Summer Internship: Jenn Austin
Marketing Student Utilizes SDSU Experience to Land TikTok Internship
Jenn Austin, Marketing Student.
Hi everyone! My name is Jenn Austin and I’m an incoming senior at San Diego State University. I am majoring in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing with a minor in Digital and Social Media Studies. This summer I am so humbled and excited to say I am working as a Sales Intern for TikTok!
My interest in marketing came from my creative side. I have always been a creative person, drawn to things like art, writing, and even went to a performing arts school when I was younger. Marketing requires creative thinking and that’s what drew me in. As someone with both parents in the business field, business always seemed so interesting and even more when I discovered the statistics for women in business. I remember my freshman year talking with my roommates about how low the statistics are for women CEOs and women owned businesses and the number shocked me, as I assumed the gender inequality in the field would be much lower. I honestly became inspired to work for a field mostly dominated by men, giving me the challenge to make a difference in the field as a woman.
During my college career so far I have been a part of Women in Business, Greek Life, American Marketing Association and recently joined Business for Social Good. I currently hold the Social Media Chairwoman position for my sorority, directly in charge of our two Instagrams, TikTok, Spotify, website and more. This position has been extremely fun, as I get to try new ways to have people interact with our social media platforms and express my creativity through different designs and applications.
During quarantine last summer I was lucky enough to get a remote internship at a company called Doctor Multimedia. This medical marketing company worked with healthcare industries around the country, helping with their marketing efforts such as graphic design, social media, and website building. I worked under the Social Media Directors as a Social Media Intern helping create content, digital and print graphic designs, and build social media platforms for companies ranging from veterinarians, pediatrics, dentistry, and even anthropedic firms.
My favorite classes throughout my college career by far were Direct Marketing (MKTG 380) with Lance Hoffman and Marketing Research (MKTG 470) with Dr. Nita Umashankar. I learned so many valuable skills in these courses that I would often refer to the lessons during internship interviews. Taking these classes were a direct confirmation that marketing was the career path I’m meant to be in, as I was thoroughly engaged in every class period, and felt inspired each time I left a Zoom meeting. Hoffman gave us valuable business and life advice, teaching from his personal experience and from his heart. Dr. Umashankar pushed us in the best way possible, and made an effort to get to know each one of her students. Both classes ended the semester with final projects that gave us the skills absolutely needed in the marketing and business world that I will remember forever.
The biggest piece of advice I can give incoming students as they start their college career is
- Get Involved
- Don’t be discouraged
- Reach out to people
I wish I would’ve started getting involved as early as my freshman year, as I have met my best friends through the organizations I’ve been a part of. The people I’ve met have given me so much valuable information and ways to better myself as a person and student.
Austin with fellow Gamma Phi Beta sorority members.
My second advice is to not get discouraged! Earlier this year in February I applied for a summer internship I was super excited about. I spent days researching the company, asked for advice from my mentor, and spent hours practicing interview questions. I ended up making it to the third round and felt super proud of myself. After the last round of interviews, I ended up not getting the position. I felt extremely discouraged and thought that I wasn’t as qualified as I thought. However, at the time I didn’t realize how much I learned. Going through the TikTok interview process, I realized how much practice I got from the one I was rejected from. I felt confident in my answers (not nervous) and landed the position.
I originally saw the Marketing Intern role on the website Handshake. I reached out to the recruiter after I applied, making sure she got my resume and cover letter. She ended up reaching out back to me stating that they were also hiring for the Sales Intern role if I was interested. After reading the description, I was even more intrigued and applied for that as well. The interview process was very smooth, and I loved how welcoming and easy going everyone I talked to was. The interviewers made me feel confident when I was talking to them. I wanted to intern at TikTok because of how insanely fast the company is growing and has grown. As an avid user, TikTok always made me feel so happy and brought my mood up whenever I was down. Knowing how the environment made me feel as a user, I had a feeling the environment as an employee would be the same, and it is. I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason, and I am honestly thankful the first internship didn’t work out, as I am forever thankful TikTok did.
Lastly, reach out to people! SDSU gives us so many resources and people to help you throughout your career. I met my mentor through the Fowler College of Business Career Center. She has helped me with my resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, finding internships, and just overall advice! I wouldn’t be where I am now without her.
The best advice I have received during my time at SDSU is to “go outside your comfort zone.”
As scary as it is, the best parts of my life have been when I took a risk, didn’t know what the outcome would be in a situation, or said “yes” to a last minute decision. Life has no fixed agenda, so making choices that are scary will benefit yourself by helping you grow regardless of what the outcome will be. College is all about discovering who you are and who you want to be, so doing as much as you can in the little time we have here is the best advice I could give anyone who just started. We have the freedom to try anything now, as once these 4 years are over, adulthood hits and we can no longer do as much as we can now. Join that club, reach out to someone in your classes or in a social setting, take personality tests, and find new ways to better yourself as a person. Always remember that in 10 years you’ll be more disappointed in the things you didn't do then the things you did.
