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David Dacres '18

To keep things simple—let’s say I did not take the traditional path that many of my chemistry peers likely took. That’s not to say I made the wrong choice, but it was a scary time for me during my senior year when everyone had a clear plan to pursue careers or graduate degrees that aligned with their academic background. That fall, I could recall thinking to myself, “Welp, what are we going to do now?”

Fast-forward almost two years into the future, I am an Associate Recruiter at HubSpot and I couldn't be happier with my career choice. For those who may not be familiar with HubSpot, HubSpot is a tech company that sells an all-in-one customer relationship management platform with sales, marketing, and service hubs that help small and mid-size businesses grow better. What am I doing as an associate recruiter? Well, of course, recruiting! But, to make things interesting—I have the unique opportunity of being one of the only recruiters at HubSpot dedicated to internal mobility. Currently, I am primarily focused on managing all internal transfers  within our customer success division within North America, in addition to doing some ad-hoc work around internal mobility for customer success. 

A very odd job for a chemistry major, you might think. Truth is...you aren’t wrong. If you were to ask me two years ago, I would have never thought I’d end up doing recruiting at a tech company. But honestly, it is the perfect mix of what I enjoyed the most from chemistry and my extracurriculars at Hamilton. It’s data-driven like chemistry and people-focused like being a barista at Opus. Transparently, my Hamilton experiences got me here, but that’s a longer story for another time. To sum up the effect of those experiences, they really pushed me to be hungry and to fight hard for the results I wanted to see in my academic career through Hamilton’s motto, “Know Thyself.” 

One thing I learned during the first couple of weeks at HubSpot was the mindset of “Work the Actions.” The Global Director of HubSpot’s Learning & Development team wrote a LinkedIn post about it. It’s the best advice that anyone could give. This mindset in combination with Hamilton’s motto of “Know Thyself,” can set a Hamilton student or alum up for success. These ideas push you to figure out what it is you want to do next and then act on all the smaller steps required to get there. I take this mindset with me every day. 

If I were to give any Hamilton student advice, whether you are in STEM or not, it would be to spend some time on that “Know Thyself” piece. What are the jobs you think might interest you the most? Then, follow through with working the actions. How will you connect with people who are in those industries? What companies have the role you are most interested in? How will you tailor your background and experiences to fit? 

To find a job, is a job in and of itself. I wish the best of luck to anyone looking for a job now—don't rush, it truly takes time. If you are interested in working at a tech company that is mission-driven, then I highly recommend checking out HubSpot—We’re Hiring! 

P.S. I’d be happy to chat with anyone if you reach out! Check out this blog post on our entry-level roles!

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