There are so many companies out there that want experience but aren’t willing to give it. However,...
At 10to8, we are keen to support fresh talent to start their careers and excel within their chosen domains and beyond. Meet Karanpreet Ajmani, an MBA student at Anglia Ruskin University who joined our Marketing Team as an intern in early 2020.
Where did you hear about the opportunity and what caught your eye?
I first came across the opportunity on Anglia Ruskin University’s job portal when I was looking for part-time work to support my living expenses while studying. 10to8 Appointment Scheduling Software was hiring two digital marketing interns and one of the electives in my course was digital marketing.
The role grabbed my attention and I started my research immediately. 10to8 is a Cambridge-based SaaS company with an interesting mission and a strong international client base. Since brands like the Financial Times, Yale, and Mercedes Benz were championing 10to8, I wanted to experience it myself, so I created my first free 10to8 user account. I was thoroughly impressed with the vast variety of features being offered.
Part of my research also involved looking at profiles of my potential colleagues on 10to8’s Meet The Team page. I liked how their bios included information about projects they were pursuing outside of 10to8 as well as their functions within the company and a bit about their personality.
How was the application and interview process?
The application process was really straightforward. I submitted my CV, and was invited to a 30-minute phone interview. We discussed what I knew about 10to8 and why I wanted to join the company.
(Here’s an example of the Digital Marketing Intern task.)
What impressed me most was the flexibility that 10to8 was willing to offer. I wasn’t looking for just a 6-month internship, I wanted more.
The second innings of my course included a placement year. I was certain that I wanted to work at a company that was flexible and keen to support my ambitions. When I brought it up, the immediate response I received was “Sure, we can accommodate it!”
The final round was a call with the CEO of the company, after which I was offered the internship.
How was the onboarding and training?
Joining a SaaS company and being completely new to digital marketing can be quite overwhelming on its own, not to mention that the COVID-19 pandemic was emerging just as I signed my employment contract.
But fortunately, there was a 4-week onboarding plan set out to make the process smooth – I later learned that every new joiner receives a similar plan to ensure an organized onboarding experience.
After the onboarding, I got trained on software tools like Asana, Sprout Social, WordPress, Google Analytics, Google Ads, Freshdesk, and more.
What projects are you involved with and what skills have you learned?
As someone new to SaaS marketing, I wanted to learn everything within the digital marketing landscape.
During my internship, I was mainly working on 10to8’s Facebook Business Community and Affiliate Marketing, but also on occasion wrote blog articles, newsletters, scheduled social media posts and designed marketing campaigns and even automations.
(Read a blog article from Karan about how to run effective virtual events.)
Since I took on the Facebook Community, I managed to grow its size by 50% and 7X the engagement. I tested a lot of different things: Live video AMA sessions, different types of content like questions, polls, videos, and product-related posts. This last one is a big favorite. I’m really glad that I’ve been able to make such an impact already and it’s great to be given opportunities to build a strong portfolio.
I also managed to almost double the number of our affiliate partners and am currently working on better engagement and closer collaboration with them.
Exposure to these projects helped me draft a well-rounded digital marketing plan for the Marketing Planning module of the MBA course.
At the end of my internship, I was offered to continue working at 10to8 and promoted to the position of Digital Marketing Executive for my placement year. I’m now involved in more projects including website design, PPC, SEO, brand promotion, and customer retention.
Anna, my direct manager (Head Of Marketing), has always been supportive of my ambitions and includes me in the projects that I show a strong inclination towards.
How do you find yourself working with the team?
The culture at 10to8 is very unique. It’s open and transparent, helpful and collaborative.
Feedback on projects is always welcome and appreciated. All teams are approachable and we often have virtual coffee chats to get to know each other while working remotely.
My skills have grown exponentially in the 18 months that I’ve been here. 10to8 has been instrumental in imparting not just theoretical, but also invaluable working knowledge of SaaS marketing and the practices around it.
With my placement year market research project, I’m aiming to help senior leaders make strategic decisions, and present them to key stakeholders.
I’m definitely looking forward to working at 10to8 once I graduate.
Thoughts from Karan’s manager
Karan was the first intern we ever hired and then two more and we’re currently working on a larger-scale internship program which speaks volumes about how satisfied we have been with Karan’s performance and fit.
He’s always keen to work on anything: It has never happened that I asked him to do something and he wouldn’t at least try. He’s picking up more and more skills and gaining a deeper understanding of digital marketing.
I’ve personally been very lucky to have had a chance to work with him and hopefully contribute to his professional growth.
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