Lily Bhote discusses internship experience at tms and transitioning into a full-time role
Lilia (Lily) Bhote recently joined our team as a Marketing Coordinator upon her completion of tms’ 2023 Summer Internship Program. Learn more about Lily’s experience as an intern and why she wanted to pursue a full-time role at tms below:
What made you want to come back to tms full-time after your internship?
tms is one of the few reasons I’m staying in Chicago. I love Chicago so much, but I didn’t really see myself staying here. This company is amazing because of its versatility. It’s so much more than just marketing, and I love having the opportunity to learn about sourcing, technology, supply chain, and the other distinct aspects of the business. I’ve never seen a company that has done it all like tms.
How does your previous journalism experience translate to working in marketing?
It was really interesting building relationships with people you interview. Interpersonal relationships are so important anywhere you work, and, obviously, tms is such a family-oriented company that it’s even more important here. And so, I think having that real-world experience of talking to professionals, while I was still in college, was an awesome opportunity.
Journalism also helped me because marketing is all about communicating. It can be oral, it can be visual, with campaigns that utilize video and images, but at the foundation is always the purpose and heart of what you’re trying to communicate. And more often than not that needs to be summed up into words.
So, I think journalism helped me learn how to articulate, deliver, and communicate the specific purposes of the ideas we’re trying to convey in marketing.
What is something that has surprised you during your time as an intern at tms?
Something that surprised me, but that I also appreciated, was the amount of responsibility I was given. I felt like the team really trusted me, and they trusted my work, which gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward.
Another thing was just how available the Global Leadership Team is, like in my first week someone in leadership reached out to me and said, “I’d love to have a conversation with you.” Which I appreciated, because, as an intern, you get nervous about being around higher-ups and here they really do treat everyone equally.
What would you say to someone thinking about interning here?
If you’re thinking about interning at tms, you should definitely do it. I think you genuinely learn so much from being here because it is a hands-on experience. Your team will really be there for you and answer any questions you have, and you will be contributing in valuable ways rather than just doing menial tasks.
Also, my intern class was absolutely amazing. We still all talk to each other and text. We had a lot of fun together. So, you can make some friends as well!
What’s one of your favorite marketing campaigns you’ve seen?
That’s a really interesting question. One campaign that has always stood out to me, that’s kind of been going on for a while, is the ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ campaign and everything they do with athletes. From heliskiing to F1 drivers, it’s just so captivating and so gripping and interesting to watch. And who knows if these athletes are really drinking Red Bull, but it sure does make Red Bull seem like it’s a part of their success.
I know you’ve only been here a little over a month full-time but if you were to give advice to someone starting their first full-time job, what would it be?
I was honestly so nervous to start because I just felt this mounting weight of responsibility kind of consume me. The workload may seem kind of daunting at first, and it may be scary to have such a commitment, coming in every day and putting on your best face, but you really will get used to it. It’s definitely not as scary as it seems, especially when you have this good of a team behind you.
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