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Education Trends

2016 Yearly Roundup: Top 10 Most Popular Blogs

January 11, 2017 — by MediaMath

Happy New Year! As we continue to bring you great content in 2017 — from data, omnichannel and what good advertising looks like — we look at what blog posts performed the best in 2016.

See our list below:

• #1 How Private Marketplaces Actually Work

• #2 Infographic: 2016 Global Programmatic Trends

• #3 Carving the Path to Native Advertising

• #4 7 Marketing Trends for 2016

• #5 NMI Sails into Asia Pacific with Live Digital Marketing and Programmatic Courses

• #6 Full-Funnel Programmatic: An Untapped Opportunity for Marketers

• #7 Drive New Shoppers Through Lookalike Modeling and Contextual Targeting

• #8 The Revolution Will Be Programmatic

• #9 Amnet and MediaMath Talk the Future of Programmatic in the Agency

• #10 Employee Spotlight: From Math Teacher to Digital Marketing Student

Careers Culture Education People

Got Millennials? How to Attract Top Talent—and Keep Them

January 10, 2017 — by MediaMath

This byline originally appeared on Recruiter.com

Over the past few years, millennials have developed a negative reputation as the lazy, self-indulgent “me-me-me generatiom.” However, when you look at the facts, that picture couldn’t be further from the truth. It turns out the majority of millennials are actually workaholics with no plans to “job hop” who don’t even take their allotted vacation time.

Millennials have moved past Gen. X to become the largest generation in the American workforce. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, the number of millennials in the workforce – currently 53.5 million – is only expected to grow as millennials currently enrolled in college graduate and begin working. Companies need to take notice of this generation and understand what it takes to not only recruit the best talent in the group, but keep them happy.

Throughout all industries – from tech and finance to hospitality and fashion – the traditional offerings of money and stability will no longer cut it when trying to attract the top millennial employees. Instead, organizations need to offer transparency, culture, and flexibility. To recruit elite talent, the entire company needs to be involved – not just the HR team.

If you’re looking for ways to attract young talent to your organization, check out the below tips on drawing and keeping their attention:

1. Write a Compelling Job Description

Now that it’s easier than ever to post jobs and search for positions online, a generic job description is no longer enough. The description of any open position should reflect the company and the team.

If culture is important, that needs to be clearly included in the job description to ensure the right person is applying for the right job. If the post is vague, it makes the applicant question if the job is right for them – and it wastes the time of the company when employees are stuck interviewing someone who isn’t right for the role.

If you are not looking for a typical job candidate, you need to consider the qualities that would make an applicant successful in your company, on your team, and in this specific role; then write a description based on them.

2. Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot People to Other Roles

Sometimes you interview a candidate who blows you away – but it turns out they aren’t the right fit for the specific position to which they applied. Rather than not hiring this impressive talent, try pivoting them to another team internally.

As much as you want the right person for the right role, sometimes you need to take a step back and recognize it’s important to have the top talent in your company in general. If you go this route, patience will be necessary as it can take several months to find the right fit. If you have the flexibility to pivot, millennial candidates will be excited by the opportunity to learn through experience until you ultimately find the perfect placement, and your company will benefit from obtaining a stellar employee.

3. Get Creative With Your Company Perks

Company perks that make the difference in retaining employees go far beyond a happy hour on Fridays or free meals. Millennials don’t expect excessive perks that aren’t sustainable for most companies, but they do want something tailored to them and their passions. Focus on creating the right perks for your ideal workforce.

If you find out what drives your applicants, you can alter the discussion around those specific perks. Do they have a family at home? Offer a flexible work schedule. Fitness buff? Provide free classes or allow them time to catch a midday workout when they don’t have meetings. Even internal professional development training can be valuable to someone just getting started in their career and help convince millennials to join – and stay at – your company.

By taking these steps, you can make your business much more attractive to millennial applicants, which should prove very beneficial to your organization: Millennials will represent nearly 75 percent of the workforce by 2030.

Education Trends

Monthly Roundup: Top 5 Most Popular Blog Posts for December

January 4, 2017 — by MediaMath

Happy New Year! As we continue to bring you great content in 2017 — from data, omnichannel and what good advertising looks like — we look at what blog posts performed well at the end of 2016.

