“We don’t hire a major, we hire a person.”
October 2019 – Jenny Frazier’s career at Nielsen started because of a recommendation by two Drew University friends. Twenty two years later, she’s risen to Senior Vice President, Global Leader of Innovation, manages 1,000 people and is looking to continue the trend of bringing Drew to the global market research company.
We talked with Jenny about her time at Drew, the school’s legacy of preparing students for the real world and her return to campus at the Launch Communities Expo.
Here’s what she had to say.
Drew launches careers
So, I’m at Drew, an English literature major and women’s studies minor, and don’t really know what I want to do. Two of my best friends from Drew had started working at Nielsen and both really loved it. [After graduation, I was looking for a job.] I didn’t even know what market research was, but I joined because they seemed like they were having a good time and it had an office nearby.
Drew prepared me so incredibly well for being successful in the business world without me even realizing it. Drew put such an emphasis on writing and time management and being involved. Drew is a small school but we’ve had so many people that did particularly well at Nielsen who went to Drew, so we went back every year and we’ve hired at least 40 people from Drew over the last 22 years.
At Drew—no matter if it was in an anthropology, English or political science class—the focus on critical and analytical thinking was everywhere. It permeated all that we did and that is something that is so highly valued at different businesses. Analyzing and being able to look at things critically and be a good consultant for our clients is something that definitely came from my time at Drew.
The Launch Communities Expo and recruiting Drew students
When I came back to our Parsippany office this year and learned we hadn’t recruited there in several years I said, ‘Drew is the best fit for Nielsen. The best.’ Huge leaders in our business came from Drew and it’s not a coincidence. There is something about Drew that prepares people really well. Everybody was—it didn’t matter what their majors were—highly analytical, really good writers, phenomenal people skills, natural leaders.
We’re going to the Launch Communities Expo. I know we’re going to find the next great leaders there. If I get a résumé from Drew, I can help people get internships, get a job, put in a good word. I’m super passionate about helping Drew students succeed.
What I personally want is to connect with people one-on-one because we don’t hire a major, we hire a person. Whether you’re sociology or economics or art history, you’ve got a potential home here at Nielsen. I’d never have thought to apply to Nielsen had I not had friends there that said I could totally do it.
What alums can do for Drew
I’m always thinking about ‘what can we do to help Drew? How can we use alumni?’ There are so many great people at Drew, imagine if you had someone who had graduated five or 10 years before you reach out to you with a job opportunity and I love that there’s something more formal like Drew Connect to create that space.
