PMG Digital Made for Humans

Why We Started the Graduate Leadership Program

6 MINUTE READ | November 5, 2020

Why We Started the Graduate Leadership Program

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Ally Vidor

Ally Vidor has written this article. More details coming soon.

We are thrilled to announce that PMG is now accepting applications for our 2021 Graduate Leadership program.

We recognize that 2020 has been a tough year for just about everyone, but for soon-to-be college graduates, it’s been even more unusual. We know you are wondering what your prospects look like, and the classes of 2020 and 2021 have shown a level of mental fortitude and strength that is nothing short of commendable. While the last few years of lectures, late-night studying, group projects, and internships were, in theory, all in preparation for “the real world,” the reality is your journey into “the real world” is just beginning, and our GLP program continues to expand and evolve to help college graduates transition into digital careers.

It’s no secret that your first job after graduation is an important one and often defines your earning potential, foundational knowledge, learning and development opportunities, and professional career

That’s not to say that your path is set in stone (by any means) once you’ve accepted your first job offer, but that your first professional work experience out of college is critical in setting you up for professional success and personal fulfillment now, and 20 years from now.

Your first job after graduation is an important one and often defines your earning potential, foundational knowledge, network, and professional career. 

As an employer, we’re mindful of the significance this moment holds for you, and we don’t take your interest in PMG for granted. Your life after graduation is one of life’s biggest transitions, and we’re on a mission to help make it easier for you.

I’m not here to give a history lesson, but what I will say is that before the program existed — time after time — even the best and brightest college grads who joined our teams faced serious challenges during their first few months out of school. These were people with seriously high potential who were struggling to succeed due to unforeseen challenges like:

  • A lack of fundamental leadership and soft-skills development before entering the role

  • Steep technological learning curves, no matter the role or education level

  • Joining a certain team then discovering their passions lie elsewhere

To solve these challenges, we consulted our teams and built a program that bridged the gap between institutional learning environments at universities and on-the-job learning and development in a professional work environment. 

Our ultimate goal with the Graduate Leadership Program is to develop our company’s future leaders by giving them the foundational knowledge, training, and tools to succeed, no matter what area of the business they are most interested in. And so far, we think it’s working pretty well.

A program that bridges the gap between institutional learning environments at universities and on-the-job learning and development in a professional work environment.

Employee feedback is crucial to helping make PMG a great place to work, which is why we host learning and feedback sessions with program alumni during the program’s off-season to check-in on their career’s progress and understand how we can make the program even better for the next class of graduates.

Building a curriculum from scratch is never easy, but we’ve discovered that the best leaders are people who have a holistic understanding of our business, are innately curious, and can approach challenges with a growth mindset while being able to use data and technology to supplement their storytelling and leadership abilities. And thus, we designed a program focused on those traits.

The Graduate Leadership Program looked a bit different this year, like many things due to the pandemic. The 2020 class was completely virtual with the in-person aspects of the curriculum shifted online. To our surprise, in many ways, the trainings, workshops, and sense of community were better than ever.

To help learn the ropes and build stronger relationships across the company, program participants, affectionately known as GLPers among PMGers, were divided into small groups that were led by senior leaders, paired with a Program alum in the buddy program, and participated in weekly check-in meetings with PMG’s CEO and Founder, George Popstefanov. These more frequent check-ins helped develop a stronger sense of camaraderie and level of emotional support.

The 2020 Program began with foundational training across core operations of the business — strategy, media, creative, and insights — to provide a comprehensive view of our vision, and demonstrate how teams work together to craft sophisticated client strategy and provide award-winning service for our clients. By starting with the basics of digital, the class of 2020 got the necessary framework for the rotational curriculum that comes next, which was designed around our primary services and technology. Soon after, members of the GLP class were each placed on teams, beginning their transition out of the program and into their full-time roles. This year’s program is now coming to a close and we are eager to see all of the amazing things the Class of 2020 will accomplish moving forward.

Applications for the 2021 Graduate Leadership Program are now open and we can’t wait to meet our next class.

The Program offers new graduates like yourself the opportunity to kickstart your career and discover your true passions at a fast-growing company working with incredible brands like Beats by Dre, SurveyMonkey, Old Navy, and more. Not to mention the great benefits and talented people who are ready to show you the ropes, all in a workplace environment voted Ad Age’s Best Places to Work, five times in a row

Ready to join us? Apply to the Graduate Leadership Program on the Careers page now. We’re eager to hear from you.

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Ally Vidor is the Program Lead for the Graduate Leadership Program and a Senior People Operations Manager on the People and Culture team at PMG. In her role, she partners with business leaders across the company on key people initiatives such as employee engagement and manager effectiveness to ensure PMG is supporting its employees, both personally and professionally.


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