EMBRACING CHANGE
In March of 2020, I was sent home from university and told I would be learning remotely for the first time in my life. While that was shocking, I soon realized I would also start my career from home. Many professionals made big adjustments over the past year, but young professionals have joined their industries amid confusion and uncertainty.
I began applying to internships in September 2020, a time when many companies had no idea if they would be back in the office by the summer. I have yet to complete an in-person job interview, which I can only imagine is much more nerve-wracking than a virtual panel could ever be. My first interview with MarketOne was virtually in February of 2021.
I have now been an internal marketing and project management intern at MarketOne for 10 months. I have been to the office an impressive 2 times, once for equipment pick up and orientation, and another time when restrictions loosened up and a few coworkers planned to go in on the same day. Most of my coworkers I have only met through Teams, but I have had the opportunity to work closely with coworkers located in London, Barbados, and across Canada and the United States.
MarketOne has gone out of its way to make sure I get a “normal” internship and that I am still getting the most out of this experience. During my orientation, I got to meet with both the CEO and CFO, which is not something many interns can say, especially at a global organization. Coworkers are always offering to help or meet with me about different topics, and I have learned so much about the B2B world.
LEARNING CURVE
While working remotely can be quite an adjustment and take away a personal aspect, it has also afforded me many opportunities. I have been able to continue my internship while returning to college, and I have been able to work with and learn from teams across the globe.
My time here at MarketOne has been my introduction to the mysterious world that is B2B marketing. Many of my marketing courses have been focused on B2C, and while the core marketing concepts may be similar, I have learned a lot. I recently helped to create a series of “What Is” articles explaining concepts in B2B in much simpler terms, which would have been super helpful to me a few months ago. We explained concepts such as demand generation, lead scoring, deploying a demand center, and much more to make B2B marketing seem less cryptic and scary (go give them a read!). A big part of my role has also been search engine optimization. The target market for B2B companies is very specific and the audience needs a very specialized approach. My work has included keyword research, market research, and creating dashboards so we are better able to understand our positioning and track progress.
At first, working from home sounded quite daunting but MarketOne has made it such a wonderful experience for me. While I would love to work at the office at some point, working from home has become my new normal! Working remotely has allowed me much more flexibility to continue working while continuing my education, and I’ve been able to learn just as much as if I was in the office.
