How I Got Into Series: IBM-Marketing

The text below is a summary of a video in our How I Got Into Series.

Who is this person? 

Paulina Espinoza is currently a Social Content Specialist at IBM-Marketing. Being the first in her immediate family to go to college in the United States and having to support herself throughout the college application process, Paulina has gone on to graduate from the University of Texas at El Paso and pursue a career in the marketing industry. Her degree in Marketing has led her to work for the IBM systems business unit which keeps her in charge of the company’s servers.  

How did this person get into their company? 

In the summer of 2018, Paulina earned an internship opportunity at IBM through a program called Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). This program is designed for Black, Hispanic, and Native American college students who are looking for internships that will eventually turn into full-time positions. If you apply and get accepted, you will get paired one-on-one with a coach who will help guide you throughout the school year. This program has partnerships with Fortune-500 companies that will reach out to them for interns, which puts you ahead of others when applying for an internship at one of these companies. Of course, you still have to go through the entire interview process, but this is a great way to get your foot through the door. Another similar program is the Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) which has an even greater partnership portfolio under its belt. After completing her internship at IBM, the company offered Paulina a permanent spot at the company after she graduated — and the rest is history!

How to get into that position? 

Paulina’s current role at IBM is a Social Content Specialist which means she regulates all the content that comes in and out of the IBM systems Twitter and Linkedin pages. She suggests reaching out to people who work at IBM and asking them questions. For example: What is your day-to-day role?; What does your position entail?; How do you like the company? This gives you the opportunity to learn more information and resources from employees which can be used to help you gain the position at the company yourself. 

Tips for anyone who wants to join the company? 

Paulina advises anyone applying for a job to make a connection with their interviewer during the recruiting process. This gives you the chance to stand out among other candidates. It’s also important to ask recruiters for their contact information after your interview so that you can send them a follow-up email thanking them for their time or even incorporating something you talked about you mentioned in the interview to further distinguish yourself from the rest. 

Any additional advice? 

Lastly, Paulina suggests is to not slack off when it comes to networking and doing your best because full-time job security isn’t always guaranteed. Just because you’ve already been accepted into an internship doesn’t mean that you can immediately slacken. It’s okay to not know everything, but you must continue to make the most out of your time at the company if you want to turn your internship position into a full-time role.