Nicolle Aleman ’01, Director of Marketing

Dianira Piceno: Did you see yourself going into your current occupation after graduation?

Nicolle Aleman: Not even remotely. I applied for a $10/hr position in what was then the SOU Publications office as a copywriter and editor. I thought that was a great salary at the time, after working part-time minimum wage jobs as a college student! They ended up going with someone who had more experience, and I moved to Portland to get a job where many of my friends were working, at Wells Fargo, where I spent the next few years before moving on to the software industry. It was kind of funny to come back to SOU in 2015 and realize that one of my new employees had actually interviewed me for that position back in 2001. We had a great laugh about that!

DP: How did you choose your career path?

NA: My career path grew organically. I tried a lot of different things until I figured out what I liked doing and what I was good at. I spent several years working in the software industry, and for the first few years I worked in operations, where I processed orders. Then my company decided to switch CRMs and a lot of my work shifted to helping them figure that process out. I absolutely hated the technical part of my job; unless my work was very clear and cut out, and I had done it a few times, trying to troubleshoot technical issues was extremely frustrating for me. The office politics in that department were toxic, and even though I wanted to quit many times, I stuck with it and learned how to cultivate my diplomacy skills. I learned there will be difficult people at every job you work at, the only thing you have control over is your ability to find common ground with them so that you can work together to meet your company’s goals, so that experience really helped me out in the long run.

After a couple of years, a job opened up in the marketing department for an events coordinator position and I jumped at it. It turned out that I was good at remembering all the little details that come with events and I liked meeting new people. I also didn’t have a choice except to be good at the details – event coordinators work in a fishbowl, so if you forgot something, EVERYONE knew you had made a mistake and it was very embarrassing.

I spent the next few years flying all over the continent to software conferences, setting up our booth and generating leads for the software companies I worked for. I learned how to work with union and teamster unions, how to hire and fire workers for installation and dismantling of our booth, and how to negotiate with hotels, conference halls, restaurant managers, caterers, and other vendors.

I also threw parties and private dinners for our salespeople and C-level executives to entertain clients. It was a lot of work, but one of those meetings or dinners could turn into a 2 million dollar contract for the company so it had to be done. I started to become less interested in logistics and more interested in the marketing side of the job, and I had this amazing, but really tough boss at the last software company I worked at who really pushed me to grow my marketing skills, and showed me there was a lucrative career opportunity for me in the field of marketing. In 2009 the startup I worked at was sold to a bigger software company and I was laid off in that merger. I spent the next couple of years working as a freelancer before landing a job in the commercial real estate business as the Director of Community and Outreach.

DP: What did you do in order to prepare for life after graduation?

NA: Not much. I just took the first good-paying job I was qualified for and went for it. Even though I wasn’t interested in staying in banking, I learned good customer service skills and how to work in a professional environment. I also never missed a credit card bill after three years of bill collecting and have been really careful with my credit score.

DP: What skills did you gain as an English major that helped you navigate your career?

NA: The number one skill was learning how to write well. The first impression you make when you apply for a new job is your cover letter, so the ability to articulate yourself well in writing can help you get your foot in the door.