Alex Giakouminakis (CAS ’26) took part in her internship in the summer of 2023. She worked at Vector Marketing in Paramus, NJ.
How did you learn about this internship opportunity? What career resources from BU or elsewhere did you use during the application and interview process?
I received a message from a friend who recommended I apply for the position. I used Linkedin to help learn a bit about the company during my application process.
Why did you choose to apply for this particular internship?
I was actually looking for a job around the time I was recommended for this position so when the opportunity came to me, I knew I had to take it. I love exploring different fields and as a biology major, I have never really gotten the chance to explore a business profession so I wanted the experience.
What were your job responsibilities as an intern?*
At Vector, I worked as a senior sales associate and an assistant manager. I was basically using interpersonal and marketing skills to showcase the companys’ product, Cutco. As an assistant manager, I was also overlooking the my offices entire sales. This included brainstorming ways we as a company could improve, assisting with recruitment and interviews, and teaching other employees how they can improve to help maximize sales and their own personal skills.
What was the most rewarding part of your internship?
The most rewarding part of my internship was definitely getting to help other people. I got promoted to assistant manager within my first two weeks at the company, so I was super excited and eager to start helping other people. It was really motivating to me how many others looked up to me and I loved working with each member of our office to help everyone become the best version of themselves and feel super confident in what they were doing.
What skills, technical or soft, did you develop during your internship?
I would say the main skill I learned during this experience is how to sell myself and communicate with people properly. At a marketing firm, you’re trying to sell the product, but with us the product really sells itself. With that being said, I was basically learning to market myself and sell myself to help other people fall in love with the product as well. I learned to handle objections, answer any questions, and make a super personable experience with each customer I spoke to.
What advice would you give to another student about making the most of an internship, job, or other career-related experience?
The advice I would give to any other student to make a most of their internship is to say yes to everything. They want you working a few extra hours? Say yes. They want you to try a new part of the job or internship? Say yes. They want you to help teach others or give presentations? Say yes. Every single opportunity should definitely be taken because you never know where it’ll get you! I planned on turning down the assistant manager position initially because I didn’t know if I could handle the extra work but saying yes was the best career decision I made. Take all risks and really maximize your capabilities when you’re working because you can get so much out of an experience than you initially expected.
Please share any notable accomplishments or milestones you achieved during your internship.
Within my first two weeks of working, I was promoted to assistant manager and reached my fourth sales promotion, making me a senior sales associate. I sold over 16k of our product in less than two months and was just accepted as part of this upcoming years leadership team!
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