by Sherica Daley
“My path was quite abnormal” explained Caitlin King. King, a 2018 graduate of Queens College, visited her alma mater to speak to students at Queens College’s School of Business 2nd #QCBusiness Breakfast in the Q-Side Lounge. King answers questions from current Queens College students about her career and her advice on being successful after graduation.
King, an Honors Economics major and Environmental Studies minor, has been growing a career in successfully improving product merchandising and helping with retail financial strategies to generate more sales and profit for major retail companies. Her career path started as a sustainability intern with an ITAC advisement firm and a manager in Idiel Showroom from 2013-2015. After graduation, she became a freelance Independent Consultant in 2019. She next moved on to being a Planning Analyst and Merchandiser for L Brands. Working with L Brands, she was in the licensing division for Victoria’s Secret Swim. In 2020, she became a Planner of LG Household & Health Care with Avon Cosmetic, next she moved on to be a merchandise planner for ANN .Inc., companies: Ann Taylor Loft and Ann Taylor Factory, Since March 2022, King has been Senior Strategy Analyst for Burlington Stores, Inc. Here, she won four Winner of Excellence Awards and a Spotlight Award in 2023.
“I am passionate about fashion and product development, merchandising, and financial modeling” explained King. Her passion began as a professional model to get through college. She transitioned from being in front of the camera to joining the business team and becoming the mastermind in improving the development of the financial landscape against top competing retail brands.
She came in bright and early to speak to current Queens College students and faculty, about what she learned and what current students can learn from her career, insights, and transition in careers. The Q&A portion was an engaging session with students and alumni getting King’s perspective on what she had observed and achieved in the retail environment. “ My favorite part of my job is seeing the impact it has on the firm,” said King. “ All the hard work that’s done has tangible outcomes on the success of the firms,” she said. During the Q&A students asked what advice would she give a current student looking for direction. “ I would recommend trying the traditional route of doing an internship that leads into a division they’re interested in getting proper training within that field. “ she explained to the students.
The topic of resumes came up and students wanted to know what helps potential employers look for in the thousands of resumes that are submitted for a job opening. King advises that when she looks at resumes she looks for achieving metric results. “ On your resume, each bullet should be result-driven,” she explained. “I would be looking for growth in numbers, such as sales, or profit.” she explained “ This can say achieve growth in sales by 10% or achieve X dollars in sales.”
After the Q&A, King spoke one-on-one with students. King liked how engaging the students were and how they came up with great questions. She was next asked her goals for the upcoming year. “ I hope to lead a team this year” she explained. “ But, if someone wanted to follow in my footsteps they need to be resilient and driven”
As the King enjoyed breakfast and met with staff and alumni, she networked with Queens College’s student clubs. She explains that student engagement and community outreach are important to keep students in school. King and her strategy team at Burlington volunteer at local food pantries distributing essential food. King is also continuing to learn with Google Career Certificates.
King’s visit to the #QCBusiness Breakfast was rewarding, “ I’m honored to be able to share my journey and hope it gave insight into the retail space.” she replied. She ended the Breakfast with a piece of advice that any student can use in their journey at Queens College and life after graduation, “Don’t give up!”
The next #QCBusiness Breakfasts will be on Tuesday, April 16th and Tuesday, May 7th. The School of Business is also excited to offer summer courses to CUNY and non-CUNY visiting students. Those wishing to enrich their careers are encouraged to contact Queens College Admissions.
