Why CDK Global Was Right for Me

How did a Management Information Systems (MIS) student from The University of Texas at Austin, become a Product Marketing Intern at CDK Global?

I spent most of this spring searching for an internship that would pique my interests and challenge my abilities. I was looking for a place where I could take what I learned in the classroom and apply that knowledge in a competitive, real-world setting. After I completed an internship with an Austin-based business called The Un.Inc., I knew I wanted another marketing role.

During my time at The Un.Inc, I created their very first Impact Report, which showcased the firm's superior value proposition to early-stage entrepreneurs. I found that I thoroughly enjoyed the process of researching, interviewing entrepreneurs, analyzing the data that was collected and organizing everything in a cohesive manner to articulate the importance of the work the company provided to the entrepreneurial community. After my internship, I knew that a career in marketing was for me and would allow me to follow my passion for helping people and businesses craft and share their stories in an impactful and attention-capturing way.

After an extensive search, I found a posting for a Product Marketing Internship at CDK Global. I was intrigued, because it would help me gain marketing experience and give me exposure to a real-world technical environment with next-generation intelligence from the automotive technology industry. This internship offered the best of both worlds from a marketing and technical perspective, so I seized the opportunity and submitted my application.

The Interviews

Before my first round of interviews, I did some preliminary research about CDK Global’s product offerings and company values. I also took the time to prepare relevant questions to show my knowledge about the company and eagerness to learn more. Although I didn’t know it at the time, my first round of interviews was facilitated by my mentor, Emily Hernandez, an Associate Product Marketing Manager. During the interview, Emily and I discussed my technical background, skills and market research experiences, as well as what I was hoping to learn from CDK.

My conversation with Emily was very informative. Soon after, I advanced to the second round of interviews with Leigh Ann Conver, Senior Director of Strategy for Fortellis and Data Services. In my interview with Leigh Ann, I learned how Fortellis is a technological platform that connects dealers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and independent software vendors (ISVs) through applications and application programming interfaces (APIs) to innovate and improve business processes within the automotive industry. Leigh Ann and I then discussed my skills and experiences from school and The Un.Inc, and pinpointed how I could apply them to contribute to the Fortellis Product Marketing team. After our interview, I started brainstorming ideas for how I could contribute to strategic projects such as defining buyer personas and developing thought leadership content for lead generation.

I was offered the Product Marketing internship with CDK Global and — spoiler alert — I happily accepted the position! I was excited for my newfound opportunity and couldn’t wait to begin learning and contributing to the team this summer.

Embarking on A New Experience

June 14th was my first day at CDK Global. One of the very first things my fellow interns and I learned was CDK’s four core values: stay curious, own it, be open and create possibilities. Most important of all was when Danit BenMoshe and Jo Mitra, the Internship Coordinators, emphasized to the intern class that the work we’d be doing is important and valuable across all departments. With this in the forefront of our minds, my fellow peers and I were eager to join our teams and begin creating meaningful work to help CDK Global in its efforts to be a market-leading data and insights provider for the automotive industry.

Embracing the Learning Process

Since I’ve been at CDK, I’ve learned something new every day. At the beginning of my internship, my mentor Emily, provided me with several reading materials so I could learn more about Fortellis, Neuron and other strategic topics that the Product Marketing team is creating marketing content for. I was also able to chat with Fortellis expert and Product Marketer Brian Miller. Brian helped me understand the complexities of the Fortellis platform and how it offers ISVs, Dealers and OEMs an enhanced user experience through innovative connections of APIs and integrated apps. This helped me create a Fortellis FAQ document, which I shared with my peers in my internship class to increase awareness and understanding of the platform. My research prepared me well, as I answered common questions from my classmates about the platform’s various consumers, unique use cases and value-added solutions.

Later, I helped Emily research and prepare a high-level overview of Fortellis buyer personas across ISVs, dealers and OEMs in the automotive industry. This information helps the Marketing team gain a greater understanding of our buyers’ needs, pain points and daily operations. The Marketing team can also use the information to craft unique messages that convey how CDK is working to alleviate customer pain points and fulfill their needs.

I joined weekly go-to-market strategy meetings so I could observe and learn how to hold productive meetings to curate detailed marketing plans. During these meetings, I was given the responsibility of reviewing a presentation given by industry-leading experts from the Fortellis (dev)day event. After watching a presentation on building, marketing and monetizing API platforms, I helped the team draft and finalize a blog post to highlight the event and the speaker. At the end of the blog, I attached a gated video and links to all Fortellis social media accounts to help the sales team gain leads. I’m looking forward to reviewing our Salesforce analytics to see how many leads I captured for the team.

I’m truly fortunate to work with such a supportive and responsive team. My teammates are always more than willing to offer me guidance when I ask for it. I also love that my department allows me to learn and experiment with processes. Getting actionable feedback that I can implement helps me continue producing quality pieces of work.

Endless Potential

I’ve been at CDK Global for just over a month, and the time I’ve spent here has been an influential milestone in my professional journey. I’ve developed a deeper understanding of the automotive industry and experienced firsthand how a well-oiled machine like the Fortellis team operates. Every day, I am given the opportunity to explore, challenge myself and develop my skills as an effective marketer. I’m confident that the lessons and skills I learn at CDK will serve me well for the rest of my internship and beyond!