During his first year at Texas McCombs, Marcus Harris (McCombs ‘22) decided to recruit for Product Marketing internships. Through the ROMBA Conference, Marcus was able to connect with a few companies for PMM roles, and started his recruiting and interview journey. During this interview, Marcus spoke about his process for recruiting for Product Marketing Internships, the highs and lows of virtual recruiting, and his advice to other MBA students navigating the virtual recruiting and interviewing process.
MBASchooled: What was the virtual recruiting process like for you?
For me, the virtual recruiting process consisted mostly of national conferences and “on-campus” virtual coffee chats organized by the Texas McCombs Career Management Team. When I attended my first conference, I really had no idea what to expect. But the ROMBA Conference in particular was such a delight. Highlights include the Jeopardy game hosted by Salesforce and the Tina Burner drag show hosted by American Express, YES TINA BURNER from Season 13. My expectations were shattered in all the best ways.
MBASchooled: What did you like about it? What were some of the challenging parts with it?
I loved the creativity! Virtual recruiting quickly demonstrated which firms were willing to take a leap out of their comfort zone and which firms were comfortable copying and pasting the usual presentations and events from years prior.
The most difficult aspect of virtual recruiting was networking over zoom. Imagine a virtual window of 8-10 randomized MBA students and one company representative. In an effort to allow everyone the chance to participate, there was an unspoken rule of not asking more than one question. Alternatively, other companies preferred one-on-one virtual coffee chats. However, national conferences brought hundreds of students and extremely long queues to get into those coffee chats. Companies are still figuring out how to best engage students in this environment, but the creativity and thoughtfulness some companies demonstrated weighed into my decision-making process.
MBASchooled: How did you end up at the company where you accepted an offer?
I came to know my future colleagues at Salesforce and MuleSoft via the ROMBA conference. The recruiting team invited participants to a game of Salesforce Jeopardy as an opportunity to learn more about the company. Fortunately for me, my negative Jeopardy score was not a factor in the hiring process!
Despite my poor performance, I loved the energy of the Salesforce team. Everyone was genuinely happy to meet us, and they made it their mission to show us an amazing evening. While many companies are using these events as a sneaky way to detect potential talent, I felt that Salesforce was genuinely interested in celebrating diversity, celebrating LGBT inclusion in business, and celebrating us!
Fascinated by the culture, I started to dig a little deeper — participating in coffee chats, following their social media pages, and familiarizing myself with the CRM landscape. After making the intentional decision to apply, I utilized all of that research to inform my interviews and ultimately land an offer to join the company this summer.
MBASchooled: What was your most difficult interview, and what was hard about it? (You don’t have to say the company name)
My most difficult interview was the panel interview that Salesforce requires for all incoming interns. It required two elements: (1) creating a customized go-to-market strategy of a Salesforce product and (2) explaining the technical, everyday application of the product for the client I chose. I was comfortable with the strategic component, but the technical dimension felt intimidating. I felt pressure to create a customized application of this product that my Salesforce colleagues hadn’t thought of already. Naturally, we want to demonstrate in our interview that we have the ability to think outside the box and find novel ways to solve client issues. The pressure and intensity I had preparing for this interview made it one of my most difficult.
Surprisingly, my most difficult interview was also my most enjoyable. The Salesforce team approached my interview with genuine curiosity. After sharing our Winter Holiday plans, they allowed me to pitch my recommendation and findings. Throughout the interview, they never tried to throw me off with any “gotcha” questions, but rather they were curious to learn about my conclusions, and the process I followed to reach those conclusions. It felt like an ordinary work meeting, and it gave me an insightful glimpse of what my summer could be like.
MBASchooled: Even though you did not get to meet companies in person, did you feel like you got to know them well? If so, what were the most helpful methods you used to do this?
Absolutely. One of my favorite aspects of my Salesforce interview was actually the coaching session I had before the panel interview. I felt that I had a “safe space” to share my preliminary thoughts and test my hypotheses before jumping into the interview itself.
I also feel like interviews never allow much time for the interviewee to ask questions. I utilized my coaching session to do just that — I asked about anything and everything — the socio-economic inequalities in San Francisco, the cultural dynamic of working for a company within a company, his personal passions / interests etc.
At the end of the day, a coffee chat virtually looks very similar to a coffee chat in person. My only advice is to take advantage of informal opportunities as much as you can — sometimes these are the best ways to get to know our future colleagues.
MBASchooled: How did you prepare? What were the most effective ways to prepare?
First, I only applied to companies I felt strongly about. The preparation stage was always more enjoyable when I had genuine curiosity to learn more about a potential company. If a company on my list made my friends scratch their heads, it was typically a red flag, and I made a mental note to revisit.
Second, I made sure I knew the basics — the main products and services offered by the company, their closest competitors, and any major current events affecting them. The most basic interview question of all time is when the interviewer asks for your favorite product or service offered by the company. I was never an expert on the prospective companies I interviewed for, but I always knew enough to be able to talk about what the company does very well and where they might be able to improve or grow.
Third, I kept a journal with me for each interview. I wrote a bulleted list of how I came to know the prospective company, why I was excited to be meeting them, and a few bullets from my resume that I felt would make me a compelling fit for the role. There was no science behind my journal entries, just small reminders I could have in front of me in case I lost my train of thought mid-interview.
Fourth, appearance matters! I always pulled my lucky blue blazer out of my wardrobe to make sure it was nicely pressed before each interview. In the zoom environment, I also blurred my background so that folks didn’t get distracted with my surroundings and niche accent pillows.
MBASchooled: What did you learn from the interviewing process?
I learned to relax! In my first few weeks of business school, I had a weekly seminar with the Career Management Team. In one session, they asked each student to share their 30 second “value proposition” in zoom breakout rooms. Our career advisors also shared the importance of the STAR interview method and how to navigate “negative experience” questions. I found myself writing down framework after framework on how best to prepare for interviews, and it felt overwhelming.
Despite these frameworks, I feel that my best responses had nothing to do with frameworks. My best answers were those responses that allowed me to show my passion. I loved talking about my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer or learning a new language in my late 20s. I found that the more fun I had in giving my interview responses, the more engaged my interviewer became.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have for others who are trying to navigate the virtual recruiting process?
Just know that everyone has their own magic sauce. For some candidates, interview frameworks are extremely helpful in crafting effective responses; some prefer to be more spontaneous. When identifying opportunities, some candidates will prefer to use school-based resources; others may prefer to tap into their personal network. We all have different interests and goals, and similarly we all have different styles. Never be afraid to embrace your own unique style and follow what feels right for you. There is no “right” path, just YOUR path.