Product Development Analyst

After graduating from Cornell with a degree in Industrial Labor Relations (Organizational Behavior/Management) & International Relations, Isabel E. became a Product Development Analyst for CEB, an insight and technology company. Here’s what she had to say with two years under her belt. 

Why did you choose this job? To relocate to D.C., a new city for me, after graduating. To learn about innovative management practices in the most successful global companies.

What is an average day like in your role? A big mix: Interviewing companies to identify creative, innovative, successful practices in business management techniques, managing data collections through company submissions for our benchmark studies, training account managers on how to advise members on their management challenges, brainstorming new product developments to best support clients, authoring newsletters to publicize client networking events, and more.

What’s the most challenging part of your job? Perfecting communications: For example, when working with so many individuals across the company in different functions and on distinct teams, identifying who is best to pull into which conversations and meetings, how to most effectively train sales teams, and a big mix of other kinds of scenarios.

What’s your favorite part of the job? Working with many different, interesting, and smart people who are very supportive and encouraging of fellow employees – I’m constantly provided with opportunities to develop skills, expand my responsibilities, and be ready for a colorful career!

What’s a common misconception about your job? That the title “Analyst” is one dimensional, it’s definitely not.

Any tips for current college students who aspire to have your job? Get involved in managing your own research projects while on campus – a great way to do this is through a well-designed independent study or senior thesis project.

If you had a time machine and could travel back to visit yourself in college, what’s the #1 piece of advice you would have given yourself? It’s okay to question/change your major, try out new classes, switch around who you hang out with – be open minded from the start, and take advantage of meeting all the different kinds of people and activities sitting in front of you.

What is a fun perk of your job? More than half of the DC team decided to get matching Ikea standing desks in all different colors. Also, our 15 person team is composed of people from India, Sydney, and London, who we all work with many times a week. And we all tell each other where exactly in the world we’re going when we use our 28+ days off/year!