Not an engineer? Don’t worry! There is definitely a spot for you in the tech industry. Over my winter break, I visited the global sensation and start-up, Pinterest. Beyond engineering, each tech company needs people to sell the product, communicate with the press, deal with legal issues, handle finances, and have people to help make sure that everything runs smoothly within the company. During my week at Pinterest, I had the opportunity to work in a number of different fields within the company. I’ve composed a list of other divisions within Pinterest (and other tech companies) based on my own experience, of how to be involved in tech without being an engineer.
Diversity
Do you have a passion for equality and diversity? Do you enjoy planning events and bringing the community together? The diversity team is in charge of recruiting candidates and reaching out to youth of minority groups within the tech industry such as women, African Americans, Latino/Hispanic individuals, members of the LGBTQ community and veterans. The team hosts weekly talks for all new employees about recognizing unconscious bias in the workplace. Furthermore, at Pinterest, the diversity team has created four committees that hold monthly events to help employees feel welcomed and supported.
Human Resources (HR)
The human resources team is in charge of hiring, administration, and training new employees. The diversity team works closely with the HR team to ensure that everybody is getting an unbiased read. If you are super organized and like to help things run smoothly, this could be a great spot for you!
Marketing
The marketing team collaborates with the public relations team as well as the product management team to identify and deliver the best campaigns. This team knows their target audience and works hard to find new and creative ways to reach their consumers.
Public Relations (PR)
Are you good at negotiating? Do your friends often describe you as a people person? As a PR representative, you are the voice of the company. You work with the brand management team, writing team and marketing team to communicate your company’s goals and products to the media.
Brand Management
Brand management is the analysis and planning of how that brand is perceived in the market. The team focuses on how the product itself looks as you are scrolling on your phone as well as on packaging and pricing. So what’s the difference between brand management and PR? Think of brand management as all of the accessories that you are wearing, such as a scarf, shoes, jacket and earrings. The accessories are how you express yourself to the world. Think of public relations as your voice, or how you communicate with the rest of the world.
Writing Team
Now more than ever, writers are becoming more in-demand in tech! Instead of having engineers write blog posts in all their spare time, the tech industry is looking for writers to produce scripts, press releases and contracts, as well as keep the company’s blog posts up to date.
Finance
The finance team primarily focuses on resource planning, determining the economic value of potential advertising deals, delivering strategic impact to the business and using planning to ensure the long-term financial health of the company.
International
Has your dream job ever consisted of working for a US company based elsewhere in the world? The international team at Pinterest oversees the relationship between the product and the local market, and serves as the domestic and foreign liaison within the company.
Don’t count yourself out because you don’t see yourself as a computer genius or doctor. All of these fields and more are out there in every single industry: technology, medicine, arts and design, fashion, architecture, publishing, education, environmental, hospitality, non-profit and more! Take your talent and combine it with a passion to find your dream job.
Image courtesy of the author