What do a resume and a TikTok video have in common? Some may say they are both creative pieces used to demonstrate your talents. Others may see no relationship at all. For Madison Dallas ’21, both were essential to her application to work at Case-Mate after graduation.
This semester, Dallas began a job search to seek a role combining her passions for marketing and e-commerce. As a marketing management and entrepreneurship & emerging enterprises (EEE) double major, Dallas has immersed herself in the variety of courses available at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management to enhance her professional skills in preparation for her career.
“I originally began as a marketing management major, but, after talking to Whitman professors, I decided to also pursue entrepreneurship. When I started taking EEE classes, I developed a new way of creative thinking. The problem-solving I was doing for my courses trained my brain to think in a completely new way,” says Dallas.
Dallas is no stranger to entrepreneurship. At 12 years old, she began her own e-commerce business by selling upcycled denim shorts online across the entire United States and 10 countries worldwide. Since COVID-19 began, Dallas shifted her inventory to handmade face masks and has made over 1,300 sales on her Etsy shop, MadiMadeBoutique.
After internships with AAA Northway and National Grid in marketing and e-commerce roles throughout college, Dallas knew she wanted to pursue a career in e-commerce. In October, Dallas found an opportunity at as an e-commerce marketing specialist at Case-Mate and applied for the position.
“The position seemed like a perfect fit, and something was telling me this job was meant for me, so I decided to make a TikTok. I wanted to show them a different side of me that couldn’t be represented well on paper,” she says. “Plus, I was already a customer of the company!”
In under 24 hours, Dallas’s TikTok went viral with 69,000 views and over 6,000 likes, and she received a message from Case-Mate on LinkedIn to schedule a phone interview. The following week, Dallas visited the company’s headquarters in Atlanta to meet with the social media manager, chief operating officer, marketing manager and human resources manager and share more about her experiences.
“They were so impressed with the creativity of my idea and wanted to learn more about me. It definitely did not feel like an interview but more of a conversation. I felt like I was in the right place,” says Dallas.
Soon after, Dallas was offered a part-time role with Case-Mate beginning in December and a full-time role after graduation.
Dallas learned from her job search experience and time at Syracuse University to set goals for herself and pursue them to succeed. She also learned never to underestimate the influence of social media because you will never know who will see your next post, or, in Dallas’s case, your next TikTok video.
Learn more about other Whitman students and their experiences.
In addition to working for the digital content team, Karley works as a front desk assistant on campus and has experience in service, freelance work and leadership in different organizations. In her free time, Karley enjoys running, cooking and keeping busy.
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Super proud of you Madi!! I love watching you grow all these years! Congratulations!! Misty