Team Member Spotlight: Courtney Culligan

So you've already been re-introduced to the pumpkin spice latte. But have you met Courtney Culligan? She went from Junior Analyst to Analyst of Search & Social Strategy. Get to know her in the September spotlight.

1) What's your favorite part of your job? What's the most challenging part of your job?

My favorite part of the job is reporting calls with clients. When we’re able to show clients how our work is positively affecting their company, it is extremely rewarding. It’s exciting to see the impact, both large and small, that occurs from completing tasks and projects. I love knowing that what I’m doing is really making a change in a company’s performance.

The most challenging part of my job is learning to strike a balance between all of my different responsibilities for clients and Perfect Search. Digital marketing allows you to wear many different hats. This means one day looks quite different from the next.

2) What's a lesson you wish you could go back and tell your intern self?

Dear past Courtney,

Ask questions! Seriously, your co-workers are there to help and are more than happy to sit down with you for any questions you may have. It’s much more efficient and effective to just ask for help than to linger on something you’re unsure of how to do. You’re an intern and you are there to learn so utilize your incredibly helpful coworkers to learn as much as you can.

Sincerely,

Your Future Self

P.S. This advice still applies as a full-time analyst.

3) What surprises you the most about digital marketing?

It never ceases to amaze me how much data is constantly being collected from digital marketing campaigns and advertisements online. Without sounding creepy, the information an advertiser can gather about customers and his or her target audience is extremely fascinating.

4) What are your top 3 Perfect Search memories?

My top 3 PSM memories (in no particular order):

1) Halloween. We all went to lunch in costume (I was dressed as Wednesday Addams) and celebrated in our appropriately decorated office.

2) The Scavenger Hunt. In July, we held our quarterly company offsite and spent the day exploring Chicago, solving clues, and enjoying some friendly competition. (My team won!)

3) The Christmas Season. I can’t narrow this down to a particular event, mainly due to the fact the entire month of December was chock-full of Christmas cheer and shenanigans. From the ridiculous White Elephants gift exchange to the fried chicken-filled office Christmas party at Buck’s, this holiday definitely made the top 3.

5) Imagine you have an unlimited budget to plan a dream vacation around the world. Where are you going? What's on the itinerary?

I would absolutely be going to Europe. It would be a mix of high-intensity exploration and low-intensity relaxation.

If I truly had an unlimited budget, I would be starting in Spain, munching on incredible tapas and utilizing those afternoon siestas, then hopping through France, Ireland, England, and Italy, enjoying the sights, sounds, and flavors of each incredibly different country. Finally, I would end in Greece, traveling all around the Islands. 

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Now that you've gotten some travel recs from Courtney, why not check out her advice on crawling your website's XML sitemap?