Dov Hoffman's Insights

The ME in Social MEdia. So What?

In the last few years everyone seems to be talking about social media. The buzz is in the hallways throughout college campuses. It has become a topic of discussion at board meetings and is highlighted in the news on a regular basis. A question which has been asked (and is still being asked) speaks to the so what aspect of social media. So what is social media all about? What’s in it for ME?

Looking back to my first encounter with social media, I was a recent graduate from high school and had just been accepted to Towson University. Since I was entering this next phase of my life, I was able to interact with others via Facebook. That is because, when Facebook was first introduced in 2004 until 2006 the only way to access this social network was with a valid college email address. I remember connecting with old friends from my childhood and from that point onwards the next few years flew by as if someone was holding a remote control with their finger pressed on the fast forward button. Since then Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin have increased to hundreds of millions of users between the “Big Three” and are growing at an exponential rate. It is difficult to navigate through a website these days without a stumbling upon social media icons or an option to share the news with others.Continue reading “The ME in Social MEdia. So What?”

How to Effectively Manage Large Projects

A constant challenge which we all face is managing large projects and wrapping our arms around our to-do lists. It seems like the minutes, hours, days, and weeks fly by ever so quickly that before we know it the next season has arrived.

There are a number of tips to stick with to ensure that you are able to deliver projects and tasks on time without stressing yourself out and becoming overwhelmed. In the past I have become a fan of the following:

You’re not Superman. We all can’t walk around with a “S” on our chest, so it’s important to recognize that it all can’t be done in one day. Make sure that you don’t put yourself in impossible situations. Consider this when you are balancing your work, volunteer, and extracurricular activities.Continue reading “How to Effectively Manage Large Projects”

The Power of Networking

I often hear people say “it’s not what you know, rather it’s who you know.” As I recently landed my first job out of college through the power of networking I have taken this phrase to heart. The story that I’m about to tell is a textbook example of how networking can pave a successful path. All you have to do is execute effective networking.

Last year during my summer internship I attended an intern event. There were representatives from different business units who shared their insights with approximately 100 interns. Since my role during that summer was managing Leadership Development training sessions with little focus on e-Business or Marketing, I jumped at every opportunity to reach out to such departments that touched on these fields. One of the representatives at this event was from our subsidiary company and happened to be in a marketing role. I would have reached out to her at the end of the event, but was unable to speak with her. As soon as I returned to my desk I sent her an email expressing my interest to speak with her about her role and how she got there. I was expecting no more than an hour of her time to engage in a conversation about her career path.Continue reading “The Power of Networking”

Reading List

When I was in middle school and high school I always dreaded the summer reading list. To be honest, I never really liked reading except for the occasional book here and there which caught my attention. When those moments did come around I would manage to read for hours on end. If you saw me, you’d probably be confused and think this was some other kid. It certainly couldn’t have been Dov.

More recently, I’ve found a passion for reading. I’ve been adding books to my reading list and now have a pile waiting for me. That is, when I find the time to read these books.

In the past few months I’ve managed to read some books which I’ve gained knowledge from and would recommend to others. These books are listed below:

Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company by Robert Brunner and Stewart Emery with Russ Hall
Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute
Coloring Outside the Lines: Business Thoughts on Creativity, Marketing, and Sales by Jeff TobeContinue reading “Reading List”

The Associate: Week Seven

“All good things must come to an end” — at first this is how I felt after I heard Alan Wilson, CEO and President of McCormick and Company tell Allison Murray “you’re hired.” Making it through six cases, four interviews, and a handful of all-nighters throughout The Associate competition I felt defeated to find out that I was not “hired.” In my opinion it’s not whether you win or lose, rather how you play the game. Looking back on the entire competition I feel that I still came out a winner. During the competition I managed to learn a great deal about myself and was able to hone my presentation skills, improve my leadership qualities and expand my personal network. I am certain that these will benefit my future career development. For this reason I feel that all good things don’t have to come to an end. The Associate competition provided me with an opportunity to gain exposure in the Greater Baltimore business community and I can leverage this to my advantage during my job search. Aside from the other candidates I don’t think there are many local graduates that can tell the story of the real-world experiences which were gained throughout the competition. This will serve as a competitive advantage in the upcoming weeks when I am going on interviews and speaking with potential employers. Although I haven’t aggressively searched the job market because I’ve focused a great deal of time and energy on the competition, I’d like to think I’ve established a solid network through my involvements in student organizations and from previous internships and jobs.Continue reading “The Associate: Week Seven”

