Delighted to share this guest blog from Anna Green, Account Executive at Dell Technologies. As well as providing a great insight into her role, Anna debunks the myth that you have to have studied a particular degree discipline to work in the tech industry.
My career journey
I always enjoyed school, but when it came to joining university, I really struggled with deciding what to study. I ended up choosing to study drama because I wanted to spend four years studying a subject I loved, but I also knew, drama would give me skills that could one day, set me apart me from others, when it came to careers. Drama allowed me to excel in being a quick learner, to have strong collaboration skills, confidence, deal well under pressure and stay calm when outside of my comfort zone. I also took a placement year and worked in London, for a youth theatre company, working as a PA for their audition tours and headed up their outreach programme (expanding their business to wider parts of London). I never intended to go into the arts as a career, as being very business savvy and money motivated, I knew I wanted to join a fast-paced commercial environment.
After graduating from The University of Surrey with a 2:1, my CV equated to some volunteer work, five years of part-time work in a restaurant and my drama degree; not much to differentiate me from other graduate CV’s, so I threw myself into assessment days, where I knew my drama skills could be utilised. For some, these are a worst nightmare, but they give you the opportunity to showcase who you are and how you can command a room, which puts you in good stead for any job. I was recognised by a recruitment company at their own assessment day; a week later I was offered a job and began my recruitment journey. I spent two years working my way up to a senior consultant position and helped graduates like myself, find the perfect job. It was fast paced, competitive and a great beginning for my career.
Insight into my day-to-day role as an Account Executive at Dell
I work to support higher education accounts across the UK and my day-to-day activities include:
- Prospecting new accounts
- Account management
- Creating new strategies
- Innovating (bringing new ideas to the team)
- Analysing targets and numbers
- Networking/meeting new people in Dell
- Improving my personal brand (LinkedIn/networking/meetings).
My aim in this role is to guarantee I hit my quarterly targets, through ensuring my accounts are engaged, my customer’s receive exceptional service and I am bringing new accounts onboard regularly.
At Dell I am also part of our ERG’s (employee resource groups), as Dell is very supportive of community and volunteering work. I am part of an ERG called ‘Gen Next’ which provides an established network for new hires and young professionals to be innovative and inspired. As well, I am part of ‘Women in Action’ which enables women to grow and thrive by creating connections and providing leadership and expertise. This is a very rewarding part of my job, as I get to support others and make differences whilst I work.
What would you say are the key priorities for your sector right now?
Priorities in the tech industry at the moment, involve creating solutions so people can hybrid work or work from home, without any inconvenience. Across the pandemic, Dell has been a beacon of support for all customers across the world, to help us adapt to our new working environments.
What opportunities do you have across your organisation?
When it comes to opportunities, Dell is always hiring for roles from: sales, marketing, account management to computing, gaming and more. We hire for our graduate programme NextGen twice per year, so keep an eye out if you are interested!
At Dell the most important things we look for in a new employee are that they uphold our culture code. We want to see personality, great communication skills and your drive for innovation. Dell is also committed to creating a diverse workforce and creating a positive, collaborative environment where everyone is valued and included, so we need to see that you support those same values.
My five top tips for students and graduates wanting to get a job in this sector
- Make sure you do your research and find interesting conversation topics – have we been in the news? What new technology are we introducing? How did we cope with the Covid-19 pandemic? What is our Culture Code?
- Show your personality; you are unique, and we want to see why. Make sure you have examples that link to our culture code and are not generic responses.
- Remember you will be representing our brand, so ensure you come across professional and organised.
- Always have questions to ask your interviewer because this shows your interest in our company.
- Smile and try to control your nerves; we chose you for an interview because we feel you could be someone we want to work with. Be confident in your ability!
Thanks Anna.
You can explore further on how to improve your chances of success at interview on the Careers Service website.