Significant Career Lesson From An Inside Sales Manager At Integrated DNA Technologies
The most significant lesson Austin learned is the importance of advocating for what you want in your career, because "the only person who can make that happen is yourself." This lesson was exemplified early in their career at Illumina, when they recognized an opportunity to work internationally and contribute to a global rebrand by solving a naming challenge in China, and after speaking up multiple times, they were approved to go to China for five weeks.
Self-Advocacy, Global Business, Career Goals, Communication Skills, Proactive Approach
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Austin Jacobs
Inside Sales Manager, North America
Integrated DNA Technologies
University of San Diego
Finance, Marketing
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Sales and Client Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Advocate for what you want in your career: The only person who can truly make desired experiences happen is yourself. Others can enable opportunities, but self-advocacy is key.
2. Seize international opportunities: Expressing a desire to work globally led to a significant project in China, highlighting the importance of communicating career aspirations.
3. Persistence in communication: Austin emphasized the need to speak up multiple times, politely and professionally, to be heard and make things happen in one's career.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
One of the biggest things for me has been to speak up for what you want, whether that's for an individual work project or what you want out of your career. If you want a certain experience, the only person who can make that happen is yourself.
Some people can help enable it, maybe open up opportunities, or give permission to do something if needed. But you're the only one who can truly advocate for yourself.
For me, early in my career at Illumina, I was working on a global marketing team. I was overseeing naming and also a rebrand project for how Illumina showed up to the world, not just in the US but globally. We worked closely with our China team.
The China team explained that the name and how we used it in China presented a big challenge. Chinese is a metaphorical language, and "Illumina" had no meaning when translated phonetically. It was also tough to pronounce, especially the two Ls, as there's no similar sound in Chinese.
Because of this, people couldn't even search for Illumina on Baidu, their version of Google at the time. We were missing out on a huge market because people didn't understand who we were. They thought we were just another American company.
At the time, this was a significant issue, although I will briefly note that Illumina has since been banned from working in China. But back then, as a marketer overseeing naming and wanting to work globally, this was an opportunity.
I loved traveling. After graduating, I'd backpacked through Europe and North Africa, and I really wanted to continue working internationally. This situation presented a chance to better understand the challenges in China that necessitated a name change, which is a big deal for a company.
The US team didn't fully grasp the situation due to the time difference and the communication methods of 2018. Video calls weren't as common; communication was mostly over the phone, making it hard to fully understand.
So, I had two primary goals: I wanted to work internationally, and I wanted to see this global rebrand and naming project through, especially regarding how we'd approach naming in China. I talked to my boss and my boss's boss.
I expressed my belief that there was an opportunity for me to go to China to solve this problem. I explained the issue, its business impact, and how it aligned with my career aspirations. After a few weeks of discussions, I got approval to go to China.
I was there for about five weeks, working on this project to find a Mandarin name for Illumina that would be impactful and align with our overall brand direction. If I hadn't known what I wanted from my career or how to advocate for myself, I wouldn't have been able to go.
So, if you know what you want, you have to speak up. Sometimes you need to speak up multiple times to be heard and to make things happen. Always do so politely, respectfully, and professionally, but you do have to speak up because nothing is handed to you.