Michael Zampiglia
- Sales Consultant
- The Contractor Consultants
School Information
School: California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2014
Career Information
Working For: The Contractor Consultants
Title: Sales Consultant
Industry: Consulting
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
Gaining hands on experience with every aspect of the business cycle.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
College Works Painting gave me a unique skill set and I generally have far more business experience than my peers. All my interviews for jobs post College Works Painting, I use College Works Painting examples to answer interview questions and have yet to be offered a position. The interviewer is usually very impressed with what I know and what I have done.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
I loved working with every single one of my clients, I hope they are doing well!
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Learning to value oneself, whether it be ones time or ones self worth. Many recent graduates take jobs under their desired pay grade and get taken advantage of by the company because of their lack of experience and knowledge. When I apply to jobs, I apply because there is a mutual benefit between what the company needs and what I want. I’ve denied a couple job offers because I didn’t agree with company value and culture. I’ve denied some because they weren’t willing to negotiate benefits. I denied one simply because the interviewer was unprofessional.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
My portfolio and resume look fantastic compared to most of my peers. I keep in touch with a few of my contacts from College Works Painting and they are all doing great as well.
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
Fake it till ya make it ;)
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
If money is your main motivator, don’t do it. It is extremely hard to make money through College Works Painting. Even if you have a high sales season, you have to budget and produce these houses before taking any money. There are also factors outside of your control that can affect pay. If your main motivator is gaining experience in the business cycle and being an entrepreneur in general. Its an amazing experience. Current College Works Painting participants, when time comes for production, don’t let your clients take advantage of you, don’t work for free, and listen to your RC when they tell you to update your calendar daily. Organization and planning is key to a successful production season. I had a problem with updating my schedule every night and It messed me up for a bit. For the sales season, knock on EVERY SINGLE DOOR!!!! It’s a numbers game so as Shia says JUST DO IT!!!!
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
The industry is changing faster and faster. Read tech articles and stay in the know every single day, otherwise you will fall behind.