How I Landed My First Job at a Unicorn Startup in NYC

Endings have a funny way of making you remember the beginnings.

It's my last week at Sprinklr, a social media management company and these final days in Sprinklr's NYC HQ are making me remember how I got here in the first place.

I chased it.

The most common question to a senior undergraduate is: “What’re you doing after you graduate?” My plans were to take on an analyst position at a finance firm, earn a solid salary, and make my Korean father proud.

Instead, I took an HR internship that paid $12/hour and it didn't guarantee a full-time position at the conclusion of the program.

Why did I do this?

Well, it geniuinely piqued my interest, made me more curious, and I liked the people. 

In the beginning, I researched the company. A lot. I kept up with their public blogs, used Crunchbase, followed Sprinklr leaders on LinkedIn, and had a phone call with the hiring manager, Murph Holder.

In the midst of mid-term exams and projects, I reached back out to Murph because I knew I wanted to work at Sprinklr. The more I read about it, the more I wanted to be a part of it. 

This conversation led to rounds of interviews and then resulted in an intern placement on the team! And at the end of my summer program, I got an offer to join Sprinklr full-time (two times even, but that's another story.) 

I was thrilled and thankful and looking back, these are 4 things I did that helped me land a full-time role- 

1. Always Think: One More Thing 

Fundamentally, it's your job to make your manager's job easier. Every time you're about to submit work or circle back on a project timeline, ask yourself: "what's one more thing that I can add to this?" Whether it's suggesting next steps, touching up the design on a deck, fixing document formats, think of anything that can help. Take on more work without being asked and deliver what no one is expecting or even willing to do. 

2. Ask for feedback, act on it, and follow through

It's not enough to just be coachable, you also need to show them that you are. Some leaders will naturally give their feedback while others might have to be requested for it. After receiving healthy, constructive criticism, it's your job to act on it and follow through. This way your manager sees that you take professional development seriously and that their advice isn't going over your head. This helps them continue to invest in you because people like to see progress.

3. "Wanna get coffee?" -Me, all the time

Socialize. Socialize. Socialize. You've just joined a brand new organization and if you're happy about it, this part is easy. Make sure to put yourself out there and mingle beyond your intern class. Any time I met someone interesting or saw potential to collaborate, I'd ask them if they wanted to grab coffee so that I could learn about them, what they did at Sprinklr, and build a relationship. For a larger part of my internship, I was having 5-7 coffee chats a week with people based in NYC office, working remotely, and or a different office.

4. satisfy your curiosities

You want to learn more about something? Ask people. I was very curious about how we sold Sprinklr to our customers so I got coffee with a Director of Sales and asked if I could shadow a new business meeting to see the process. I got to accompany Sprinklr's first ever Sales Rep, Jason Fishkind to a customer meeting and sat at the table to see what it's like. Learn to create your own opportunities in the areas you're interested in.
 

Treat your internship like it's a real job, regardless of pay. Be a sponge and be proactive in growing relationships with people all over the company. 

From interning with Employee Experience to working alongside Sales Enablement to launching the first ever Customer Experience Center and creating process for on-boarding SDRs. Thanks for the opportunities, Sprinklr.

It's been real.