In part one of this success story, we had the pleasure of introducing to you University of Oregon and Lundquist College of Business alumna Paige Jarmer. For a quick recap, Paige is a talent media specialist in HR marketing with Daimler Trucks North America in Portland, OR. She graduated from University of Oregon in 2010 with a BA in Business and Spanish.

In part one you had the opportunity to read a general overview of Paige’s experience. Here is more about Paige’s current role with Daimler, her world travels as a result of CAReer, and her five tips for success with the CAReer program:

Casanova:

So your position is kind of unique. Exactly what is your position and why is it unique?

Jarmer:

So I just got a shiny new job title, “Talent Media Specialist.” You could really just call it an “HR Marketing Specialist.” But when you think of HR, you normally just think about employee relations or labor relations or HR generalist. Maybe the classic recruiter who pounds the pavement going to career fairs. Really though, when I just started my internship in HR, one of my reasons for going that path is that, in a sense, HR is really just marketing. There is very little difference. And the concept of an employer as a brand is really gaining momentum. You have to brand yourself as an employer if you want to keep up with Google, Starbucks, Dreamworks, and all the places that are awesome to work because they’ve created that identity. So HR marketing is essentially marketing but you don’t have a product or a service. You’re marketing yourself as a place to potentially work. It includes a lot of social media, branding, explaining why people want to work for you, communicating the things you know about your company and want people to know. People are picky about where they want to work these days. A paycheck just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Casanova:

How did you hear out about Daimler?

Jarmer:

My mom has worked there since I was about 9 months old, so I basically grew up there.

Casanova:

So what are you doing to spread the word about CAReer?

Jarmer:

Well we have really targeted career fairs that we go out to. We have a recruiter named Marie Cope who focuses solely on CAReer. It’s her baby, nobody touches it but her. We’re very precise with our job description and the qualifications we look for and we post them on very specific school websites based on the type of job. So if we’re looking for a great businessperson, we go to all the top business schools.

Where our greatest success has come from though is word of mouth. We’ve hired, and these numbers are an approximation, but the year I was hired in 2011 we had maybe 13 hires. The year after that, they hired 19. This year we’re going to hire about 25. Every time we hire someone, they tell their friends on Facebook and put the word out, next thing you know, every one knows about it.

In Germany, CAReer is huge! They have hundreds of employees in CAReer, and thousands of employees overall.

Casanova:

Is it your goal to get CAReer here as big as in Germany?

Jarmer:

Relatively, yes. We are much smaller organization in the states. Daimler North America, including plant personnel, is still under 20,000 or so. In Germany I believe the amount of employees is over 100,000. There are also trainees and sites in China and Brazil.

Casanova:

Are those also places you can travel as part of the program? You also have a program in Japan as well correct?

Jarmer:

In Japan we have a company called Fuso trucks. I’ve known trainees who have gone to Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and South Africa and these are just United States trainees. One person I know will be going to India to work with one of the newest brands in Daimler. So definitely, these are places that, hypothetically, you could go.

Casanova:

How long do you stay?

Jarmer:

Three months typically. Domestic projects are usually a little longer. For instance I was in New York for four months. We have someone who is going to be in Germany for six months with special approval. It also helps if someone has dual citizenship or EU citizenship on top of an American citizenship. Then you can stay where you like as long as you want. Typically for Americans going to Germany, though, the Visa is 90 days.

Casanova:

So is this for graduates or undergraduates?

Jarmer:

I don’t have a graduate degree. A lot of our hires do, but you don’t really have to. What we’re looking for is someone who has graduated from some program within the last three years. It doesn’t matter what degree you have so long as you graduated recently! This is essentially a great way to kick start your career.

Casanova:

So how was your overall experience with Daimler and the CAReer program?

Jarmer:

I think that it was definitely the best possible scenario for me after graduation. Year 2011 was pretty much the best year of my life. I spent the summer in New York City; I spent the fall in Berlin. When I was in Europe I got to travel on the weekends. I went to Barcelona, Prague, Amsterdam, London, etc. I just can’t imagine a better scenario. I graduated in June 2010, and then by January I have a full time job, which is a win in-and-of itself. They pay really well, which helps with the student loans.

So long story short, I have a full time job, I’m making good money, I got to travel on the company’s dime, my personal network exploded! I know people all over the world now from training modules. I got solid gold work experience. I got to work with Meredes Benz, which is one of the top brands in the world. I really don’t have anything negative to say, and now that I’m back I feel really competent and confident. If I have a question or want to collaborate on something or I want to reach out someone in Germany I know exactly where to go.

Best part is, in April I get my very first car, which will be a lease, and it is a Mercedes Benz C250! One of the best parts about working for Daimler trucks is the Merceds Benz employee lease program. I am getting a screaming deal on a lease. You can’t lease a Honda Accord for what I’m leasing this car for. If I get sick of it after 8,000 miles I can get a new one and there’s no money down! It’s crazy!

Casanova:

So what was that about training modules?

Jarmer:

Aside from international travel and whatnot, training modules were my favorite part of the program. They are week long training sessions where you placed in a group of 30-ish. Ours was about 20 Germans to 10 Americans, and that may vary. There are three training modules spaced throughout the year and you’re placed with the same 30 people in each one. The first one and the last one are in Germany. For anyone not from Germany, it’s like a free trip to Europe. The second one they call international, and this year they sent their groups to either Beijing or San Paulo. My group went to Beijing. Due to the nature of the program all the people you’re with are around the same age or same place in their careers and lives, so you make friends really last. So it becomes a large group of essentially 30 friends descending upon whatever country you happen to be in. You may have to wake up early and go to training every day, but the evenings are all yours.

Casanova:

So what are your five tips for CAReer success?

Jarmer:

1: Study hard at whatever you do.

2: If you have an opportunity to take a second language, travel abroad, or have some sort of international experience, do it! You definitely won’t regret it.

3: Play to your strengths. A lot of people talk about their weaknesses like, “I wish I could do that but I’m not so good at …” I feel the reality is that if you play to your strengths you’re going to be a lot better off and you’ll improve much quicker. Focusing on your strengths will take you much further than trying to fix your weaknesses.

4: Network! When I say network, I don’t mean it in a speed dating, throw your card at someone manner. Get to know people. I want people to remember me because we had some form of connection, not because they had my business card. That connection that you make is going to be so valuable down the road. The people in Montvale and Berlin and from my training module are actually my friends now and I know that if they need something, or if I need something from them, we have a reciprocal relationship.

5: This is more of advice for life: Don’t worry so much about what job you want to have or “what you want to be when you grow up.” For a lot of us there’s any number of things we can do and be happy. I say figure out what’s important to you, whether that’s in a career or in life, and then fill in the blanks from there.