Sentient Hires Rachel Beidler as Research Manager
As Research Manager at Sentient Rachel applies her strong technical skills, analytic thinking and creative problem solving to execute quantitative marketing research projects.
Rachel previously worked as a Research Analyst for a market research and data analytics firm based out of Columbus, Ohio (her hometown). She obtained her master’s degree in research methodology and quantitative methods from the University of Kent in the UK as well as earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Tampa in Psychology.
More about Rachel
1. What are you most looking forward to as an employee at Sentient?
I am most interested in figuring out the behavioral science behind the research methods Sentient employs. When I was completing my undergrad, I took a particular interest in psychology and why people do what they do. Being able to do that while also working with some really cool clients makes me excited to work at Sentient.
2. How do you try to be empathetic?
I admittedly am a little too empathetic sometimes as I pick up the moods of the people around me and take it to heart more than I should. Aaron, our CEO, is really good at trying to understand how our clients are feeling after they see our work. Therefore, I myself try to present data that is readable and easily understandable for our clients. In general though, I try to understand how the people around me may feel various things that go on in our lives.
3. What does Sentient do currently that excites you the most?
What drew me to the company was how the research methods Sentient uses are really cool and exciting. I really like the small company feel and I like how I’m getting a lot of hands-on experience with my projects. I have a lot more autonomy in this role than I had in the past, so I think being able to take on that role and also see a completely different side of market research is pretty exciting.
4. What do you see your role at the company being outside of the job description?
I try to be pretty laid-back about things. I know it’s really easy to get stressed when the stakes are high and you’re getting caught up in getting work to the client as quickly as possible. To me, quality is more important than the deadline. I always try to check the data and make sure things are digestible for our clients. I try to maintain a state of calm even through chaos which I think sets a good example for my coworkers.
5. When you’re not at work, what are some of your hobbies?
I really enjoy hiking with my two dogs. I play a lot of tennis. I was a ballerina for years, so I really like to dance and I try to be as social as possible by hanging out with friends.
6. What is the most influential piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
My mom has always told me it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Just do it. Just send the email and send the message that might be a little scary. They may get mad but in two months, it won’t matter so try to work as fearlessly as possible.
