By Stephanie Li, Zuora Marketing Intern

Recent USF grad (and adorable sticker artist!), Stephanie Li, was an intern in the Marketing department at Zuora for 2 years. Check out her reflections on the journey (from web marketing to campaigns to digital marketing), what it means to be a ZEO, and life lessons she will carry with her from her days at Zuora.

Zuora’s Internship Program: An Overview

Zuora’s internship program offers opportunities for college students to have the experience to work in a challenging, growing environment—and I have been one of the lucky marketing interns who has had the chance to be a part of this amazing organization for the past two years.

I started my internship at Zuora in May of 2018 and it ended in May of 2020. During this period of time, I witnessed so much growth and evolution—not just of the organization, but of myself as an individual.

Over the past two years, I had the opportunity to take on different job roles in campaigns, web marketing, and digital and wandered into new marketing areas that were completely new and foreign. And I had mentors across the marketing organization as guides.

This experience has made me much more well-rounded, determined, and motivated to continue growing and strive to be the best. I have learned to become a stronger advocate for myself, to never be scared to be the hand-raiser when I have questions, and to reach out for new opportunities. Although I’ll be leaving Zuora for new career opportunities, Zuora and its inspiring leaders have been a huge contributor to my success and my growth as an individual and as a marketer.

Valuable Lessons for a Successful Internship (and Life!)

During my time at Zuora, I learned several key concepts that I feel can be applied to any job role at any age and any stage in your life. I believe that these are the indicators — regardless of what field or industry you work in — for growth and positive change.

– Be a hand raiser
Being a hand raiser when you have questions, concerns, or need clarification is always a good move towards better understanding what you are doing and why you are doing it. Everyone on the Zuora Marketing team encouraged my questions and generously took the time to answer my specific questions and provide greater context and insight into the inner workings of the business. Never be afraid to ask questions or to express your thoughts.

– Get out of your comfort zone
Although getting out of your comfort zone can be challenging at times, doing something new and foreign is what makes you grow as a person and helps you become more well rounded. While I started in web marketing at Zuora…I didn’t let myself get too comfortable there! I jumped at the opportunity to explore different roles and different projects to expand my experience. I personally believe that staying in your comfort zone limits who you become and what you can learn, so never be afraid to try something new (regardless of how scary it can be!).

– Understand the reasons why
Understand your role within an organization, and the overarching goals that you are contributing to. When you better understand the larger “why” and “what,” it helps refine your strategies in support of what the business is trying to achieve. Zuora has a great culture of transparency that stretches throughout the organization. Because of this, I was always able to see how the work I was doing contributed to Zuora’s success.

– Love what you do
Always find reasons to love what you do and use this love as a motivator to work harder and better. Regardless if it’s a specific project you’re working on, or the people you work with, find your personal motivators. And love can come in the weirdest places sometimes: after supporting digital marketing, I surprisingly discovered a new admiration for, and interest in, Excel spreadsheets!

Working at Zuora has been one of the best learning experiences of my life. I feel thankful that I have had the opportunity to spend the past 2 years working in different areas and meeting so many inspiring leaders. As this chapter closes, I’m wishing all the best for Zuora and am excited to see even more growth for this company and its amazing people in the years to come.

Looking for a life and career-changing internship? Or ready to explore a new full-time career opportunity at Zuora? We’re hiring!