Full name?: Amber Link
Position / Job title?: Account Manager at Jobs2Careers
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do, but I feel like I always thought I wanted to do something “different.” I was in choir from a young age, and thought that I might do something with that. As I got older, I realized that wasn’t really possible, and I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do, but I knew I didn’t want to sit around bored in a cubicle counting down until 5 PM every day!
2. Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position?
In college, I majored in government, and considered going to law school and/or possibly working in politics. However, the work I did throughout college really created the path for me. I started working as a marketing assistant for two small software companies in Austin, and later worked at a coworking space. By the time I graduated I had gained a ton of experience in a bunch of different areas. Even though I wasn’t sure what exactly my job title should be, I knew I wanted to work for a small company with awesome people.
3. Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships?
Internships are super important! I did paid work throughout college and often held down multiple jobs during the summer: working at restaurants or as a nanny to make more money. I always tried to make sure I was working somewhere that would give me a meaningful work experience, while looking good at my resume at the same time.
4. Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts?
Well, I honestly don’t know if I ever have a typical day! Working at startup everyone wears multiple hats, so I’m never just doing one job. While it can be crazy stressful and busy, I love it because I’m never bored or desperately waiting for the work day to end. I’m also always learning something or facing a new challenge, which is incredibly important to me in a job.
I get into the office at 9, drink LOTS of coffee, and usually spend the next hour answering client emails. As an account manager, I talk to many of our clients on a daily basis and make sure that they are happy with us. My days are usually filled with emails, meetings, special projects, and solving any big problems that come up.
When I’m not dealing with clients, there are a ton of other things I have to do. One of the hardest parts of my job has been learning to prioritize and multitask efficiently. I always feel like I’m doing 10 things at once so I’m still trying to figure out how to get one thing done before moving onto the next.
I usually leave work around 6, and them I stay on email the rest of the night in case anything comes up. Honestly, I don’t think I’m never not on my email, it’s almost an addiction at this point.
5. Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important?
Work/life balance is super important! To me it means making sure you’re never working so much that you can’t enjoy your life. I occasionally have work things come up at night or on the weekends, and that’s fine. If I always had to work on the nights and weekends and didn’t have time to relax or have fun I’d be pretty unhappy.
I’m always encouraged at work to let my boss know when I have too much on my plate so I’m never overloaded, I think it’s really important to keep track of this and ask for help when you need it before you wind up hating your job because of it.
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