Career Path of an Employee Brand Recruiting Manager at Galileo Learning
Sam's career path is "a little unique," showcasing diverse roles from magazine sales ("I learned very quickly I'm not a salesperson") to flight school operations, summer camp management ("I fell in love with the Ops side"), marketing agency work, and a cannabis recruiting agency—all leading to their current role at Galileo Learning. This journey highlights adaptability, a willingness to embrace unexpected opportunities ("no two days are gonna be the same"), and the importance of maintaining professional relationships ("I'm very careful not to burn any Bridges").
Career Exploration, Job Search, Networking, Communication, Resilience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sam Weinstein
Recruiting Manager, Employee Brand
Galileo Learning
University of San Diego, 2016
N/A
Ethnic & Related Studies
Education
Human Resources (HR)
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Sam's career path highlights a willingness to explore diverse roles and industries, starting with entry-level positions and progressing through various opportunities in marketing, operations, and recruitment. This showcases the value of gaining experience in different areas to discover one's strengths and passions.
2. Sam emphasizes the importance of networking and maintaining positive relationships with mentors and colleagues. Their career trajectory demonstrates how these connections can lead to unexpected opportunities and career advancement.
3. Sam's experience highlights the benefits of temporary or contract positions. These roles allowed for exploration of different career paths (e.g., marketing coordinator at a cybersecurity company) and skills development, ultimately contributing to their current success as a Recruiting Manager.
Transcript
Hey Sam, could you walk me through your career path? I'm specifically interested in your experiences in college, any internships or jobs you had prior to your current role as a Recruitment Communications Manager. Could you also tell me how you landed that first job?
My background is a bit unique and all over the place. I've dabbled in marketing, recruitment, and operations.
When I was in college, I just needed a job to help pay for classes. I looked on Craigslist for something local that could fit my schedule. My first job was with a magazine company where I did operations and sales. They were local and trying to launch a new magazine about San Diego politics.
I learned quickly that I'm not a salesperson, but it gave me great insight that I still pull from today. From there, I found my next job working at a flight school in San Diego as their operations admin, helping to organize things in the office.
I was then taken under my mentor's wing. He trained me on marketing, and I ended up working there for a couple more years during the school year. During the summers, I worked at Galileo, the company I now work for full-time. I spent three months in the Bay Area doing operations for their camp.
I was talking with parents daily and checking on campers to make sure everything was going smoothly. I believe that was the first time I truly fell in love with the operations side of what I do. There's something about getting to wear a tutu and tie-dye t-shirt to work, be professional, and have a huge smile on your face while a hundred campers are singing outside.
After college, I picked up a couple of odd jobs in the Bay Area. Ultimately, I got an offer from my mentor, Adam, to work at his marketing agency in San Diego. I moved back and started with him. Startups have their ups and downs, and unfortunately, he had to downsize, and I was let go.
At the same time, I was able to contract for him, writing blogs and social media posts while doing other work. I picked up a couple of temp-to-hire jobs, which gave me the opportunity to explore different roles. One of those was a marketing coordinator at a cybersecurity company, a role I never would have applied for, but I absolutely loved it and learned so much.
When my contract ended, it perfectly aligned with my family's yoga studio looking for a new manager. I stepped in as the operations manager, handling HR, people management, scheduling, payroll, and customer service. I loved having my hands in so many different things, which helped me realize I loved the HR piece, but it wasn't my strength. I loved the operations side and creating plans, but perhaps running social media for others wasn't my passion.
Unfortunately, with COVID, our company had to close its doors in 2020. I was then looking for a job and ended up at a recruiting agency in the cannabis industry. Both were new to me. I quickly learned it was a go-go environment where no two days were the same.
I loved the diversity it brought. I could walk in expecting to do ten projects and end up doing three totally different things I never imagined would be on my plate. I was so dedicated to that job. Then, I got a call from Galileo.
I had always loved Galileo and wanted to work for their headquarters. Now that they were open to remote work, being in San Diego wasn't a problem. I went through the interview process and loved it, thinking I had to be back there. I took the job and am now about nine months into working full-time for HQ, and I absolutely love what I'm doing.