Through an in-classroom guest speaker experience, Indiana Wesleyan University marketing major Caleb Kelley was able to build a connection that eventually led to a job offer at Salesforce, a Fortune 500 cloud-based software company with its regional headquarters in Indianapolis.
As part of his classroom curriculum, Assistant Professor of Marketing Andre Payne invited Salesforce employee and 2015 IWU alum Jaylen Fenderson to speak to Kelley’s class. Impressed by Fenderson’s passion for his job, Kelley connected with him on LinkedIn, which led to scheduling a tour of the Salesforce Tower in Indianapolis. While on his tour, he met a hiring manager, whom he stayed in touch with over the next several months.
Kelley applied for a job, completed a rigorous interview process and eventually received a formal job offer as a business development associate from the same hiring manager he met months earlier.
“It is because of Prof. Payne's efforts to create countless opportunities for us as a business student to thrive that I was able to make this connection,” said Kelley. “Not only did he give me the opportunity to connect in the first place, but he was also there every step of the way.”
Kelley will graduate in December and begin his Salesforce position in February 2020.
“I think this is a story of how initiative and preparation meet opportunity,” said Payne. “Although I provide opportunities to connect my students with companies and people, Caleb put the necessary work in to see it all come to fruition. Kudos to him for doing so, and to God be the Glory!”
Kelley is one of several DeVoe students to have received job offers this semester at companies such as Amway, Insurance Management Group, Becton Dickenson, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, and Somerset CPAs and Advisors.
For more information on the DeVoe Division of Business, visit https://www.indwes.edu/undergraduate/division-of-business/.