Huskies hone their hustle with Tom James

What started with a relationship between a BU professor and a company VP has grown to regular recruitment of BU students for the Tom James Company.

It was Dr. Monica Favia and the BU Sales Competition that initially drew the attention and partnership of Tom James, Senior VP, Ash Deshmukh. Over time, company recruiters began to appreciate the sales skills of Huskies, as well as their grit and ambition.

“Dr. Favia had done a great job preparing students for post-graduation,” said Tom James campus recruiter, Katie Noriega. “The students are prepared not just academically, but skills for life. The faculty are passionate about what they do. Their students land in a great spot, and I appreciate that.”

Although Noriega is new to her recruiting role, she already knew of the reputation that Huskies had earned as fellow partners and has been eager to bring more on board. And even though the partnership between Bloomsburg and Tom James was tied initially with sales majors, Noriega says that the company has widened its criteria to include all majors – sales experience not required.

“We’re finding that you don’t need a sales degree to do what we do,” Noriega explained. “It’s been cool watching communications majors, management majors, and even geology majors become leaders at Tom James. Sometimes you have to sell to learn. As long as you’re driven and willing to put the work in, you can earn success here.”  

Learning is all part of the process, and professional development is a regular occurrence within the company. Their training program prepares new hires during their first two months with the company before training with the leaders in their office. As a recruiter, Noriega says the company looks for people who come with an open mind and a drive to succeed. She says that a Tom James partnership is individualistic. Each employee builds their own business, sets their own goals, and is coachable to reach those goals. In such a competitive environment, the company offers plenty of learning opportunities. And the grit and hustle of a BU Husky have been a perfect fit.

“You don’t need to know everything about sales to work at Tom James or be specialized to be a partner at the company. We want someone that wants to build something for themselves. It’s been cool to see these kids come from college and crush it.”

When Noriega comes to campus, she is looking for more Huskies to bring their talents and determination to the company. But her advice for every student is to spend time considering what they want in a job and resist the urge to take the first offer if it isn’t a good fit. She emphasizes finding a company that will allow them to master skills and see themselves long-term.

“When I was in school, I valued those recruiters who also gave advice and genuinely cared about helping me succeed, and I try to emulate that,” recalled Noriega. “I, of course, want these students to work at Tom James, but I want them to be happy post-grad,”