Alumni Spotlight: Matt Pagano ’09

Pronouns: He/Him

Lafayette Degree & Major(s): Bachelor of Science, Psychology; Minor in French

Graduate Degree: Masters of Science, Psychology, Villanova University

Location: Branchburg, NJ

Title: Market Research Director
Employer: buzzback

Describe what your employer/organization does: buzzback is a full-service provider of market research and insights for clients in a diverse array of industries, including healthcare/pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, telecommunications, and technology.

Please provide a brief overview of your role: As a Research Director, I oversee the execution of client projects, lead and guide a team of Research Managers and Analysts in executing those projects, and contribute to business development and the sale of projects. To help build our business, I’m also responsible for growing and maintaining client relationships.

What gets you excited to go to work each day? I greatly enjoy working with my wonderful colleagues, helping our clients resolve their interesting and complex business problems, and learning invaluable lessons about organizational leadership by observing and talking with buzzback’s fantastic executives.

What keeps you up at night as you think about the opportunities (or challenges) related to your work? The ever-growing role of automation and artificial intelligence in our work (and in any technology-reliant industry) opens up exciting opportunities to create efficiencies, but needs to be deployed carefully as it still has many flaws and drawbacks. It could also reduce the need for human input and labor in the market research industry in the future.

What key strengths are necessary to be successful in entering this career field? A successful market researcher has strong attention detail, ability to think in a logical, procedural way, and can communicate effectively with and coordinate workflow among many contributors and stakeholders. As with most client service industries, market research is very relationship-driven, so a more senior researcher will also need good interpersonal and communication skills to cultivate strong client relationships.

Is education beyond a Lafayette degree required to pursue this path? Education beyond a Lafayette degree is not required, but a research-intensive graduate program can confer invaluable knowledge and skills (both hard skills and soft skills) that will accelerate an early professional’s advancement.

How did your Lafayette experience equip you for success in your career field, especially as an early career professional? In addition to the deep knowledge of research design and analysis acquired from the Psychology major, my many leadership roles in student organizations at Lafayette helped greatly in building interpersonal skills, communication skills, and learning how to work effectively with a diverse group of collaborators and stakeholders to achieve a common goal.

What specific experiences during your time at Lafayette made the greatest impact on your professional path? Professor Talarico’s Cognitive Psychology course was a game changer for me. I loved the broad applicability of the concepts and rigor of the research methods. This course led me to switch the focus of my graduate education to cognitive psychology, and I still reference cognitive principles in my work today.

As it relates to career exploration and development, what is one thing that you know now that you wish you could go back in time and tell your student self? Do more of what you can uniquely do well, as this is how you’ll be most impressive and of greatest value in your career.

What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing your career field? First, pay attention in statistics class (for that occasional client who really wants to get under the hood of statistical significance testing)! Then, seek an internship or job shadowing experience to try out the field and see if the work appeals to you. Finally, choose an employer where you feel you’ll fit in with the people, philosophy of work, and company culture.

What strategies, tools, or other efforts do you utilize to find “balance” or reduce your career-related stress? Amicable relationships with colleagues can help make work more enjoyable and less stressful. I also find it important to have friends who work in your industry but not at your company, to provide outside perspective, mentorship, and support.

How do you enjoy spending your free time when not at work? Learning Italian, taking care of my (too) many orchids, exploring the craft beverage scene in Central Jersey, and finding new farmers markets.

What was your favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus when you were a student? Albeit a fairly new tradition, I love the annual New York City Holiday Party! I’m amazed at how many Pards come from near and far to celebrate Lafayette in a gorgeous setting at this most special time of year.

Would you like to connect with Matt to learn more about his career path?
Mr. Pagano is happy to connect with students via GatewayLink, LinkedIn, or email.
If you’d like to connect with Mr. Pagano by email, please contact your Gateway Career Counselor for details.

By Gateway Career Center
Gateway Career Center