College Experiences That Helped A Director of Product Marketing At OpalAi Succeed
Irina's career success stemmed from proactively seeking internships, even part-time roles like the one at McKinsey, stating that "it really is a powerful name to have on your resume." This hands-on experience, built through "learning continuously" on real projects, proved far more valuable to employers than academic work.
Internships, Networking, Resume Building, Continuous Learning, Practical Experience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Irina Bonge
Director of Product Marketing
OpalAi
Higher School of Economics
UCLA Anderson School of Management - MBA
Ethnic & Related Studies
Energy & Utilities
Communication and Marketing
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Take internships, even part-time ones, to build your skills and resume. A strong internship, such as one with a well-known company, can significantly improve job prospects.
2. Continuously learn and build skills, even if the internship isn't your dream job. Real-world experience from internships is valued more by employers than academic projects.
3. Networking and building connections are important. A powerful name on your resume (like McKinsey) can open doors to many more opportunities
Transcript
Here's the cleaned transcript:
College ideas for success.
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
I was always taking a lot of internships. I would say I was always trying to find time to do even something part-time, not necessarily waiting for the summertime to start applying for these internships.
McKinsey was one of my first part-time internship places. It's a powerful name to have on your resume that opens up a lot of other careers and full-time roles for you.
And just kind of learning continuously. Even if you apply for a certain internship and you think it might not necessarily be the dream company, you're still building a skillset and you're building it on real projects. I feel like when you apply to actual jobs, employers value that a lot more than any academic projects that you mention.
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