From announcing our newly appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to help drive our technical vision to looking at 2017 programmatic trends across the globe, here’s what performed well in December:

• #1 MediaMath’s Next Tech Investment

• #2 EMEA: 2017 Programmatic Trends

• #3 Marketing Wiki: Machine Learning

• #4 3 Marketing Predictions for 2017 from Joe Zawadzki

• #5 North America: 2017 Programmatic Trends

DIGITAL MARKETING Education Media PROGRAMMATIC Uncategorized

Webinar Recap: Grovo and New Marketing Institute Talk Microlearning

December 22, 2016 — by MediaMath

This article originally appears on the Grovo Blog.

Just because robots aren’t taking our jobs (yet) doesn’t mean technology isn’t drastically changing the way we do business. Nowhere is that more true than in the marketing and advertising industries. SEO, SEM, programmatic, mobile, social—every time the modern marketer blinks, there is a new ad tech du jour. And with new technology comes the need for new competencies. MediaMath noticed this need early on, which is what led them to partner with Grovo to develop the New Marketing Institute (NMI).

Grovo’s Director of Learning & Innovation, Alex Khurgin, was recently joined by Elise James-Decruise, VP of MediaMath’s New Marketing Institute, for a webinar entitled Technology’s Role in Educational Expansion. Alex and Elise discussed the partnership between Grovo and NMI, how NMI created an effective learning strategy with microlearning, and how anyone can use that framework to build their own effective microlearning strategy for their organization.

If you missed it, you’re in luck! Read on for a recap so you, too, can get started building your own effective microlearning program.

What is microlearning anyways?

There are all sorts of definitions for microlearning out there, but if you want to do it right, you need to do a whole lot more than just create little bits of content and put them in front of people. If you commit to transforming your people, then the true definition of microlearning becomes more specific: a method for changing behaviors through short, spaced out learning experiences timed to points of need.

NMI uses microlearning for training, certification, and their Marketing Engineer Program (MEP). In the ever-evolving world of marketing, microlearning is one of the most cost-effective ways to scale training in new technologies and skills that meets the learner where they are in location, language, learning style and level of experience.

The 4 steps to creating an effective microlearning program:

1. Set expectations

It’s surprising how few organizations take the time to spell out exactly what’s expected of their employees. Define concrete behaviors you expect from any given role or as an outcome to training so that everyone knows what they need to do, when they need to do it, how they need to do it, and everyone at different levels and departments is aware of expected behaviors across the board.

NMI identified their success goals as: expanding program reach to 10 countries worldwide, increasing client satisfaction through their client-centered training approach, getting over 10,000 individuals trained through all of their programs, and celebrating big and small wins. They make sure to take a step back as a team to ensure that they are creating memorable experiences within a training environment every step of the way.

2. Surround the moment

In order to motivate people to engage with and apply training, you need to provide them information at the moment they need it. You can do this by paying attention to when there’s a powerful moment of need approaching—like Black Friday for customer service reps—and placing the learning in advance of that. Or, you can create a moment of need by launching learning with fanfare—like posters or email—and building excitement around it.

NMI motivates learners by listening to the needs and wants of their learners to create timely content, developing a curriculum that supports a structured path to certification, and creating an experiential environment that gives participants hands-on opportunities to put lessons into practice.

3. Make learning stick

Once you’ve engaged people, you need to make sure the learning they receive actually changes their behaviors: from the moment of inspiration—that “aha moment”—through transformation. Giving them quick, digestible lessons that can be revisited, prompting practice through realistic challenges with realistic consequences, providing feedback, and following up with review and reinforcement are all ways to ensure that your learning actually sticks and behaviors change.

With 100% job placement for participants in their 13-week MEP program, NMI has surely mastered this step. Some of their secrets to making learning stick include bridging the gap between knowledge and experience, creating a learner-centric environment, and staying ahead of the industry trends.

4. Improve outcomes over time

Finally, it’s important to create a feedback loop in order to improve your program over time. Take a step back and assess and report how much behaviors have changed rather than learning metrics such as lesson completions. If you figure out what is and isn’t working, you can easily tweak the program to improve outcomes over time.

The idea and development of NMI came from MediaMath’s desire to fill education and talent gaps throughout the marketing industry, so they are always looking for ways to stay one step ahead of the learner. NMI encourages feedback during and after training and constantly updates their content to ensure it is as meaningful and relevant as possible.

Careers Education People Uncategorized

How Can Education Address the Gender Gap in Our Industry?

