My Sprinklr Journey: From Intern to Demo Engineer

“Never, ever give up. Ever!” 

It was July in 2019 and I clearly remember reading these words plastered on the wall at the Sprinklr Japan office, where Tracy, our Senior Solutions Consultant in Japan, invited me for a tour after an interview over lunch. 

Of course, the giant Sprinklr displays, the ping pong table, the bouncy balls and the startup esthetics were great. How could a Gen Z like me say no to any of those?

But it was these five simple words— “Never, ever give up. Ever!”— and not a long-winded message as company values tend to be, that convinced me that this was the place I needed to be at that time. Prior to that, I was beginning to feel fatigued from the interview burnout and stress from Japanese shukatsu (job-hunting). It’s a struggle I’m sure many fresh graduates are familiar with, especially in these uncertain times.

More than a year has passed and it has been a blur since then, but here is a quick roundup of my highlights:

I learned new things. #SprinklrLife means every day is a learning opportunity for newbies and old-timers alike, given the robust capabilities and ever-evolving nature of the platform to keep up with the modern consumer. Fun fact – did you know that Sprinklr is the first advertising partner of TikTok?

We learn together and share information with each other whenever possible, such as during our APAC Weekly Enablement Sessions, where members from different teams across the region have an opportunity to lead sessions on their own fields of expertise. Some of the topics we have explored include: product updates, platform how-to’s, generating a POV for pipeline generation, and creating a customer journey templates, to name a few.

I tried new things. There will come a time where you will have to do something outside of your comfort zone. For me, it was as a client presentation for the PR & Communications department of a major brand in the region, during which I had to brush up on my rusty Tagalog skills. But that is exactly what makes it all so exciting. With some encouragement from our Senior Manager, Christoph, who helped me prepare through dry runs on the same day, I was able to successfully deliver my first client presentation. It was a true team effort, with Christoph, our Regional Sales Director and Account Executive also present during the call, ready to jump in and answer the client’s questions by bringing in their own expert knowledge. Best professional advice I have received to date? Just enjoy the moment.

I met new people; Sprinklrites from different teams across the globe who may physically be far away, but are never distant and are always ready to lend a helping hand. While I was mainly supporting the APAC Solutions Consulting Team, I had many opportunities to collaborate with members in different regions. Just last week, I reached out to one of our Demo Engineers based in India for help on a configuration. He responded immediately, sharing useful documentation and past examples he had created before, even jumping on a call with me to guide me through the platform. These people live and breathe the Sprinklr core values, including never giving up, proving that we really do have the best talent around who inspire you to be your very best. Some of these people have even become like family to me. We help each other in any way we can, we travel together (including to the beautiful beaches of Okinawa during a workation trip), we check up on each other’s sanity during these crazy times during happy hours, and we bond over shared interests and hobbies (ranging from running to TikTok and quality memes).

I discovered my strengths. After a little over a year, I was able to identify my strengths, work on areas that needed improvement, and find my personal fit within the global organization. From next month, I am excited to announce that I will be moving forward as a Demo Engineer supporting the Global Solutions Consulting Team. I definitely was not alone in this journey. My mentors Tracy and Christoph were with me in every step of the way to make sure that I got where I needed to be. They have sat down with me for career-planning talks, shared their own personal journeys, recommended books for self-development, as well as encouraged me to participate in Sprinklr’s Learn2Grow and W2HMO program, which focus on the personal and career development of Sprinklr employees. I also have every person within Sprinklr whom I have crossed paths with for their support, trust, advice, words of encouragement and, above all, friendship that stopped me from ever giving up.

So, to students and fresh graduates looking for an opportunity during these difficult times: Never, ever give up. Ever! Your next move could get you that foot in the door. That next move could be with Sprinklr, where we are always developing young, bright talent in our internship program. In fact, we recently welcomed our next group of promising interns in APAC, whom I look forward to passing down my learnings to, just like my mentors have. We can help you find your own fit within the organization, whether that be a Demo Engineering role or one of the many other exciting roles we have to offer at Sprinklr.