WebFX Applicant Insider: Join Our Team!

Current Title: Web Project Manager

Started As: Jr. Web Project Manager

College Major: Finance and minor in Military Science

My Finance degree has helped me develop strong analytical and organizational skills that I use every day in Project Management. It has taught me how to manage resources, timelines, and details while using data to make informed decisions. I enjoy taking a large project, breaking it into smaller pieces, and keeping everything organized and moving in the right direction.

My Military Science minor and experience in the Army National Guard have also had a big impact on how I approach my work. The military strengthened my leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills, but it also taught me the importance of planning ahead and being prepared to adjust when things don’t go as expected. I enjoy thinking through complex situations, anticipating what could come next, and finding ways to keep a team moving forward.

Overall, I’ve always enjoyed planning, managing timelines, solving problems, and challenging myself to learn new things. Being able to combine my Finance background, military experience, and interest in Marketing has made Project Management a great fit for me. I use pieces of each of those experiences in my work at WebFX, and I think they have really helped shape the way I approach both my projects and the people I work with.

Current Title: Director of DataTech

Started as: Internet Marketing Intern > Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist – Account Strategist

College Major: Economics

I majored in economics and immediately found a ton of overlap with the skills I learned during my time in college and the skills I’ve leveraged in my career as an internet marketer.

When it comes down to it, economics is really the study of decision-making, and as an internet marketer, it’s my job to understand why users make decisions and how they reach those decisions. With this comes the opportunity to look at raw data, spot trends, and draw insights accordingly. I’m then able to make concrete and data-backed recommendations to optimize client campaigns and drive results.

Trend spotting and analyzing data were some of my favorite aspects of economics, and I’m so thankful it has become a large part of my day-to-day as an internet marketer! 

Current Title: FX Enablement Agent Lead

Started As: Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist – Account Strategist

College Major: Applied Mathematics and Economics

In college, I majored in applied mathematics and economics. With that combination, I focused my elective studies on data analysis, mathematical and economic modeling, and probability and statistics. Now at WebFX, I’m an account strategist on the internet marketing team.

The most applicable hard skills my majors gave me were advanced Excel skills and programming experience. I use pivot tables and advanced formulas almost every day, and knowing even some basic programming gives you a great framework and foundation for learning HTML & CSS quickly, since you’ll be familiar with how similar languages are structured. 

However, more than any particular concrete skills, I think my majors really helped me develop integral soft skills that I use all the time in my job today. Math and economics are all about critical thinking and cause and effect, both of which are essential for directing marketing strategies.

Current Title: Internet Marketing Specialist – Account Strategist

Started as: Junior Internet Marketing Specialist – Account Strategist

College Major: Financial Planning

I majored in Financial Planning in undergrad, thinking I wanted to be a Financial Planner. Having an internship in that field made me realize that was not what I wanted to do, but I still graduated with that degree and had a marketing minor. After a couple of years in the working world, I eventually went back to school and got my Master’s degree in marketing intelligence.

While I was back in school, I landed a job here at WebFX, where I now use skills from both undergrad and grad school. From my undergraduate school, the biggest thing I learned was how to adapt (since I was going to school during COVID-19). This applies to the marketing industry as a whole. It is always adapting and changing as search evolves. Being able to adapt so quickly can help pivot client strategies when necessary and accelerate growth for clients.

From my graduate school, I learned a lot about consumer sentiment, which has been so useful at WebFX. You always want to be thinking about how users perceive your brand and what they are searching for. I also learned a lot about data visualization & analysis, which has helped me tremendously at WebFX. Being able to report results to clients, present reasons as to why they are that way, and recommend next steps is essential to driving marketing strategies forward to get clients the best ROI.

Current Title: Team Lead of Enterprise Search

Started as: Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist – Account Strategist

College Major: English

WebFX is an amazing company because it has a place for everyone regardless of their major. I was an English major in college, so when I was looking for jobs, I was searching for ones that primarily involve some sort of copywriting.

I learned very quickly after completing the interview process and starting to work here that my skills as an English Major were transferable to any job, especially the one that I have as an Internet Marketer. 

Every day I utilize the skills from my major in unique ways, from writing up client emails that help describe the value of the work that we’re doing to developing content topics and strategies for clients’ blogs. It’s amazing all the big and small ways that my background as an English major comes into play. I truly believe the most valuable skill that I gained from college was confidence, and that’s applicable to any position that’s offered at WebFX.

Current Title: AdTechFX Practice Lead

Started As: Jr. Social Media Specialist

College Major: English – Specialization in Journalism & Public Relations

My name is Raeann Walquist, and I am a 2020 graduate of Lebanon Valley College, where I majored in English with a specialization in Journalism and Public Relations.

While I never envisioned myself working in digital marketing or advertising, I could not have asked for a better experience.

One thing I love about WebFX is that they teach you everything you need to know about marketing. All you have to do is be willing to learn and open to doing things that push you out of your comfort zone.  

