Wendy Burbridge

Cal Poly - B.A. English, 2004

Other degrees/certificates:

Technical Communication Certificate

Current city/state:

San Diego, CA

Employer:

MIR3

Professional Website:

www.mir3.com

Job Title:

Senior Account Executive

How Long in Current Position:

5 months

Brief description of position duties/responsibilities:

As a senior account executive, I am responsible for managing the needs of existing clients as well as demonstrating and selling our product to potential new clients.

What specific qualities/abilities, skills are necessary for this position:

Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, strong presentation skills, ability to think quickly and engage people in conversation.

While at Cal Poly, what resources did you take advantage of that have helped you in your current position:

Business Communication courses, Technical Communcation Certificate, Society for Technical Communications, Sigma Tau Delta. I had to work about 35 hours a week while I attended college, but even going to one or two meetings where you can learn how to network, receive job training skills, etc. is completely worth your time.

What advice would you give to someone interested in your profession?

Use your time at Cal Poly to really learn as many programs as you can and take courses in business communication. Additionally, there are plenty of tutorials at Cal Poly for everything from how to use Excel to how to create an awesome resume. Take advantage of every resource available to you.

Is there anything you'd like to personally add about how you found your way to your current career since graduating from Cal Poly as an English major?  Any memorable epiphanies that marked major turning points on which path you chose?

After graduating from Cal Poly I worked in advertising, and had a couple side jobs as a proofreader. However, after working long hours and barely scraping by financially, I knew that I wanted to get into sales. So, I started out by taking a couple jobs in recruiting because it not only required the technical ability that I learned through completing my Technical Communication Certificate, but also gave me a lot of experience with how to communicate effectively on  the phone to people I didn't know. I realized that having my salary tied in with my work performance inspired me to be motivated to do my job well.

Contact:

wendy.burbridge@gmail.com