Pietro Corti, International Marketing Trainee, Menarini Berlin-Chemie

To help current students and recent graduates navigate the world of work, several USI Alumni shared their career paths and career story. Here the story of Pietro Corti, Marketing Trainee for the International Division in Menarini Berlin-Chemie in Berlin (D). USI Degree: Master in Marketing and Transformative Economy, 2022.

How did you start your career?

I have started my career at Berlin-Chemie through a curricular Internship during my Master degree.

Why did you choose a career in Menarini Berlin-Chemie?

The position was for the Marketing department, which is the field I have studied during my master. Pharmaceutical companies are well known for the innovation and research, and I thought it was a great opportunity to start my working career. Moreover, since the company is located in Berlin, I thought it interesting to gain experience in an international environment.

What is your current role/duties?

I help Product Managers of the Head Quarter of Berlin-Chemie to create marketing materials such as promotional and non-promotional campaigns; manage and coordinate international events; analyze sales data of our drugs and understand how our company is positioned compared to our competitors in the various markets of the countries we work with. I also often deal with creativity and communication agencies to create content that will then be distributed to doctors and hospitals.

In your opinion, what are the qualities necessary for a successful career in Menarini Berlin-Chemie?

Certainly have a spirit of initiative and not back down from tasks for which we think we are not prepared. I think it is essential to put yourself to the test and get out of your comfort zone, especially when you are doing an internship. Another important thing is to ask if we don't know something and really understand the mistakes you have made so as not to repeat them. Lastly, I think it is important to ask your boss for new tasks based on your interests, this can help you grow as a person and professionally.

What positive aspects and qualities meant most to you during the study programme you attended?

Definitely the practical approach that many other universities don't offer: lots of group work, research and literature reviews and prepare yourself on how to present a case and speak in front of your colleagues. Some courses more than others gave me good concrete and tangible foundations to then easily insert me into a world where marketing is not theory but practice.

What competences and/or skills acquired in your USI Study Program have been useful/are useful to your professional career?

How to analyze a case starting from literature reviews and research and to know how to present it effectively and directly. I also found it very useful to know how to analyze data such as market share and product growth (even if I don't like analyzing data, this is one of the many aspects of marketing that must be taken into consideration). Finally, more than the real marketing theories, what helped me a lot are the concrete examples of past marketing campaigns and case studies.

What is your advice to USI students entering the job market?

Start from what you think you can do well, but don't settle for that, remember that often we don't like all the tasks or aspects of our work, and it is precisely the ones we like least that we have to work on to get the most. Finally, don't be frightened if the beginning of your career doesn't correspond 100% to what you would like to do, it often takes time to discover yourself. Most of all, I believe it is essential to try to have an open and flexible mind: talk to people and ask questions, be curious. And if you have a job offer that you are not sure about, do the interviews and prepare yourself well anyway, it is always a good exercise for future interviews and also you never know, you might change your idea regarding that position. So, have an open mind to experience and evaluate all options. If this means to go to work in another country take it as an opportunity and not as an obstacle.