Featuring: Amanda Bishop, Class of 2008
The Where Are They Now? project is continuing with another recent graduate, Amanda Bishop. In 2008, Bishop graduated from Bucknell with a double majored in Art History and French. Currently, she is Albea Beauty Solutions’ Avon Account Manager for North America.
Internships: Calder Foundation
After graduating from Bucknell, Bishop quickly started her internship at the Calder Foundation. As an Art History major, she was thrilled to receive this opportunity to enter the NYC art world. Once her internship ended, she was hoping to secure employment with the company. Unfortunately, the Calder Foundation did not have any full-time position available.
Post- Graduation: Exploring the Job Market
Once her internship at the Calder Foundation ended, Bishop was forced to explore the job market. Determined to make a living in NYC, she applied for hundreds of jobs at galleries, museums, auction houses, foundations, etc. For a month, she was swamped with interviews and call backs. Unfortunately, 2008 was not the most stable economic period in our nation’s history, and Bishop was competing for jobs in the Art field with people who already had their Masters degrees. This frustrating experience forced her to think outside the box and utilize her second bachelor degree- French.
Full-Time Occupation: SGD, Albea Beauty Solutions
Once she opened up her mind to other possibilities, while still aiming to live in NYC, she was able to interview for jobs that combined her creative thinking and French speaking abilities. She interviewed for SGD- a French-based global company- and was offered a position during her first interview with the CEO. The CEO remarked about how her association with Bucknell had already placed her above the other contenders. This sort of networking worked well for Bishop and suggests that Bucknell alumni have a competitive edge in today’s job market!
After working at SGD for 4 years, she was offered a job as the Account Manager for another cosmetics packaging supplier called Albea Beauty Solutions. She is heavily involved with this job and manages the Avon account for North America. She is able to stay in contact with other branches around the world, thereby maneuvering the company’s corporate ladder in a stable and rewarding environment. She is thrilled to be working for Albea Beauty Solutions and forsees herself working here for a long time.
**Tips For Undergraduate Students **
Bishop stresses that her Bucknell education and the Bucknell name makes a huge difference in the “real world”. Although her current job is completely different from her original goal, she has found that she is able to utilize her creative, analytical thinking during everyday experiences in fragrance sales. By utilizing her French bachelor degree, she was able to step into the corporate world and use the analytical strategies that she grasped in her Art History course to maintain her overall goal: living in New York.
She also provided some great tips which I thought were useful for anyone and everyone graduating Bucknell this year:
- Once you nail that first job, learn as much as possible from the lower-level processes so that you have a solid foundation in basic operations of companies. This will make you more self-sufficient and valuable to future employers.
- Success is defined, according to Bishop, by the certain level of respect within your company and your industry. It also means financial stability. Lastly it means to conquer challenges placed in front of you and excelling at something that maybe was once out of your comfort zone or beyond your comprehension.
- Explore all the options. Do not set yourself short the first time around in the job market. Open your mind to other experiences and stay determined!