Welcome
See this in MS Explorer?
Please allow 'ActiveX' No harm! Get more information at "ActiveX Control is needed"
If you have only '30 seconds':Get a quick overview of my transferrable skills at "What I am looking for".
Alternatively go directly to my RESUME, download it or print it as a PDF-file or Word03-document.
Later you might want to check the Reference Page.
And if I cought your interest use the left sided navigation bar (the areas with a little 'plus' sign) to visit examples of recent projects. A good place to start is my PowerPoint Portfolio.
Stephan Kroker-Bode:
What this site is all about:At one moment in time each of us becomes a sales person. Often it is related to a specific product or service and we sell it as professionals to a client. Sometimes we just sell an idea, a vision, a dream and we call it 'convincing' instead. We build strategies for better selling and name it 'marketing'.
This site is all about marketing a very unique 'product': Me.
I will focus on two aspects: Creativity and Analytics. Both skill sets manifest in a variety of presentations, web designs and articles which I developed over the last years. At your disposal are several PowerPoint presentations, web design material and a collection of articles. Most Presentations were chosen as examples because they also include important marketing topics - like New Product Development steps and Conjoint Analysis in the 'Beach Buddy' presentation, Brand Image Analysis at 'Godiva' or Product Market Strategies at 'Duncan Industries'.
You will find the Loyola MBA research papers in the 'Academics' section. I will periodically add more material and also plan to start a blog related to New Media Product Development ideas.
Some projects done in the past (e.g. the Competitor analysis at Laureate Inc.) are confidential and cannot be presented. Other material is to complex and needs some personal explanation. I would also love to demonstrate my 'soft skills' in a personal conversation.
So why not inviting me to personal interview after you got a first impression on this site. Call me at 410-248-9148 or send me an email: stephankrokerbode@hotmail.com. I am looking forward to hearing from you!
"Tell me about yourself"
In an interview this question is often linked to a specific issue which is related to some business-relevant problem solving. These 'professional anecdotes' can only be delivered personally. For now I would like to answer the question with a brief summary of my personal background: where I am from and what brought me to the United States.
Born in Mannheim, Germany, I grew up in a suburb not far away. My father, engineer by profession, worked as Manager and Chief of operations for a German company building machinery and vehicles for road construction. My mother was a teacher, fostering my passion for creativity which manifests in early painting, writing and succeeding in special high school projects.
After my German military duty I started studying Politics, History and Sociology at the University of Heidelberg. A shift of interest towards communication science brought me to Berlin (offering the best related program). I arrived there just in time to witness the last months of the crumbling East German regime, finally the fall of the Berlin wall and the unification one year later.
In Berlin I soon started to participate in a research group dealing with the usage of telecommunications services. I was involved in several large international studies and concluded some of them independently. During these years I became cofounder of a cultural integration center, did web design for an early e-learning project called 'Virtual College', developed a location-based mobile communication system called 'Infoman', helped with the organization of new media conventions (where I also served as a speaker) and worked as a consultant in the context of Interactive TV pilots.
The challenge of developing a web-based entertaining platform for the client German Telecom made me start another exiting position in Hamburg. It was this time when a long lasting friendship to a good friend's sister turned into something very special. Claudia had already moved to the United States some years earlier, had finished her residency as a primary care physician and just started a partnership.
Obviously an ocean-spanning relationship was not an option and it soon became clear that it was easier for me to break with the past. A week after our marriage in September 2000 I started a new life in Baltimore.
I never had any doubt that this was one of the best decisions in my life - but it seems that sometimes I am not very lucky with the overall 'timing'. Being a New Media Expert I arrived in the United States soon before the dot.com bubble burst. And finishing a business degree when businesses are going south and marketing budgets are being cut is also, well … 'sub-optimal'. On the other hand I have learned that tough times create their special opportunities. When nobody else than my wife's group was willing to sponsor me for an H1B visa I did both web design and medical assistance and such became not only familiar with Claudia's medical background but also boost my English language skills. And even now, several years after leaving the office, patients still ask for me.
After receiving the Green Card I could start with the MBA program as a Full-time student. I finished it within 2 ½ years with a 3.5 GPA. Now again the time does not seem right to make a change in life, a step forward. But again this is wrong - I am better prepared than ever to thrive and to make a difference.
So give me a call and let's find out how I can do it together with your institution.
Home |
Executive Resume |
References |
For Recruiters & HR |
Portfolio |
'Second Life' Presentation |
More PowerPoint |
More Webdesign |
Academia©2008 Stephan Kroker-Bode