Daniel Leto, Class of 2020, recently secured a position at Mimecast as a Licensing and Renewals Specialist. Leto reflects upon his experience thus far, his dedication to his own professional development during his undergraduate experience, and advice for current Merrimack College students.
Q: Can you explain how you obtained your position at Mimecast. Any tips for others?
A: I went to all these networking events on campus, even if I already had a job because making connections is huge. At one of the events, I met this recruiter, Michelle. I had really gained an interest in Mimecast because they were growing so fast, so I established a relationship with her and would check in with her every six months to see what jobs were available. I was looking for a marketing job. One time when I spoke with Michelle, she said that they didn’t have the marketing opportunity anymore and were strategizing a little differently. She said that she had a position for which I would be a great fit and asked if I wanted to interview for it. It was for a Licensing and Renewal Specialist in sales operations. I started doing a lot of research about the position because I wanted to be on my game. I met with the recruiter on a Tuesday, and then two days later, I met with the hiring manager. It was a really fast process because about a week later, I was offered the job.
Q: What was your major at Merrimack and how does it relate to what you are doing now?
A: I was a Marketing and Sport Management major, and I really thought I was going to go into Marketing Analytics right after college. After Covid-19, I thought about a lot of things and talked to mentors in my family that have worked in the tech business for a long time. The biggest thing for me in getting a role right after college was to learn and develop at a really high level. This role at Mimecast in sales operations allowed me to learn all of these tools at an expert level and there is so much room for growth.
Q: What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
A: Our function is the number one source of revenue, renewals, and retention and everyone looks to our team, so the role is very demanding. I’ve learn great leadership skills, critical thinking skills, and I’m learning so many different software programs.
Q: What are some of the software programs that you are using at Mimecast, and would you recommend that current students begin learning these now?
A: I’m using Salesforce, which is a customer relationship management tool. Another one is Oracle NetSuite. I’m using Tableau MicroStrategy and Marketo. I think what Merrimack does well is to offer LinkedIn Learning. Not only are there different software tools you can learn there, but you can learn about a different areas of a business. Mimecast offers LinkedIn Learning courses for current employees to take.
Q: Tell me a little about your internship experience and how it might have benefited you in finding this position.
A: Being extremely driven is really important as is being open to all opportunities that you wouldn’t necessarily think you would want to do. Just because you are a marketing major doesn’t mean that you can’t do other things. I was a Student Ambassador for Alumni Relations. I interned at Constant Contact the summer of my junior year as a customer experience analyst intern. The skills you learn from different areas of a business through different internships help because when you go to an employer with a diverse range of skills, it is impactful and will help to make you more competitive than the other people who apply to the job. It helps you to stand out.
Q: Do you have any tips or advice to give for others who may be looking for an internship or a job right now?
A: I think that the most important thing is to never give up, especially right now. You see all of these people who are applying for jobs but you have to keep trying. Writing a good cover letter can be extremely impactful because you craft a story for yourself and show why you want to work for the company and what makes you different from other people. Highlight the projects you’ve done in your classes because those projects are experiences you’ve had. You could add in a link to your portfolio too. These things will make you a stronger candidate. And one other thing that is very important is to search for companies where you really believe in their mission or vision and then show how enthusiastic you are about working there.
Q: Is there any advice you have for Merrimack students with regard to career development, interviewing or applying for positions?
A: Networking is huge. You cannot have enough contacts. Getting set up on LinkedIn as a freshman will go a long way toward helping you. Go to as many events on campus as you can – networking events, the career fairs.