November 14, 2016 — by MediaMath

This byline originally appeared on ExchangeWire.

In the US, fewer than a quarter (25%) of jobs in STEM fields are held by women, while in the UK this is even lower, at one-in-seven (14%).

Diversity in tech organisations is lacking; and we still do not have enough women in the pipeline to address the imbalance. Despite the fact that more women are attending college, fewer American women are gaining computer science degrees. Here in the UK, UCAS figures show the number of women studying computer science at universities has decreased in the last five years. Not only are fewer women going into a career in tech, but more women than men are leaving the industry. There was more balance 30 years ago; what we are seeing now is a downward trend.

It’s essential that we address this as a priority, especially when you consider that statistics show companies that encourage gender diversity enjoy more average growth and an increased return on equity. Introducing more women into the workforce broadens skill sets and encourages new ideas and approaches.

Furthermore, the UK is experiencing a digital skills gap, set to reach 745,000 workers by 2017, and one million by 2020. Why wouldn’t we want to maximise our available skills to meet these industry needs? The importance of encouraging more women to join the tech workforce is growing. So, what can we do about it?

Schools

This is progress, but there is still a long way to go. Many young women still do not view technology as a possible, or attractive, career path. This can be addressed by making women aware of the variety of roles available in the industry. Initiatives, such as Girls Who Code in the US and Stemettes in the UK, as well as our New Marketing Institute (NMI) achieve this by facilitating careers workshops with university partners. Through these sessions, we show young people that our workforce hails from all manner of backgrounds. Also, that there are many different paths towards a range of opportunities in tech. We also partner with universities across the globe to provide cutting edge curriculum and applied learning principles. This way, we educate, engage, and empower the next generation of marketers.A fundamental part of the problem is that, until recently, there has not been enough early exposure to computing in schools. In the US, only one-in-10 high schools offer computer science. In the UK, the government has received mounting pressure from tech organisations to address the skills gap. This, coupled with recognition that programming skills are useful in any career, brought about a massive curriculum shake-up. Since 2014, it has included programming lessons for children from as young as five.

Communities

The tech industry remains a male-dominated field, which can be off-putting to female applicants. Why join an industry where the challenges and barriers women often face in business are more prevalent? Mentoring and coaching is crucial in a sector where women are so underrepresented.

Partnering with nonprofit organisations to expand access to our resources is also an initiative we offer. We run partner programmes with groups aimed at supporting women’s career progression, such as Step Up, which works with high school girls from under-resourced communities. Through mentoring and education, Step Up helps girls to become confident, career-focused, professional women.

Companies

Due to the lack of flexible working in tech organisations, many women often find themselves having to choose between family and career. We believe companies that encourage loyalty and trust will be rewarded with a stronger and more balanced workforce. Unfortunately, this is not representative across the industry. In September 2015, the Timewise Flexible Job Index report showed that STEM industries are least likely to advertise flexible jobs.

It’s critical for organisations to demonstrate flexibility by meeting the learner where they are. That means providing a customisable learning experience that reaches modern marketing professionals, wherever they are in their knowledge, career, and physical location.

There is still a long way to go. But, there is hope; BoardWatch is now reporting zero all-male boards, down from 21 in 2010. Things are changing already. Our fast-paced industry is founded on innovation, so let’s make sure we keep up!

DIGITAL MARKETING Education Media PROGRAMMATIC Uncategorized

NMI Facilitator Interview: Trevor Miranda

November 7, 2016 — by MediaMath

We profile our New Marketing Institute facilitators, who are responsible for leading trainings for clients, partners and colleagues around the globe. Trevor Miranda, Manager, Training & Certification for EMEA, is interviewed by Ohi Oni-Eseleh, Business Analyst for NMI.

1. Tell us about your previous work experience prior to starting at MediaMath.

I’ve worked in a few different industries before starting in advertising, starting out supporting journalists on a massive news application and even moving into public service at my local council. Most recently I worked at an ad tech company called Mediaocean, which focused on facilitating the direct media buying process across all media channels. This was hugely beneficial for starting at a company like MediaMath because I truly understand the efficiencies programmatic marketing brings to the buying process.

2. How did you first get involved in adtech?

I’d always had an interest in technology and had no idea about the ad tech world, which is predominantly hidden from the consumer. My last role was my first introduction to this world and I was immediately captivated by the amount of work involved in actually delivering an ad. I saw budgets start moving towards digital and the next step for me seemed to be clear, programmatic.

