{"id":15619,"date":"2018-06-29T10:31:10","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T16:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fullcontact.com\/?p=15619"},"modified":"2022-04-05T06:59:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T12:59:16","slug":"lessons-non-technical-marketing-intern-tech-startup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fullcontact.com\/blog\/culture\/lessons-non-technical-marketing-intern-tech-startup\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons from A Non-Technical Marketing Intern at a Tech Startup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being a marketing intern at a tech startup has been one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences I have ever had. It is important to understand how I got an internship in an industry that I had little understanding of and how I gained the skills and confidence to make it work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a little background<\/h2>\n

To start, I was not a great student. I struggled in elementary school, junior high, and high school. I underestimated my own capabilities in fear that if I tried, I would fail, and everyone would know it. In college, I worked hard to study, but I didn\u2019t believe in myself. Finally, I found my academic passion was writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The present<\/h2>\n

Time jump! I graduated college, moved back to my hometown and began bartending full-time. I was frustrated and felt stuck in the service industry. This was not supposed to be my life. I was destined to be a writer, right? Well, turns out it\u2019s not always simple to get into the field of your choosing. I decided to enroll in graduate school to become a better writer and make waves in a field I was passionate about.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a bartender, I was introduced to the VP of Marketing at FullContact who was interested in learning more about me. Nervously, I sent the VP of Marketing my resume and examples of my work. Soon, I was sitting in a beautiful office, waiting to be interviewed by the entire marketing team. I met content writers, data analysts, marketing automation experts, and more. I was so impressed by their knowledge and felt out of place, but hopeful to learn and be more like them in the future. I gave the team a handwritten thank you note, showing my gratitude for the experience to interview with them, and left with adrenaline and excitement surging through my body. I was one step closer to achieving one of my biggest goals. <\/span><\/p>\n

A couple weeks went by, and I waited, interviewing with other companies but still nervous and hopeful FullContact would offer me the internship. Finally, on a Sunday around 1:00 PM, I received an email from the VP of Marketing that said, \u201cCongratulations Lauren, we would like to offer you a contract as an intern with FullContact. After a great round of interviews, the team unanimously decided you would be a great addition to FullContact.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The first day on the job<\/h2>\n

On my first day, I was greeted with a welcome gift on my new desk. I was re-introduced to the marketing team and then to every other department. My tour included a kitchen stocked full of endless La Croix sodas and iced tea. Candy and snacks were in abundance along with some healthy fruit, of course. I felt like I was in an episode of Silicon Valley. (If you haven\u2019t seen the show, I would recommend watching it. It\u2019s pretty darn accurate when it comes to working in technology.) While the snacks and office space were impressive, it was the lessons I learned along the way that made the internship worthwhile. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are my top 7 lessons of interning at a tech startup:<\/h2>\n