The Associate: Week Six

This week differed from previous boardroom sessions of as two of the candidates, Justina Whyte and Nicholas Price did not move on in The Associate competition. Advancing to the next round, Allison Murray and myself were presented with the final case from McCormick and Company. It was quite fitting that the final case was on Grill Mates, a sub-brand designed specifically for grilled foods since the entire competition was sponsored by McCormick and Company.

The objective for this case was:

Who should the primary consumer be for Grill Mates?

Key questions included, but were not limited to:

Should the primary consumer be the male user or the female purchaser?
What should the ratio be between the primary and secondary target audiences?
How can Grill Mates drive awareness with the selected target audience outside of traditional advertising?

Continue reading “The Associate: Week Six”

The Associate: Week Five

After the judges determined that Mark Preston would be eliminated from Team R.O.S.E. following the presentation to R2integrated, the four candidates remaining had a short period of time before they reached the next stage of The Associate competition. While the entire competition has been an extremely time intensive process, it felt more so as interviews with the McCormick team were approaching. The following morning Allison Murray, Justina Whyte, Nicholas Price, and myself interviewed with four representatives from various departments within McCormick and Company. This gave the interviewers the opportunity to learn more about the candidates as we gained additional information about the company’s cultures and core values.Continue reading “The Associate: Week Five”

The Associate: Week Four

Three cases down and Team R.O.S.E. recently came off a two case win streak. R2integrated, a web marketing and technology firm headquartered in Baltimore, MD presented the fourth case for The Associate competition. R2integrated offers services and solutions that are used in the creation and management of web sites, campaign infrastructures, digital tools, and rich content. I find it quite ironic as this was the second company which presented a case challenge where I have previously interned at.

The objective for this case was:

The company would like to expand its available market, both geographically as well as their client profile. The questions are where and how.

Key questions included, but were not limited to:

Which geographic markets make the most sense?
What type of channel (direct/indirect)?
How do they generate awareness and leads in remote locations?
How do they support a remote sales effort to close business?

Continue reading “The Associate: Week Four”

Attention Students: Get Ready, Get Set, Go.

This sounds like the beginning of a race, doesn’t it? Don’t be confused with the type of race that involves a gun that announces the beginning, and a ribbon that someone cuts through with their last victory lap as the end. This is the kind of race that college students are competing for. Well, at least, they should be competing for. It is the “race for success” as I like to call it. Take the information that I am providing with a grain of salt if you’d like to, but I don’t want to hear any complaints in the long run (no pun intended). With the present state of economy we are facing the worst job market since the Great Depression, so I don’t understand why you wouldn’t take this advice and enter in the “race for success.” I’ve attended too many alumni panel discussions to hear the same two regrets. A common question which is asked at these events is:

What advice would you give an undergraduate student that you wish someone gave you during your college experience?

The two most common responses that I’ve heard are:

Become more involved in student organizations and other affiliations on campus
Forge closer relationships with faculty members

Continue reading “Attention Students: Get Ready, Get Set, Go.”

The Associate: Week Three

MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services, LLC presented the third case and the six remaining candidates on The Associate competition would experience long nights and dedicate time for yet another week. The objective for the MacKenzie Healthcare Challenge was:

To help medical practices and healthcare firms capture a competitive advantage through site selection and lease negotiation.

The challenge required creating a market analysis for the following eight area hospitals:

University of Maryland Medical Center
Greater Baltimore Medical Center
Franklin Square Hospital
St. Joseph Medical Center
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Howard County General Hospital
Upper Chesapeake Medical Center
Anne Arundel Medical Center

Continue reading “The Associate: Week Three”