My Life @ Intuit - Sanjana

Sanjana

Position: Product Marketing RDP 2009 Associate
Hometown: Arlington, VA
School: Stanford University
Major: Economics

Why did you choose Intuit?

My choosing Intuit was quite a random but thankfully great decision! I had never heard of Intuit before but when I saw the job description, I was immediately attracted to the idea of gaining experience across a variety of functions and business areas. I also appreciated the amount of flexibility the program gave you to design your own experience and find out what you were really good at and what got you motivated. Once I came and actually met the people, I realized what a supportive and unique culture Intuit really has – one that challenges you to innovate, excel, and push your boundaries but also encourages you to be yourself, find what you truly enjoy, and learn as much as you can.

What has been your favorite RDP experience?
My favorite RDP experience was definitely the training at the beginning, when we all lived together and got to know each other. The experience almost felt like college again – living in close proximity to strangers – and gave us the opportunity to really get to know each other. This connection to your co-workers makes your commitment to the company just that much stronger. It was the perfect combination of hard work, bonding, and fun!

How have you made an impact at Intuit?
I’m really amazed at the amount of impact I’ve been able to make just in my first rotation. I was the product owner (both manager and marketer) for one of our products and oversaw feature decisions, metrics, partner interaction, revenue-share negotiations, training for our sales agents, and much more. I got great leadership and business experience and was able to increase sign-ups for my product by 200%. I felt like I really made an impact by bringing a product back to life and reenergizing the entire team about its potential value to the business unit. The impact I felt I had is really a testament to the amount of responsibility the team entrusted to me.

What makes you excited to come to work every day?
I’ve always been someone who gets motivated to work for and with people who know me and understand me as a whole person. I feel like I have made some of my best friends at Intuit, and I look forward to seeing those friends, who aren’t just “colleagues”, on a daily basis. I also like the variety of work that I get to do. I’m not sitting staring at my computer screen doing mindless work. I’m talking to customers, collecting feedback, brainstorming product features with my team, and wearing lots of different hats – manager, marketer, developer, sales agent, etc.

How does Intuit allow you to be innovative?
Intuit allows me to be myself because the company really believes (and not just says) that you cannot be creative and innovative without bringing your whole self to work. If you leave the quirky parts of yourself at home, you’re probably leaving the most unique and imaginative part out of your work-self, and Intuit believes that to be the most valuable part! You’ll see when you come here that people really aren’t afraid to be themselves, and that is what I believe to be the biggest driver of innovation and great ideas.

Tell us about your interests outside of work.
I love to dance and continue to find ways to participate in Indian Bollywood dance shows. I’m also an avid traveler and am always planning my next big back-packing trip (my next destination is South America)! International development, particularly energy and education issues in developing countries, is my academic and personal passion and I hope to get involved in this community and contribute what I have learned at Intuit.

Learn more: Product Marketing Rotational Development Program (RDP)