How Identity Has Influenced A Sourcing Manager's Career At A Food-Tech Company
Zack, a Sourcing Manager at a Food-Tech company, advises social science students lacking detail-orientation to adopt a "big picture" approach to job searching, accepting that "whatever that first job is isn't gonna be your dream job," and embracing trial and error. The Berkeley graduate emphasizes the importance of effort in the job search, noting that the initial value of a degree diminishes over time, allowing for skill development later in one's career.
Career Exploration, Job Search Strategies, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Networking
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Zack Reilly
Sourcing Manager
Food-Tech Company
University of California, Berkeley
N/A
Economics
Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Operations and Project Management
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. You won't stumble into your dream job; you have to actively pursue it.
2. It's okay to not be detail-oriented; focus on the big picture and be open to trial and error.
3. Your college degree is helpful for the first job, but long-term, practical skills and experience matter more.
Transcript
What advice would you give students with a major in social sciences who are not detail-oriented about finding their first job?
You won't just stumble into your dream job. That's definitely not going to happen, especially at Berkeley. It's not going to happen.
I think everyone from Berkeley knows people don't really help you that much. You kind of just get lost in the system. We all know kids that just flunk out too. That's just what happens at a big state school, which is part of the fun too. It really challenges you to make whatever happens. You have to make it happen.
If you're not detail-oriented and you're able to graduate, that's huge. Chances are, you probably have some shred of ambition or hard work in you. You just have to be more structured about it. If you're not focused on the details, then have a big picture thing that you want to do and think a little bit about how to achieve that.
There are going to be steps involved, and you don't have to think about all the details. But if you're not worried about the details, you have to be okay with trial and error and talking to people.
If you're not detail-oriented, just know that whatever that first job is, it's not going to be your dream job. And even if you were detail-oriented, that's going to be the same exact thing.
Your Berkeley or Sloan degree matters for the first job and is super helpful, but years down the road, no one really cares. The detailed skill might develop later on, so you'll be all right. Just do trial and error, and work a little where you studied for your tests. Put some effort into the job search, maybe not into the details, but into the effort itself.
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