--> Juan Castano - President, Executive Society and the Auburn University Investment Club

BIOGRAPHY:

Juan Castano is a senior in Finance with a Marketing minor. He is from Orlando, FL and is currently the president of the College of Business Executive Society and the Auburn University Investment Club. He enjoys volunteering at the Southeastern Raptor Center and being an active member of his fraternity Delta Tau Delta. His sophomore year he was a financial advisor intern with Summit Wealth Partners in Orlando, FL and his junior year he was a capital markets summer analyst at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in New York, New York.

What Marketing classes are you currently taking? Which Marketing class has been your favorite?

Currently I’m taking Marketing on the Internet, Retail Management, and International Marketing. My favorite class was Principles of Marketing with Dr. Padgett. I got exposed to all the different aspects of what you can do with marketing. I feel like I got a lot out of the class and it caused me to decide to minor in marketing because I really liked all the different jobs available in the field.

What advice can you give current students on getting involved in extracurricular activities on campus?

My best advice for students trying to get involved is to quickly figure out as a freshman the top things you can see yourself wanting to be involved in. When I was a freshman, I got a copy of the Glom from the year before and looked at all the available organizations. That way I was able to get involved early with things I felt I would be interested in and it gave me the opportunity to have leadership and executive positions in the organizations.

Could you tell what would you like to see change about the Marketing department or curriculum within the college?

I think the best change that could happen in the Marketing department would be for them to start offering a class on advertising. It is a field that I know a lot of students are interested in and I feel like it doesn’t get talked about much in marketing classes.

What has been your favorite and least favorite part of your experience as a Marketing student in the College of Business?

My favorite part of being a marketing student is getting to work on group projects. They have allowed me to develop my teamwork skills and experience working with small and large teams. They have taught me time management and presentation skills. My least favorite part would be that some classes overlap or are an extension of other classes. My favorite class was Principles of Marketing because it was exciting to learn different new things about marketing. Now that I’m in my more specialized marketing classes a lot of the material has begun to repeat.

So you’re looking for jobs, can you give us your tips for finding jobs and internships? 

My best advice to people looking for internships would be to try and get one by your sophomore year. Getting an internship early on provides a good introduction to what it’s like to have a real job. I hadn’t had an office job before my summer internship with Summit Wealth Partners and it really provided me an opportunity to see what it was like working in an office, which was really beneficial. I got the chance to learn the ropes and to decide what I did and didn’t like about the jobs, something that has made the job search process a lot less stressful.

How about interviewing, any tips?

My advice would be to be prepared for the questions you know are going happen. You should be prepared to walk them through your resume and be able to provide details about yourself. Also be on top of the questions like why you want to work for that company because those will definitely be asked. One thing I always do before an interview is take a 5 hour energy an hour or two before so that I will be pepped and ready to talk. I also always follow up with a thank you email or letter to everyone that was involved in the interview process no matter how small the role they played so they know you appreciate the time they took to interview you.

Can you tell us what your plans are after graduation?

I plan on working at a financial services firm, ideally focusing on wealth, asset, or portfolio management. I want to live in either New York, San Francisco, or another major financial hub and work my way up through the company.