Jessica Gerber
School: Kenyon College
Major: Political Science
Minor: Concentration in Islamic Studies
Graduation Year: 2019
- What is your title at Germer? Associate Pharmaceutical Recruiter
- When did you start at Germer/ how long have you been here? I started here the beginning of July 2020.
- What is one piece of advice you would give to a fresh graduate job searching? Network with as many people as possible! I found it very difficult to know what career I wanted to pursue but talking to people in different careers with different perspectives gave me interesting insights and helped guide me.
- What is the hardest part of transitioning into full time work? I would say creating a healthy work-life balance. Work demands a lot of your energy and effort, but I found it necessary that I spend a couple hours of the day doing something that relaxes me, such as Zumba classes. This outlet allows me to come back to work everyday refreshed and with the energy I need!
- What is your favorite part about working at Germer? The work culture! Everyone is so hardworking, helpful, and friendly. It’s a great environment that makes me excited to come to work and improve myself every day.
- What is your favorite part of post-graduate life at Germer? The emphasis on self-improvement. In just my short three weeks here I have already been given resources to not only improve myself professionally, but also personally.
- What is your favorite part of working with candidates from start to offer? While I’m still learning the entire process, so far, I enjoy getting to know the candidate. Understanding their current situation, their goals, and challenges is interesting. It’s exciting to know you can make a connection with someone and help them better their lives.
- What is the most challenging part of this job and how do you overcome this challenge? There is so much information to learn! Learning the pharmaceutical industry, while also learning the most effective way to communicate with candidates and clients can be overwhelming. I found that if I’m disciplined in organizing my day so I can place my attention on certain areas of information, it becomes less overwhelming.
- What is the most important lesson you have learned since graduating college? The most important lesson is that it’s okay to be uncomfortable. Going outside of your comfort zone and trying something new and maybe even failing the first couple times, is a good sign that you are improving. Staying comfortable probably means you are not pushing yourself to evolve. A close second lesson is that I took for granted the dining hall salad bar. Buying all those different vegetables and preparing them is expensive and takes so much time– Peirce Dining Hall, I miss you!