Rachel Mann
By Zoë Eitel
When Rachel Mann was looking for colleges to apply to, it was important to her that the school would not just give her a good education, but would also support her career development in college and after it.
“I wanted a college that would help me with post-college plans,” she says. “DePaul had such a developed Career Center and I didn’t always see that at other schools I considered.”
Rachel met with Ed Childs from the Career Center before she enrolled and talking with him helped her realize strengths she didn’t know she had, and since then, she has worked with him to continue to develop those skills. Ed also gave her the MBTI personality test in order for her to understand more about herself and make career decisions from there.
“I felt like the Career Center provided a comfortable environment where I could discover what I like doing, what I’m good at and how I can contribute to the workforce,” Rachel says. “The Career Center was always super patient with me and it was a safe space to discover myself.”
Two years after she graduated from DePaul, Rachel Mann decided she was interested in switching from the creative side of marketing to the analytical side. Having more time on her hands due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rachel took a class on data analytics and spreadsheets.
“In that class, I noticed that investigation really appealed to me,” she says. “I was very curious to find out why things are the way things are and what causes trends and results.”
Digital marketing Analyst at Spectrum Communications & Consulting
BA Art, Media and Design 2018
After finding a digital marketing job she was interested in at Spectrum Communications & Consulting, Rachel reached out to Sydney Haliburton at the Career Center for resume and cover letter review. While the interviews for the job were challenging at first, Rachel wasn’t overly intimidated and knew from the start that it was a place where she would be happy to work.
“They did a good job balancing asking challenging questions while also creating a comfortable environment for me, so I knew it was a place where I could really grow,” she says.
“I wanted a college that would help me with post-college plans. DePaul had such a developed Career Center and I didn’t always see that at other schools I considered.”
Rachel highly recommends the career services to students and alumni, especially the mock interviews because interviewing with higher-ups in companies can be intimidating without practice.
As a digital marketing analyst at Spectrum, Rachel builds out clients’ digital marketing campaigns and reports the results of their strategies. Rachel gathers data, performs calculations, analyzes the metrics and presents to clients in virtual meetings.
“I like to use visualizations and storytelling techniques to optimize my connection with clients,” she says. “We’re always trying to learn more about our clients’ business goals and how we can help.”
Along with its emphasis on using data and communicating with clients, something that drew Rachel to Spectrum was some of the software the company uses. Most of Spectrum’s clients are home services companies, such as remodeling companies, and their Predictive Sales Artificial Intelligence helps them generate sales leads for clients.
“PSAI uses advanced meteorology to assess storm damage data,” Rachel says. “Our clients can then use this tool to identify which homes may be due for a roof replacement or repair. Also, PSAI can build accurate profiles for prospects and rates on a scale of 1-5 how likely lead is to turn into a sale.”
Rachel started in this role during the pandemic, so she has been working remotely for the entirety of her time at Spectrum. Even though she hasn’t been able to meet them in person, Rachel feels connected to and supported by her team through the virtual meetings and training she has had.
She doesn’t think working from home has affected her job performance or understanding and has actually prepared her for working in less-than-ideal circumstances. And screen-sharing has been a better system than hovering over someone’s computer when they need to show her something. Despite this, Rachel is looking forward to being able to finally go into the company’s Loop office when it reopens.
