College Experiences That Helped A Learning Manager At Salesforce Succeed
Halimah's undergraduate experiences, including "volunteering to present all the time" and conducting research, significantly contributed to their current success as a Learning Manager. The research component provided a strong foundation in data analysis, including understanding "the difference between qualitative and quantitative data," skills which are now essential to their role at Salesforce.
Communication, Data Analysis, Research, Presentation Skills, Problem-Solving
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Halimah Jones
Learning Manager, Slack Global Onboarding
Salesforce
Northwestern University, 2016
N/A
Psychology
Technology
Human Resources (HR)
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Presenting in various settings (classroom, volunteer groups) built confidence and presentation skills.
2. Undergraduate research experience fostered data analysis abilities and critical thinking skills.
3. Understanding qualitative and quantitative data, survey design, and focus groups are invaluable skills in a professional setting.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
A few different activities helped set me up for success. One was volunteering to present all the time. This was something I did subconsciously; I didn't realize how often I was doing it until I entered the industry.
The practice of presenting in classroom, volunteer, and group settings really helped set me up for success. I also did a lot of research in college.
I was originally going to pursue a PhD but quickly decided against it. However, the research experience was very helpful for the data analysis I do now. I can understand more and build great questions for people.
This helps folks understand what we're getting at and analyze data. This will only become more important as we gather so much data throughout our lives, and this will also increase at work. Being able to understand what that looks like has been really helpful.
Even just understanding the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, running focus groups, and knowing what makes a good survey question are basics I use basically every week. They also help me give feedback to others. Learning data for the first time was also beneficial.