I only ever wanted to be a sports reporter. I played sports growing up, it’s how I bonded with friends and family, and it was all I knew. But I also knew I needed a change. I needed a career that would give me a better quality of life. When I transitioned out of the sports world and into PR I felt really lost because I truly didn’t like my job. I was writing about things like maple syrup and restaurant events that I just wasn’t passionate about.
Then came Covid. I was laid off from my PR job in April of 2020 and, like many, I didn’t know what was next. I probably felt every emotion possible during this time, but little did I know it would lead to something so great.
In July of 2020, I started working at Immersive Labs as a business development representative (BDR). This role consisted of mostly outbound prospecting by cold calling, emailing, and LinkedIn messaging to book qualified meetings that created pipeline for the business to grow. In this role I learned from some of the best and brightest in the industry. For the first time in my career I felt supported, heard, and like I was really making an impact. I mattered. For the first time I wasn’t just a number, but a valued employee. When I was going through the interview process with Immersive Labs, I was told the potential to move up and be promoted within the company would be immense if I worked hard, and that’s been proven.
Within ten months of joining the company, I was promoted to a team lead for the BDR group where I was able to guide, mentor, teach, and pass along the knowledge that I had learned. Then just eight months after that, I was promoted to a commercial account manager (AM).
I wasn’t always sure that this was the path for me. When I joined the company in 2020, I wasn’t sure what my end goal was. I was new to sales and new to the company so I just wanted to focus on perfecting my role as a BDR. I didn’t know if I wanted to become an account manager, go into customer success, or even take the marketing route. I spoke to my manager, and she connected me with each department so I could learn more about the different roles and what their day to day responsibilities were. I ended up choosing the path as a commercial account manager because I felt I would enjoy that position the most. I told my manager what my goals were and we outlined a program to help get me to where I am now.
For the next few months, I routinely hit my quota, was a team player, and a good leader. Because I knew our product so well as a BDR, the transition to a commercial AM has gone really well. This might sound cliche, but it really does feel like the sky’s the limit. This is a company that values its employees and wants to promote from within. The opportunities are truly endless and I’ve loved my time here so far.
Corina Hawkins