3. When did you realize that you wanted to go into training?

Pretty much as soon as I started my first job. I really enjoyed training new hires when I worked at the Associated Press and got more and more focused on training as I changed roles. I realized I enjoyed helping people get the most of out a system and understand complex ideas. I love helping clients learn how to do new things with systems that make their jobs easier.

4. Why do you feel education is important in the adtech space?

Education in a lot of organizations can sometimes be an afterthought. In this industry especially, it’s hugely important to ensure that everyone can be brought up to speed as quickly as possible. Just look at the Display Lumascape and you can see how confusing this industry looks, not only to a newcomer but to someone who has been working in one of these areas for a while. Programmatic has become one of these words that’s thrown around and a lot of people don’t understand what it actually means. This misunderstanding causes resistance to change and potential opposition to something that could be a real value add to everyday business. It’s important to break down those barriers and create a space where people feel comfortable enough to learn.

5. What courses do you currently facilitate?

I currently teach pretty much every course NMI offers. The majority of my time is focused on training clients on our platform, TerminalOne, and I love helping clients learn how to optimize their campaigns in particular. I also run our functional marketing courses and I recently created a new ‘workshop’ format for our Programmatic 101 course.

6. What is a new topic you hope to learn about? (industry related or not)

The technology around attribution is something I feel I could spend a lot of time on. We have just launched a session called Understanding Attribution which gives a good introduction to the topic, but I could definitely take a deeper dive into this topic and learn more. Online to offline attribution in particular is like the holy grail right now and I’d love to know more about how we’re getting there as an industry.

7. How do you stay up to date/current on what’s going on in the industry

I read a lot. I follow various industry blogs and sites and LinkedIn is also a great source of information. I also try and attend IAB and DMA events wherever possible. It’s also important to talk to colleagues and clients too because knowing what they’re dealing with is hugely beneficial.

8. Do you have an industry leader you look up to?

There are a few, but Karen Blackett (Chairperson, MediaCom UK) is one person that always comes to mind. She was once named the most influential black person in Britain and has achieved a huge amount of success in her career. Despite this, she would always socialize around the MediaCom London office and seemed like a great leader.

9. Tell us your secret talent.

I guess this isn’t really a secret if you’ve hung out with me, but I love singing. Karaoke is one of my favorite things, so if you can duet ‘Easy Lover’ with me, we’ll be friends.

Education Technology Trends Uncategorized

How Agencies Can Leverage Education to Become the Best Consultative Partners

October 10, 2016 — by MediaMath

“The agency of the future is going to be full of consultants. They will be strategic thinkers and bring new technologies and approaches to their clients. When you’re not always in the weeds, you can think more strategically—and that’s why agencies will always be around. We’re doing this and finding ourselves in that consultative role, which allows us to be proactive instead of reactive.”— said Matt Nespoli, Digital Media Supervisor at our partner Butler/Till in Evolving Your Agency Partnership Model to Drive Programmatic Success

For agencies to take on that increasingly consultative role in the ever-changing pace of our current marketing landscape, they must foster a culture of continual learning. Agencies have a real chance right now to step up to the plate and guide terminology, processes and strategy—but education is a critical piece. Agencies can turn to their technology partners for educational support in a number of ways.

Disseminating the right information

No one who is part of the agency-brand-tech provider partnership can operate in a silo. Working in silos breeds a culture of hereditary information being passed down. The problem here is that this type of information-sharing doesn’t allow for new technologies and processes to be introduced into the organisation. Best practices are only best for so long. Allowing in new insights and expertise, from both internal and external resources, is critical for the agency to stay on tops of its game. Consider getting your partners in to speak, invest in training courses that might be available through your partners and encourage team members to attend outside events and conferences.

It’s also important to note that your consultants need to understand all areas of the business and how technology can amplify the work you are already doing in a cross-functional way. Programmatic creative strategy is one example of an area that can be buoyed with the right application of technology and that will only really succeed when silos are broken.

