Careers Angel Profile: Mo Jacobs
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| Name | Mo Jacobs |
|---|---|
| Email Address | jacobsm@amazon.co.uk |
| Industries/Sectors | Retail |
| Employer | Amazon.co.uk |
| Position | Senior Product Manager, Electronics and Photo (previously worked in books) |
| Experience | 25-30 years (approx.) |
| Degree | English (graduated in 1994) |
| Other Qualifications | Postgraduate Diploma in Publishing, West Herts College |
| Internships | |
| Information | On graduating I spent the summer doing unpaid work experience with a book publisher before completing the postgraduate diploma in publishing course at West Herts College. I then spent 4.5 years with Constable Publishers as a sales administrator and then sales manager, building up commercial experience and all-round book trade knowledge. I joined Amazon.co.uk in 1999 as a books product manager, acting as the business owner for a number of different areas, managing key vendor relationships, sitting on various trade committees, and working on a number of projects such as the launch of a co-branded site with Waterstone's. I was the business owner for the launch of our marketplace business (the platform by which we allow third party sellers - both individuals who want to raise cash and large professional retailers - to sell on the same detail page Amazon sells the product) in 2002, and continued to work on product management initiatives to grow the marketplace business until April 2004, when I transferred to the electronics team. My current role involves managing a team of site merchandisers who are responsible for planning and executing all website and email promotional activity for electronics products. We work closely in category teams with buyers and planners. |
| Things I Wish I'd Known | I was very fortunate to be told what was probably the most important thing, which is the necessity of doing either work experience or vocational training (I took a belt and braces approach and did both) before applying for my first role in book publishing. It's very easy for recent graduates to sound too academic/theoretical and not commercial enough in job interviews, and being able to use examples from work experience is a great way of ensuring that your responses to questions are rooted in the real world. |