How was your University time?
I completed my Masters from Indian Institute of Management- Sambalpur in the domains of General Management. I secured an Institute Rank 3 and topped in the domains of tech Marketing & Sales, Strategy and Analytics. I was always on the lookout for newer opportunities and was representing United Nation’s-World Humanitarian Summit as a Campus Ambassador. I was also an on-campus intern for an Edu-Tech firm based out of Odisha. In addition, I was also working remotely for one of my previous employers who had offered me a PPO for my performance. During my Summers I interned with the Hero Group as a Corporate Strategy Associate and received a PPI from them.
As far as my regular University life is concerned, it was hectic with lectures round the clock, assignment submissions and project deadlines. However, I used to space it out with Gym time and used to visit the local city nearby with friends. Sambalpur is a beautiful city surrounded by hills and Debrigarh’s majestic forests are awe inspiring.
Why did you Seekout a career in Tech Marketing?
I was working in the Tech Marketing & Sales domain for a few years and had thus decided to specialize in the same. Since Digital and Content Marketing are the latest sub-domains of tech marketing to evolve, I decided to pursue my career in the same. One should approach their career as worship. If you really believe in what you do, then you should pursue it. Its always better to be the best at what you do than being second best at what you don’t love.
What was your first job or nuggets from jobs you had that helped you to get to where you are today?
I was working for McKinsey & Co as a Junior Analyst and that experience was phenomenal. I got to learn a lot in terms of technology and how IT solutions are made. I was working on two of those solutions exclusively and that gave me a sense of ownership. I learnt a lot from my peers and seniors in terms of punctuality and social bonding. My key takeaway from my first role was that you should always march forward without any regrets and that learnability is key.
How did you prepare for tech marketing interview?
As a first step be thorough with your Resume. Remember all the key points and remember all the key takeaways from different work experiences. Go through your past firm’s news mentions like their revenue, plans to expand, etc. This would depend on the type of post that you are applying for. Also develop reading as a regular habit so that you are aware of the latest industry trends and news. Interview preparation is not a one night job rather it requires you to constantly upgrade yourself over a period of time.
Books that helped you.?
Marketing Management by Phillip Kotler is like a bible for marketing related roles. In addition, I used to study extensively online on the latest trends. You can learn a lot if you are proactive and can link theory to real life experiences. It helps in understanding concepts rather easily as you’ll end up forgetting a definition but will usually remember a contextual example.
Things are changing very fast in the industry, how do you keep yourself updated. Please list techniques or newsletter, podcasts, events etc
For tech marketing I go through Neil Patel, Backlinko, Simplilearn and Eric Sui. In addition, there are a number of ways through which you can constantly be on the learning curve:
- Listen to audio books form Phillip Kotler
- Learn from Udemy on latest additions to the courses of your choice
- iTunes has a large repository of podcasts on the latest in the tech marketing domain
- Go through YouTube and ensure that you are subscribed to channels from Moz, Dan Ray, etc.
What can you recommend on CV?
Always ensure that you write down the skills that you learnt in your previous jobs. It serves two purposes:
- Helps the recruiter know that you took your work seriously and gave it some thought
- Helps you get shortlisted as a number of those skills could serve as keywords
Advice for someone looking for tech marketing job?
Just be hopeful. Not all times are the same and if you have a slightly tough time right now in your job search, you will definitely emerge out of it as someone stronger. Utilize your job search time to pick up newer skills.
why do you think you were selected among other candidates?
I believe it is due to the additional elements that you bring to the table. I have been competing with other contenders from premier colleges and I never let that thought bother me. If you know that you have clarity of thought and can explain your thought process well, you shouldn’t be intimidated by anyone.
Lessons from tech marketing jobs that you couldn’t get.
Every application process is a learning experience. I was not able to secure the final converts at a premier consulting firm. It taught me two things:
- Not everything is in your hands.
- Always remember to be confident and never ever doubt yourself in an interview. You might say the right answer but your doubt can give you away.
Devan is a hard-working and disciplined individual. Having worked at a premier consultancy and a major auto ancillary, he is attuned to work under time constraints and deliver performance. He has an inclination to learn which is highlighted by the diverse corporate projects he has worked for. He has published three cited research papers in International Journals. Pursuing air pistol recording and painting abstract art are his hobbies. He has completed his PGPM from Indian Institute of Management-Sambalpur. He is currently working as a Senior Management official at one of the leading education based firms in Hyderabad.
