Interview :: Tara Smith
You may be familiar with Tara Smith from her contributions to Marcom Blog and her recent contribution here via Ashley’s PR Blogging for Dummies post (a must-read for those of you new to this). She is the Senior Marketing Manager for Marqui and a primary contributor to its corporate blog. Tara was kind enough to indulge me when I asked for an interview this past fall, so I thought I’d share her responses so everyone can benefit as I have.
I noticed you’ve held a variety of positions for a few different companies, including Infotel and Sterling. Including your current position at Marqui, which do you think you have enjoyed the most and/or gotten the most out of? (Why?)
That would be a toss up between Sterling and Marqui. (Although I’ve only been at Marqui for nine months, so perhaps Sterling has a slight edge.) Both companies have given me an opportunity to expand my knowledge of technology and marketing communications, and both foster extremely positive working environments.
My notes indicate you graduated with a degree in classics … what does that degree entail? Has it been helpful in your career path?
A degree in classics involves intense study of Greek and Roman culture. As part of this, I was able to choose an area of focus: Language & Literature, Art History or Archaeology. I selected Language & Literature, which meant I spent quite a bit of time learning to read Greek and Latin and studying the writings/speeches of folks like Cicero.
It isn’t the most practical degree, but the heavy focus on language and literature has been very valuable in helping me refine my communication skills (i.e. writing, speaking, etc.). It also means I can impress coworkers with my vocabulary. 
What made you decide to pursue a career in marketing/PR?
It actually happened by mistake. I had every intention of pursuing a career as a teacher or (ideally) an archaeologist, but I needed to find a way to pay the bills after I graduated from college. I ended up landing the job at Infotel, and found that I really enjoyed marketing. A couple years later I decided to move more towards PR since I liked the idea of working with the media. That’s when I joined Sterling.
Have you had any of those difficult “life lessons” in your career (things you maybe had to learn the hard way)?
Let’s just say that when interacting with co-workers, I now choose my words very carefully and always assume that everything I say is going to be repeated at some point. Because it usually is.