Each year, various departments and teams across the organization welcome early talent to embark on internships which allow them to kickstart their careers within the technology and big data industries. One of those early talent interns is Trang Luong, who worked within the APAC Inside Sales team earlier this year for a six-months, supporting the team in connecting with prospects and customers to guide them in their data-driven journey.
Fresh out of school and armed with a degree in Psychology and Marketing, an internship at a data company like Cloudera was not what Trang initially had in mind.
Recalling her experience applying for the job, Trang said, “What drew me most to apply for the role was the section in the job description stating that the team would provide on-the-job training for the incoming intern. The recruitment process left a good impression, the recruiter provided me with good advice and was helpful throughout the process, conveying my expectations of the role and what was required of me to ensure that I would be a good fit for the position. It was then that I decided to dip my toes into the world of data by joining the internship programme at Cloudera, even without prior experience in the tech industry.”
Though her background wasn’t aligned to big data, she knew Cloudera had something to offer her that most other companies couldn’t.
She shared with us what she valued most about her time at Cloudera.
Diverse team culture
It’s a common sentiment that many echo when they talk about working at Cloudera and it was apparent to Trang almost immediately – people, culture and teamwork are among the things everyone enjoys most about working here.
Trang recalls her first meeting with the team, “I met the entire team during a team lunch, and it was fortunate that I did so before crowd limits were imposed. My first impression of the team was that it was very diverse, and this was also true about Cloudera’s culture as I got to know the team better. Having teammates from diverse backgrounds ensured that I always felt included. Even as working from home continued to be the norm during the pandemic, the regular informal coffee chat and “stand-up” update sessions with the team were useful in maintaining connections with the other colleagues.”
Well-charted learning experience
Trang’s day-to-day responsibilities entailed qualifying leads from various sources and this allowed her to build on the skills gained from an earlier business development internship elsewhere. When it came down to having to call leads, putting sales theories into practice, were very different from what she had learnt in school. “Familiarising myself with technical knowledge was one of the areas where I had to double down on learning on the job, but this was made easier with the ready availability of training resources and tools. My team members would train me before I made the calls by role-playing to ensure I was well-prepared to handle queries from potential customers.”
Supervisors, Preety and Elaine, had frequent conversations with Trang about her career aspirations and assigned responsibilities that would help her achieve her goals. “I did not expect to be assigned client-facing tasks as an intern, but I was assigned Vietnamese clients so I could ease into the role and gradually move on to other tasks for more exposure. In other words, my supervisors provided close mentorship and carefully laid out a path for my development during the few months that I was in the team.”
When asked what aspect of the internship she found fruitful, Trang replied, “In addition to developing a data-driven mindset, what I valued most was being able to work with different parties and learning how to manage expectations from different departments, such as balancing needs of account managers, and engineers.” At the same time, being in contact with different people has enabled Trang to also broaden her professional network.
Applying the knowledge in a new role
Trang has progressed to the next stage of her career with a permanent position outside of the tech industry and shared that what she took away from her time here has been a catalyst for growth in any domain. She added that she still frequently interacts with customers from tech in her new position which Cloudera has positioned her well to take on. “The experience and knowledge I gained at Cloudera has proven useful as it has given me more confidence to speak with clients. Of course, I forged strong friendships with others in the close-knit IS team who have provided encouragement throughout my six months. Even when there were tough days, having a supportive team helped me bounce back stronger, and I’m proud to have been a part of this.”
With Cloudera’s dedication to nurture data talents from engineering and other domains,
“I can’t think of a better environment to launch my professional career.” she said.
Explore a career with Cloudera through some of the vacancies here.
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