How I Landed a Tech Communications Job After Graduation
Where I Started
During my freshman year of college, I had no clue what I wanted to study. Before I switched to public relations, I actually started off as a journalism major with the intention of specializing in environmental journalism. I had developed a passion for video production and and storytelling through my past experiences in high school, which is what led me to start off in the UF College of Journalism and Communications. However, it was important to me that I also satisfy my interests in STEM with whatever it was I chose to pursue.
After a year of self-reflection, networking, and trying to get involved in the J-School, I decided that journalism was not the right major for me. While journalism is such an important field, , I felt that there was too narrow a scope of jobs to choose from after graduation that I was not incredibly passionate about. After learning more about the public relations industry and its importance for the reputation of brands, I decided that it would better suit my professional goals.
The beauty of the communications field is the ability to gain exposure to a wide range of industries. Over the course of my undergrad years, I interned with the College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Florida Athletic Association, and an agency with clients in the fashion, tech and beauty industries. All were fantastic experiences, but I always felt a strong affiliation toward the technology sector. Technology is constantly evolving, and is present in every industry you can think of. On top of that, it is something I get excited learning about.
The Road to IBM
You truly are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for the individuals who took the time to help me along the way. I cannot overstate how important it is to put yourself out there and ask for support from those who are willing to provide it.
It all started my junior year, during the time when everyone was on the hunt for an internship. I was involved in an organization at UF called The Agency, which is a student-run strategic communications firm. I was having a conversation about the internship search with some other students I greatly admired. The students immediately recommended I reach out to a certain professor in the public relations department, whom I had never met before. However, I had seen him at every PRSSA event, so I decided to introduce myself at the next meeting.
To be honest, I was nervous about the introduction. This professor had no clue who I was, and had absolutely to reason to go out of his way to help me. What if he thought I was under-qualified for an internship? What if he was annoyed for taking up his time? All were thoughts running through my head as I walked up to him at the conclusion of the meeting.
Whatever my thoughts were, they could not be farther from the truth. After explaining how I heard about him and detailing my involvement with The Agency, the professor asked me to send him my resume and set up a meeting for the two of us to talk.
He noticed my outside concentration in statistics, which he inquired more about. I decided on this concentration because of my fascination with math and the intersection of data and communications (which is becoming increasingly important). I believed that acquiring a statistics background would help me stand out as an applicant, as it is a subject that not many people in the communications industry are interested in.
It turned out, data-driven communications was a huge focus for IBM’s communications department. The professor had a contact at IBM who was searching for applicants to the internship program, and asked me if that was something I’d be interested in. It absolutely was, and after making a few edits to my resume, I sent my information to the professor to share with his contact. A few weeks later, I was given an interview.
Three rounds of interviews later (plus a failed interview attempt where I had no internet connection as a result of being in the mountains over winter break), I was accepted into the internship program. My best advice for preparing for interviews is to do plenty of research about the company, and demonstrate your knowledge every chance you get. It is also essential to analyze the job description and prepare to explain how you obtained those skills from past experiences. In communications, you also want to stay up to date on the news.
Though I was in the process of applying to other internship programs, I decided to accept IBM’s offer right away. I knew it was a company I wanted to work for based on its values and everything I’d heard about it from others. The program was originally supposed to be located in New York City, but was turned remote as a result of the pandemic. I was incredibly grateful to have an internship that summer - my heart goes out to those who had their internships cancelled.
The Internship
Despite being the first time IBM held the internship program remotely, I greatly enjoyed my experience. The program consisted of 68 interns in the marketing and communications department, with only seven interns focused in communications. All interns were separated into smaller teams and given a project to work on over the course of the 10-week internship program. I was placed on a team with three other interns. Our project focused on analyzing IBM’s owned and earned media channels, and developing actionable recommendations to help the company better control its own narrative.
On top of the projects we were working on, intern roundtables were also held almost every week. Roundtables included professional workshops with the leaders of the internship program, Q&A sessions with people of various positions in the company, as well as discussions with some of IBM’s leaders (including the CMO and CCO). We were also encouraged to reach out to people around the company with roles were were interested in learning more about. That was was one advantage of having a remote internship - I had increased exposure to people in various positions and more leeway to network with them.
At the conclusion of the internship, all intern teams presented their projects to a larger audience of IBMers. I’ll never forget how nervous I was before my presentation, yet how excited I was seeing the number of people who were actually interested in what we had to say. Even the Vice President of Communications and CCO were in attendance, which made me feel incredibly valued. On our last day, the interns were given a survey to fill out based on our role and location preferences if we were to be given a full-time offer.
I received my full-time offer in Labor Day weekend. I decided to accept based on my experience I had with the internship. I also felt that it would be advantageous to start my first job already having a basic understanding of the business and knowing people who worked there. My best advice for what to do during an internship: ask interesting questions, put yourself out there by reaching out to people and offering to help wherever you can, work hard on your projects, and document everything you learn along the way.
How it’s Going
My journey as a full-time employee began on August 25, 2021. I am currently working on IBM’s Owned Media team, focusing on content for IBM’s Newsroom, IBM News YouTube, IBM News Twitter, Masterbrand LinkedIn account, and paid media channels. More specifically, I work closely with the channels’ metrics - every two weeks, I create a report demonstrating how announcements performed, and providing insights and recommendations for future announcements. I will also be working closely with the IBM News Twitter page. This is the first year of my two-year rotation - after one year, I will be switched to another team to gain experience in a different side of the business.
I moved to New York City prepared to start working in-person in September, but the Delta variant of the coronavirus pushed back my in-person start date. Even still, I have had the opportunity to meet fellow IBMers on multiple occasions. I was even invited to volunteer at the US Open - one of IBM’s main partners - where I watched a game from the IBM Suite and met our CCO in person.
I am only a month into my first role at IBM, and I am looking forward to what else is to come. If you would like to hear more about my work and what I learn along the way, you can subscribe to my blog on Medium to receive email updates. Additionally, please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. For more information about IBM’s Marketing and Communications internship program, you can visit this link: https://careers.ibm.com/marketinginternship/.