I’m in transition.

Preparing to segue from sales and corporate communications into Internet marketing and mobile strategy, I’m currently enrolled in The University of San Francisco’s Master Certificate in Internet Marketing program.

In the space between my layoff, cross-country move and foray into Internet marketing, I lucked into a retail job. You’d be surprised how many recruiters gloss over this experience. It doesn’t seem relevant to the job they are trying to fill, but I’ve learned more about marketing working retail than I did when I worked in the marketing department of a Fortune 500 company.

Because I now spend hours in direct contact with the customer.

When the store opens or my shift starts, the clock is ticking: I have x number of hours to hit my sales goal. My job: to engage visitors and produce a sale–regardless of where they sit in the sales cycle. This involves quick thinking, intuition and very savvy people skills.

I’m monitoring sales metrics throughout the day, adjusting strategies to strike a balance between volume, units and average dollar sales. Mentoring associates and teaching sales techniques as I help build their sales. Assessing traffic and conversion rates, asking: how can we convert more visitors into customers?

A year ago I started this job with zero retail experience. I’m now a sales lead, ranked the 11th highest volume seller company wide (across 344 boutiques) in December 2010.

I’m interested in you. Executives and hiring managers: what are your business goals, ideas, culture? You’ll hear more about my Internet marketing proficiency as projects gain traction and produce results. I’m looking for a job, open regarding location. But I plan to illustrate that valuable job experience comes from unexpected situations, roles and companies. And that what makes a candidate really interesting is the way they think and apply knowledge amassed throughout their background. Stay tuned.