Victoria Marotta ’21 knows the value of being valued. As she works to complete her bachelor’s in business management, Victoria has undertaken several internships with Enterprise and AvalonBay Communities that have helped her develop crucial skills to best utilize her degree. The hard work has paid off—after her summer internship with AvalonBay, Victoria has secured a full-time position with them after graduation! She joins us today to discuss what she’ll be doing, the importance of culture fit and her dreams for the future.
DAN ROUSSEL: Hi, Victoria! So glad to have you here for the Working Warriors series! And congratulations on accepting your recent job offer from AvalonBay Communities as a community consultant. What will you be doing in this position?
VICTORIA MAROTTA: Thank you! As a community consultant, I will be the point of contact to find out everything about the area in which the apartment complex is located. I will also be responsible for helping residents find the best place to call home. This consists of conducting tours of the community with new residents, finding out about their lifestyle, recommending floor plans that fit their needs and filling them in on what the community has to offer.
That’s pretty valuable work! I’m sure the new residents will appreciate all the support work you’re doing. And before this full-time offer, you also worked with AvalonBay as a property operations intern! Is it a similar role to the one that you’ll be taking on after graduation? What made you want to stay with this company?
Yes, my internship is similar to the position I will be filling after graduation. As a property operations intern, I was able to see what it would be like as a community consultant. I was able to conduct tours of the property, and assist new residents every step of the way during the leasing process. I was also able to see what it takes to be a property manager; that’s one of my long term career goals. I wanted to stay with this company because they do a great job of keeping their employees motivated, supported, empowered and feeling valued. The morale in the workplace was always high, which made the job enjoyable! I felt appreciated and recognized for my hard work, which made me look forward to going to work everyday.
A good work culture can make or break an experience—glad to hear that your time there has been so fulfilling. Switching gears to a different venture of yours: you’re currently interning with Enterprise! What has this internship helped you with in terms of skill development, and what do you want to keep refining once you’ve completed it?
Enterprise has been a great experience so far! It has helped me with professional development, sales skills, leadership skills, critical and strategic thinking, and it has allowed me to network. I would like to keep refining all of the skills I mentioned, but I would mostly like to keep refining my skills in critical and strategic thinking.
That’s great! All the skills you listed are so valuable. In lieu of an internship right now, I’m trying to build similar skills with LinkedIn Learning. Have you been able to use any resources like that at Merrimack?
I have taken the Career Development and Exploration course, OBR1050 with Katie Fell, which really helped with professional development, interview skills and learning how to network.
I’m glad you were able to take that course! I took it myself last semester, and it made a huge difference in my long-term goal setting. What are your long-term career goals? What are you hoping to accomplish ten years from now?
I hope to become a property manager, then become an area or district manager. And at some point in the future, I would possibly like to become a professor or hospitality or property management!
Here’s hoping we see you teaching at Merrimack someday! As we come to a close, Victoria—do you have any advice for fellow students?
Some advice I would give to fellow students: always be kind, and treat others with respect. You never know who’s listening, and you never know who you could meet!
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Are you ready to secure an internship or employment for the fall and beyond? The O’Brien Center for Career Development is here to help you! Visit Handshake today to search for open opportunities, meet with your career advisor, and more.
