Sales Enablement Career Q&A with James

James shares what he’s learned during his time at Clarkston Consulting. In a variety of roles, he has taken control of his career and developed his skillset. The care and commitment of Clarkston’s culture is something that stands out to him. Read the story below.

How long have you been with Clarkston?

I joined Clarkston full time a little over 5 years ago through the Bootcamp program, but I originally joined Clarkston as a consulting intern back in 2016.

What is your role at Clarkston?

I am currently a Client Solutions Manager at Clarkston, but I’ve held a lot of different roles within Clarkston. Prior to moving into the Client Solutions group I was a consultant with Clarkston largely working with IT and quality groups in life sciences and regulated consumer products industries. Though I still support some a few clients, a large part of my current role involves working with prospective clients, sales executives, and industry experts to understand unique industry challenges and develop services and strategies to address the client’s needs.

Tell us about a new skill you’ve developed recently.

I am very fortunate that in my role I am constantly learning about new things about the industries we serve and the services we provide, but over the last few years I have really developed my skills in strategic IT and technology.

If you had to choose, which of Clarkston’s core values do you feel resonates with you the most?

I will admit this was a particularly difficult question to answer, because at one time or another each of our core values has resonated with me the most. What I would say resonates most now would have to be Business Focus. Given my current role, it is really important that I am committed to ensuring the services we offer our clients and the projects we deliver are going to valuable for their business.

Which internal initiatives, communities, or projects are you involved in at Clarkston?

Over my 5+ years with Clarkston, I have been able to get involved in a lot of different internal initiatives, communities, and projects.  Probably my most memorable internal initiatives have been serving as the manager for Clarkston’s Bootcamp program in 2021 and as the first manager of Clarkston’s JumpStart program in 2022. Early career recruiting and steward development have always been something I have been passionate about and being able to be the manager of the same new hire program that went through when I joined Clarkston was something really special. Currently, I have been serving on the leadership team of Clarkston’s Pride Network, as well as serving as one of the leads for Georgia Tech recruiting.

Can you share some advice that someone at Clarkston has given you during your time here?

Some advice I received in my very early days at Clarkston was “you are in full control of your career here.” While at the time I can admit I was bit skeptical, it ultimately proved to be true. If you work hard and have the determination the opportunities will come. It is how I was able to manage my own workstream and solo projects within one year of joining Clarkston. It is how I was able to become a manager and manage a team within 5 years at Clarkston. When you join Clarkston, you are able to mold your career into what you want without the bureaucratic red tape you will see at other consulting firms.

What drove you to accept Clarkston’s employment offer?  

I was lucky enough to have received a full time offer at the end of my internship program, but it had put me in a very peculiar situation.  Part of me thought it would be best to shop around and see if there was another opportunity, but what ultimately swayed me to accept my offer before even starting my senior year at Georgia Tech was the people at Clarkston.  I realized that even if looked at other companies or got another offer elsewhere, I was not going to find the same people and culture that I found at Clarkston. The genuine commitment and care everyone at Clarkston showed me during my internship (and continue to show me to this day) I was not going to find anywhere else.

Learn how you can develop your sales enablement career at Clarkston here.