Educating the entire agency, from the top down

It’s not just about the traders. The executive team, the creative team, back office, front-of-house—they all benefit from a solid baseline of programmatic knowledge. Everyone should know what a client KPI means and the different strategies available to achieve it and measure it. That said, it’s also about meeting the learner where they are. Look for a technology partner that can adapt and customise training materials and courses based on language, cultural and learning needs and partner on a global, ongoing level. Some technology partners will also certify in-house staff and agency practitioners through a rigorous curriculum of functional and technical training

Educating from the top down is one approach that can be super impactful, as leadership can serve as executive sponsors that take responsibility for ensuring employees have the technological skills they need. Capturing the C-suite audience is imperative to true adoption of not only processes and methodologies, but also to successful shifts in organisational behaviour and best practice. They can lead by example by enthusiastically adopting technology and digital skills and fostering ongoing learning.

Recently, we were approached by one of the big six holding companies, who were already spending a large amount of budget in our TerminalOne platform and understood that the future is programmatic. A good portion of their staff was educated in the latest tools and technologies, but the agency recognised that unless they were truly 100-percent programmatic and had everyone speaking the same language, they would not be able to continue to scale the way they needed to. They took the top-down approach and congregated a group of their most senior leaders in client-facing roles, stripped back to the basics and taught them methodologies they could use with their clients and also take to their teams.

Having a common language

There is critical value in having similar terminology and ways of explaining data and information so that everyone who is touching the brand works in lock-step. What do the words you throw around mean for client outcomes? Your technology partners might even have glossaries that help keep a handle on all the new acronyms and terms that emerge.

You can also use your learnings to educate your partners about what brands want. Are there certain technologies that are becoming obsolete and others that brands would like to customise for their own needs? You can use this approach to two-way education to build an even stronger partnership with your technology allies.

[author type=”registered” username=”Frith Farmar”]

[author type=”registered” username=”Debbie Taylor”]

Education Media Social Media Uncategorized

How to Turn Snapchat into a Serious Communications Tool (Without all the Seriousness)

October 7, 2016 — by MediaMath

This byline originally appeared on HR.BLR.com.

Slowly but surely, Millennial workers are taking over the U.S. labor force. In 2015, for the first time, they surpassed Generation X as the largest segment of the workforce. By 2025, they will make up nearly three quarters of the workforce.

In every case, Millennials want to work for organizations that support innovation and help develop their skills. Snapchat turned out to be ideal for our company, MediaMath, because 70% of our global staff is between the ages of 18 and 34, and we’re a global team, with members in six cities on four different continents.

Coordinating our team’s activities, sharing and celebrating wins, and introducing new team members are just a few of the significant communications challenges that we needed to address in order to work effectively and help our team believe in the mission of the company.

Enter Snapchat.

By introducing Snapchat to every member of our team and making it our go-to platform that each person regularly checks in on, we improved our ad-hoc communication, increased collaboration and knowledge sharing across the team, and developed authentic personal friendships that have substantially changed how we work every day.

Team leaders in every industry should consider adopting Snapchat to keep communications immediate, casual, and sometimes a bit irreverent.

How did we end up on Snapchat?

Our move to Snapchat was not planned, or required. Several team members already used Snapchat on a daily basis in their personal lives, and this crossed over into the work environment during a training session in the U.K. in 2015.

U.S. and U.K. members, some of whom were meeting for the first time, exchanged Snapchat information during this training and began using Snapchat to communicate with the rest of the team. This included photos of the venue they were training in, video snippets of their courses, shots of the branded training materials, and group photos with attendees.

Those who were not at the training were able to feel connected in a way that had not existed before Snapchat. The comradery that was created during that event had a lasting effect that soon spread to other teams as well. Within a week, the rest of the U.S. team downloaded the app and became active users as a means to engage with the broader team.

How to get started

All teams can and should use (free) tools that already exist, to keep internal communications fun, casual, and quick. Once you get everyone on your team to download the app, you can launch Snapchat in three simple steps.

Establish use cases. Share best practices with the team regarding the type of content that will be most impactful and effective when sent to members across the globe. This includes providing sample photos and videos to set loose parameters around length and content and ensure that all snaps are coherent, on-brand, and useful.
Start snapping. There is no better way to get people familiar and comfortable with the platform than by asking them to begin using it in their daily routines. Encourage team members to start snapping pictures and videos that align with their projects to get everyone in the habit of sending and checking the latest snaps.
Talk about it. Snapchat can be an effective tool for sparking dialogue around individual and team projects in a workplace setting. Generate discussion around the snaps exchanged between team members in order to foster productive conversation around current initiatives. These conversations ensure that everyone is on the same page and can lead to cross-departmental insights and actionable next steps for improving performance globally.