I also love that I get to build on the skills that I learned in my undergrad years. As an English major, most courses focused on reading, writing and in-depth analysis. Even though I didn’t major in marketing or business, I gained valuable skills like critical thinking, communication, public speaking and professionalism that have helped me excel in my position and drive results for my clients.

Current Title: Global HR Operations Team Lead

Started as: Jr. Earned Media Specialist

College Major: Economics and English

I double majored in Economics and English. I didn’t expect my degree to map directly onto a future career, so I was surprised at how helpful and relevant my studies were when I joined the Earned Media & Copy department at WebFX! Honing my writing, editing and critical thinking skills throughout college helped me quickly learn new information and tackle content marketing projects for our clients with precision. 

Furthermore, I took a few classes in digital humanities for my major, where I learned how to set up WordPress sites, publish blog content, and format copy in HTML. These are skills I use every single day at my job, so my education helped me jump right into my role!

Overall, I always loved writing & editing in college, and I’m so glad I get to use these skills in the digital marketing industry – and I get to run WebFX’s book club, too, so talking literature is still a big part of my life!

Current Title: Vice President, PerformanceOps

Started as: Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist

College Major: English Literature

My major was English Lit! I didn’t minor in anything, but took a lot of philosophy classes. 

One day, out of desperation, I searched “job ideas for humanities majors.” I landed on a blog post that was written by someone who was a PhD candidate in literature, but discovered SEO and left the PhD program to pursue a career in SEO. They talked about how it was part working on websites, part business strategy, and I thought it sounded fascinating!

I searched “What is SEO” and started learning, and was really excited by the idea that you could work on a website to help it get more visibility and revenue. So I searched “SEO jobs near York, PA”, which is where I lived at the time. I found a Monster.com listing for a Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist position at WebFX and applied to interview and got the job! 

The main thing that I feel my college education helped with was really hammering critical thinking — not just accepting something for what it is, but wanting to understand why something functions the way it does, the underlying layers, and how that can change based on other factors. 

Current Title: Senior Web Strategy Consultant

Started as: Web Strategist

College Major: Psychology

When I was studying psychology, I didn’t fully realize how directly those skills would map onto a high-growth consulting career. People often overlook how much overlap there is between behavioral science and consultative sales!

My psychology background laid the ultimate foundation for what I do every day. Core skills like active listening, reflection, and empathy allow me to dive deep into a prospect’s unique situation, uncover their true business challenges, and build trust naturally.

In a strategy role, it’s not just about pitching a product. It’s about understanding human behavior and guiding clients toward the right digital solutions for their goals. I’m so glad I get to apply my degree daily in a fast-paced tech environment where understanding people is the most valuable tool you can have!

Current Title: Revenue Marketing Analyst

Started as: Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist

College Major: Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management

My major offered me a few really helpful skills and insights that I use in my day-to-day! The first is insight into how Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism businesses operate! This also includes areas within those like photography services and recreation and parks.

I’ve had a few clients within the field that I majored in, which was super helpful when completing initial research and creating a strategy for those businesses. Since I was familiar with them, it was easy to identify gaps and areas we needed to optimize for them. It also helped establish a trusted relationship quickly, since I could bring up my past experiences.

That leads me into the second item, which is the customer service skills! Hospitality is all about customer service, and thats a large part of being an Account Manager. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t pull from my past hospitality experience when addressing clients.

Current Title: Lead Ongoing Strategy Consultant

Started as: Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist

College Major: Fashion Merchandising and Business

I started in the Fashion Merchandising major, and as a requirement, I had to take a marketing class. After that, I became more interested in marketing and realized how valuable it would be to have a business degree too. So, I dual majored!

I didn’t initially expect my fashion education to carry over into a marketing role, but it provided me with knowledge of how retail businesses operate, consumer psychology, and market research. My business major gave me a great background in operations, economics, marketing, and management of information systems.

Today, I work with clients to learn their business and industry, research their consumers’ behavior online, and craft digital marketing strategies to support their growth. So, both areas of my education have supported me in my current role!

However, I feel most thankful for the soft skills I developed in school. I improved my presentation, public speaking, and communication skills. All of which I use every single day in my career!

Current Title: Senior Account Executive

Started as: Jr. Internet Marketing Specialist

College Major: Bachelor of Arts, Communications, Emphasis in Journalism

I was a communications major, so overall communication has been key in my role today. I work with very busy teams and make it my goal to make their lives easier each day.

That takes listening skills, organization, and leadership to ensure everyone is aligned for these larger, more complex client projects.

I love being able to get our team to work towards a common goal and really wow the client with the results we drive for them!

Current Title: Associate Data Architect

Started as: Junior DataTech Architect

College Major: Bachelor of Science in Psychology

I majored in Psychology and was so surprised to find the amount of overlap between my major and role at WebFX. Most specifically, in a client-facing role, my background in psychology helps me understand what biases clients or other team members may have and how to effectively communicate.

Additionally, knowing all of the different personality types, I can adjust my communication from client to client or team member to team member. A core pillar of psychology is research methodology, and this framework has helped enhance my data analysis.