Blaine Cooper-Surma ’09 – Although I’m only a few months removed from the Wabash College campus, I’ve already gotten a good taste of the real world. At Wabash I was an Economics major, English and Religion double minor, and I also completed the Business Sequence area of concentration. In college I was a member of the Swimming and Diving Team, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, and Peer Advisor at Career Services. My experiences outside the walls of Wabash College are unique, and I’m glad to be able to share them with you.
In November of last year, I was unsure of what I wanted to do after graduation. I think it’s safe to say that many, if not most, students find themselves in a similar situation. At that particular time I knew that I had several promising leads, all with great companies, but for me there was one career path that stuck out from the rest. After attending an info session for the Bob Orr Indiana Entrepreneurial Fellowship, I immediately became interested in the organization. The two alums presenting spoke of graduates being able to work alongside executive-level management, thriving in an entrepreneurial environment while being able to take on significant projects in their companies, and having a network of over 80 fellows to reach out to, no matter their obstacle or situation. This sounded like something that I wanted to do – I felt the need to make an immediate impact in a company, and I knew that this was the right investment for my career.
To make a long story short, I interviewed with the Orr Fellowship and became increasingly interested in one particular host company. ExactTarget, an Indianapolis-based host company of nearly 500 employees, has been involved with the Orr Fellowship since its beginning. What caught my attention was the Catapult program, which is a rotational program that allows you to rotate through three different areas of the company over a six-month time span. Spending two months in each department allows you to learn your personal strengths and weaknesses, while teaching you a great deal about the people and operations of each department. For me, this type of program was exactly what I needed. What also got me excited about ExactTarget is the fact that the company has been growing at tremendous rates of growth. I saw this as a great opportunity to join a company that I knew would allow me the prospect of moving up in the ranks and developing myself as a professional.
Since I have begun work at ExactTarget, my first rotation has been in Human Resources. I have primarily been recruiting and working with candidates, but I’ve also been given a couple of meaty projects that will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the company. Over the past month I have been working with managers and executives to get a finalized version of our employee handbook. The handbooks have been ordered and each employee will be receiving one of these handbooks in the next couple of weeks. I have also been researching and working on a whitepaper which will assist clients in cleaning out their subscriber lists so that they comply with a new marketing law that takes effect in mid-September. Not many companies out there can provide recent graduates with the opportunity to take on significant roles in which they can make immediate improvements in the operations of their company. As my first two months at ExactTarget are coming to an end, I am preparing to rotate into my second department. My last two rotations are Client Relationship Management and Sales Operations. As of January 1, 2010, I will be placed in my full-time position at ExactTarget.As I’ve already mentioned, I’ve only been working for a couple of months. Although this is the case, being involved with the Orr Fellowship and an employee at ExactTarget has already been a tremendous experience. One of the neat things about being in the Orr Fellowship and ExactTarget is the camaraderie among both groups of recent graduates. For example, it is not uncommon to have three evening get-togethers each week where I’m spending time with one of the two groups of young professionals. We frequently have happy hours downtown, go to trivia nights at the local bar, or get together in Broad Ripple for dinner and drinks. Here are several neat things that I’ve done with the Orr Fellowship and ExactTarget thus far:
· My Catapult class was invited to meet Governor Mitch Daniels in his office
· Attended my first Colts game with some Orr Fellows
· Participated in an Orr Fellowship golf outing where I was able to play alongside several of Indiana’s finest business leaders
· Was able to meet with President of Compendium Blogware and past Orr Fellow, Ali Sales – she used the time to give us advice on how make an impact and get noticed in a growing company
· Got box seats to an Indianapolis Indians game with the rest of the Orr Fellows where we were able to meet and interact with serial entrepreneur Mark Hill
I hope you enjoyed reading about my first couple of months in the real world. If you have any questions regarding the Orr Fellowship or ExactTarget, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can get my contact info from Scott Crawford. I will be on campus in the next couple of months doing info sessions and recruiting for both organizations.
Have a great school year!