What could your team snap?

You can use Snapchat for everything from essential news for the team to celebrations of local wins. On the practical end of the spectrum, daily snaps might include photos of events, internal and external communications, live footage of trainings, or relevant industry events team members are attending.

Since videos are so easy to create and share, Snapchat allows for a real-time review process so team members can audit the flow of the event and offer suggestions for improvement. Additionally, it can allow the team members who are unable to attend an event, the chance to catch the highlights of speeches or panels.

At the Festival of Media event, one trainer utilized Snapchat’s Story function to create a visual replica of the entire event that he then shared on social media, which the team was able to reference in later event discussions.

Not everything shared on Snapchat will be as relevant to a teams’ daily grind, but it’s still important to encourage casual and fun exchanges to maintain the collegiality and fun for everyone, instead of making people take those interactions off-line. Snapchat can make coworkers a natural group of friends, and interspersed with work-related messages, they can share events they go to, funny things they see, challenges, or inside jokes.

Again, teams that are new to Snapchat should choose three types of communications that people should share—relevant events they might attend, celebrating wins, team outings, finished products, visits to the office, etc.

You do not need to establish much in terms of a code of conduct or rules of the road, just make sure to tell people not to post anything they wouldn’t want their boss to see. Soon enough, jokes will develop, interests emerge, and people will let their personalities show as they become more comfortable with the platform.

Snapchat has strongly impacted the temporal and cultural differences and communication challenges that can arise in global teams. This enhanced level of communication subsequently increased the team’s utilization of other tools (Like Whatsapp or HipChat), allowing us to continue important discussions across other channels and devices. Additionally, Snapchat has strengthened relationships on a personal front, as the connectivity created by the app isn’t just limited to work hours.

Careers Education People Uncategorized

How to Know When It’s Time to Search for a New Job

October 6, 2016 — by MediaMath

This byline originally appeared on The Huffington Post.

Have you ever been caught looking for work at work? I have. My boss always assumes I’m casually on the hunt for a new job. After all, born post-1980, I’m a millennial and the stigma of our professional restlessness is well documented. To be clear, I’m not looking for a new job. And analysis by FiveThirtyEight and researchers at the University of Southern California help debunk the notion that ours is a particularly transient generation. Yes, millennials are more likely to have more jobs than the previous generation, but the same was true when comparing our parents to their parents.

The challenge for me and my peers is we are endlessly presented with new professional opportunities. With the ubiquity of job sites like LinkedIn, Opportunity and The Muse, the greener grass is just a click away.

Having hopped jobs four times before age 30, I have developed a methodology for knowing when to make the move. The system is based on the five ideal elements of any job. Of course, no job is perfect. But the goal is to check off four out of five. If you can only answer yes to three or fewer of these questions, it may be time to update your LinkedIn profile.

Are you learning something new? You’ll be most engaged at work when you are challenged. By challenged I do not mean having to endure exhausting hours, a micromanaging boss or an insurmountable project. Instead, does your job challenge the way you think? Are you regularly learning something new to stay current with new technologies, theories, or developments? In my job, I am surrounded by smart people who are changing the way the advertising industry works from the inside out. Spend enough time with visionary people who challenge the status quo and you will start to think differently too. It’s exhilarating.
Do you like the people you work with? The people you work with can be the most important factor in any job. They do not have to be your best friends, but your boss(es), peers and employees should respect your work, respect your personal life and push you to be your best self in the office. When you wake up and think about going into work, your mood is influenced by the people you imagine interacting with at the office. Even if you are focused on a specific project, it is the people who condition your environment and make an easy task loathsome and a tough task gratifying.
Are you good at your job? Holding a sense of pride in your work product is vital. As you advance in your career, you will settle into your skill set and begin to develop a clear sense of your strengths. There is always more to learn and no task is ever perfectly complete. For me, moving from consulting to in-house communications work came with a steep learning curve. I suddenly had to represent myself as the single expert in my company, whereas I had previously been one of many at a large firm. At one point, my boss exclaimed, “You’re the expert. Stop telling us what you think we should do and just do it!” The process forced me to take real ownership over my expertise.
Are you compensated well? This one seems obvious and in many ways it is. Salary, bonus, stock and other financial incentives are the most objective, quantifiable measures we have to determine our value in the workplace. Compensation can also come in other forms, such as work-life balance. If it’s important for you to spend time with your family, keep up hobbies or dedicate time to travel, you may place high value on a more flexible schedule. You may also value being recognized for a job well done. That’s an important piece of “compensation” for me. But to be clear, particularly if you are thinking about starting a family or paying off student loans, the financial compensation can be a deciding factor.
Are you making a difference? One of these things is not like the other. The previous four are all about you and what you derive from your job. But the ability to have a positive impact on your world, however defined, should be a consideration. Your purpose could be narrow but lasting, like a teacher. Or you might work in government with the hopes of effecting broad change for millions of people. Too often, the ability to make a difference is at odds with compensation. It was true for me when I worked in the U.S. Senate and I see it with many of my friends who have opted to work in journalism or educate students in low-income cities.

