you'll spend in the data and how much help you can get from tools beyond Excel. There are many practical applications for new AI tools like ChatGPT or Bard.
Even with consumer package sales spreadsheets, there are things you can automate. Processes and tasks you do daily or weekly can be streamlined. These are technology "hacks" that would have been beneficial to consider when entering the industry.
It's about asking, "This is something I can do in Excel, but where is the technological solution? How can I automate this?" For anyone looking to enter any industry, or any role where efficiency is key, this is important.
With AI or other tools, the question is: how quickly can you learn these programs and leverage them to their fullest potential?