By Kendal Enz
“Do what you love” is simple advice, but as Johns Hopkins University (JHU) alumnae and former Center for Leadership Education (CLE) student Zoe Longenecker-Wright knows, it can take you far.
As a student at JHU, Longenecker-Wright studied earth and planetary sciences, and took courses in chemistry and chemical engineering as well. While working towards her degree, Longenecker-Wright realized that she had no passion for lab work or interest in pursuing it as a profession, and decided to explore alternative career options by taking a series of tests offered through the Career Center.
“It turned out (not surprisingly) that my love for talking and rapid fire projects was not suited to the sciences,” she said, “and I moved forward and never looked back.”
Doing what she loves has treated Longenecker-Wright well: in September of 2014, she accepted a position as a market analyst with Stanley Black & Decker Construction and DIY in Towson. As a market analyst, Longenecker-Wright is responsible for providing market research, analysis and direction to product managers in the company’s professional power tools sector. Brands that Longenecker-Wright works with include DeWalt, Porter-Cable and Bostich.
Former CLE student Zoe Longenecker-Wright
Her favorite aspect of her new position at Stanley Black & Decker is the dynamic work environment.
“I hate being bored, so I knew I had to get a job where things were always changing and one project never lingered for too long,” she said. “So I love that the sands of my current job are constantly shifting.”
In the fast-paced world of business, what project is of the highest priority changes on a daily basis. One moment Longenecker-Wright could be working on a brand perception study, the next a “voice of the consumer” project, where product managers meet with customers on the jobsite to obtain a better understanding of their product needs and wants.
While working as a market analyst is exciting, it is not without its challenges. For Longenecker-Wright, the high expectations of her job performance can be daunting.
“Something I think was exceptionally hard was learning that criticism is an opportunity to change what you are doing and excel, and not necessarily a warning or death sentence. In order to produce the best presentation (and lead the company in the right direction), everything needs to be checked with a fine-tooth comb, and that means a lot of changes and a lot of opinions. So at first it was (and frankly still is) hard to learn not take things so personally,” she said.
In order for students to excel professionally after graduation, Longenecker-Wright suggests that they focus on choosing a career path—not just a major—and to do what they are passionate about.
“Don’t be afraid to jump ship on all your hard work and start over,” she said. “I had to start from scratch to build myself to where I was, and I never felt better than the day I started doing what I loved.”
Longenecker-Wright also advises students to spend their time at university working on projects, participating in campus organizations and completing internships.
“When applying for jobs, employers look at what you actually accomplished, not what grade you got on your calculus exam,” she explained.
While grades are important, Longenecker-Wright emphasized that they alone do not determine the success of a student’s future. At one point in college, Longenecker-Wright qualified for academic probation, which she found devastating, until she noticed that a friend of hers, who was also on academic probation, was still receiving a multitude of job offers.
“When I sat down and thought about it, I realized he had done something: he had projects and work experience and all these things the school was not handing to me when I spent my entire life digging through an organic chemistry textbook,” she said. “The next year I joined SCNO (Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations) and restarted my life doing things, instead of reading about them!”
The summer after she graduated from JHU, Longenecker-Wright landed an internship with Stanley Black & Decker as an analyst with the help of CLE Senior Lecturer Leslie Kendrick, who gave Longenecker-Wright “a glowing review.” As an undergraduate, Longenecker-Wright worked as a Research Department Manager in Kendrick’s Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications class, which helped her gain the knowledge and experience necessary to excel as an analyst.
During her internship at Stanley Black & Decker, Longenecker-Wright worked on the company’s bi-yearly satisfaction study and a service center insights project, and aided with other team projects as well. She pointed out that while the projects she worked on were ongoing, they were not small tasks.
“The ideology our team works under is that you do work that prepares you for the next level in your career. If you aren’t doing something out of your comfort zone, you aren’t growing and thus you aren’t going to be ready to be promoted when the opportunity arises,” she said.
When the opportunity for promotion arose for Longenecker-Wright, she was ready. After interning with the company for about two months, she was offered her current full-time position as an analyst.
Longenecker-Wright suggests that students interested in following a career path similar to hers take advantage of the marketing and business classes available through the CLE.
“Not only are the courses under [the CLE] important, but networking with people who work there can make all the difference,” she said.
They might just help you land your dream job.