These five questions make up the foundation for the methodology of whether or not you should look for a new job. Implementing this strategy is another challenge all together. Everyone needs to decide for themselves how these factors stack up against one another. And of course, is four the magic number for you? Some people may be willing to sacrifice more to advance at a dream job.

For me, I examine these criteria every six months. Do it more often than that and you’ll constantly be distracted at your current job. That’s not to say I wouldn’t consider a terrific opportunity if it presented itself. But I’m hitting four out of five, so I’m not looking for it.

Careers Education People Uncategorized

Employee Spotlight: From Law School to Leading a Global Operations Function

September 20, 2016 — by MediaMath

In college, Erika Dean knew she wanted to work in a fast-paced industry where she could always learn and be challenged. Law seemed to fit the bill, so she enrolled in law school at the University of North Carolina. But between her second and third year, she realized she didn’t want to practice.

“I had done everything in law school you’re supposed to do. Clerkship. Law journal. Summer associate gigs,” said the Greensboro, North Carolina native. “But I realized my heart really wasn’t in it.”

After graduating from Carolina Law, Dean decided to try New York City since she had previously interned at the Legal Aid Society and had family in the area. She wound up at Indeed.com, the job search engine, on the Client Services Operations team. What attracted her to a job in the internet industry was that it combined her strategic acumen—a skill she’d honed in law school—with an interest in operations. Dean also got to leverage her Spanish major through working with global teams, helping them instill best practices, knowledge share and become more efficient.

“Í really found a lot of pleasure and value in helping bring those teams together and make the team more efficient,” she said.

She worked there for two years before MediaMath recruited her—funnily enough, off the very job site where she worked, which had asked all employees to upload their resumes to the system. She joined MediaMath as the first New York City-based manager in operations for the Global Agency Practice in January 2015.

“Since I was new to the industry, everything was a blur to me. But what I really liked was that my skills were transferrable,” Dean said.

Dean supports all of the major global holding companies with which MediaMath works, in addition to direct brands and their account leads, helping them wade through challenges and figure out how to work better. She has also evolved into the team subject matter expert for data analytics and reporting, leveraging the data to drive revenue and adoption across MediaMath’s top clients. Erika specializes in diving deep into complex data sets, identifying unique trends and clarifying information in a way that empowers leadership to make data-driven decisions for top accounts.

When Dean started, her team on the shared services branch of the Global Agency Practice had only two people; six weeks after she was arrived, her London counterpart (and a tenured MediaMath employee) announced he was transitioning to a new external role. Dean’s time at Indeed prepared her to spring into action in a new role on a small team by quickly identifying what she needed to learn and who she needed to talk to.

“One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about working here is that everyone is so passionate,” Dean said. “It’s very fast-paced, which can be a bit daunting, or very daunting, at first, but it’s really easy to pick up because everyone is very encouraging, everyone’s incredibly smart and driven. So you can’t help but get caught up in that when you join the team.”

Outside of work, Dean has cultivated a fulfilling volunteer community. She volunteers as a New York Cares team leader, spends time at Barc, an animal rescue shelter in Williamsburg, and does overnights at The Friends Shelter, a homeless shelter in Gramercy Park. Her passion project is volunteering at Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries, a food pantry in Hell’s Kitchen—Dean’s grandmother started one of the first food pantries in Charlotte.

“That’s something I like to do outside of MediaMath because it helps keep things in perspective,” Dean said. “It helps keep me centered and it helps me be grateful for what we do have here.”

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