A Dream Job at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company

[DesireeCH]

As a kid, there’s not much that you think is out of your reach. I wanted to be an astronaut, then I wanted to be an inventor. By the time I made it to fifth grade, I thought I had it all figured out. I would be a teacher and I’d teach in the room next to my favorite teacher, Mrs. Miller, because of course, she would be there forever right?

I wanted to teach people how to use a computer; I love solving puzzles and to me, computers are the biggest puzzles. Fast forward a couple years and I was a few months away from my college graduation and the completion of my internship. I expected that I would be hired full time and even though all of the directors told me to plan to stay, something told me to check out other options, just in case.

I applied to jobs near and far. My resume wasn’t as colorful as some of my peers but I thought, if I could just get an interview, I can win them over. What you don’t expect is how hard even getting an interview can be. Eventually I decided, if the companies weren't coming to me, I would go to them.

I was at every career fair I could possibly attend and before long, recruiters knew me by name. I slowly started getting call backs then one fateful day, I received a call from a recruiter at HPE (HP at the time).

 Though I never saw HP at the career fairs I attended, I applied based on a job posting I saw online. By the time the recruiter called me, he had seen my LinkedIn and inquired about me with a contact he had at my University.

To this day, I’m still unsure of who he spoke with, but just receiving the call meant everything to me. Whether or not I received an offer, my goal for our conversation was to make sure that recruiter would never forget who I was.

I went through about three calls and an onsite meeting, and whether it was how helpful and laidback the team was, or the fact that all the conference rooms were named after beer companies, I knew immediately that this was where I wanted to start my career. When I finally received the offer, I wanted to know what it was about me that won them over. He mentioned that though I had great technical experience, he loved that I gave examples of working in a team environment and how much I valued remaining coachable. After every call, I connected with the interviewers via LinkedIn and sent a personalized message thanking them for their time bringing up a unique detail from our conversation. Like always, I wanted to make sure that they would never forget me.

I could’ve spoken about technology for hours, but I may not have connected with them the way I did. I included my life experiences because I was looking for a company where I could work but also make an impact. Who knew sharing just a little bit more than needed would work in your favor? That was the day I knew for sure, talent will get you in the door, but character will keep you in the room.

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About the author: 

Natasha Brown, Resident Engineer at Aruba Networks.Natasha Brown is a Resident Engineer at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. A true eam player accustomed to working supervised or unsupervised and under pressure. Able to inspire colleagues with differentiated thinking, a positive 'can-do' attitude and a flexible approach.

She is currently working with data center infrastructure and specializing in networking. Using technology to bring innovation and satisfaction to people and their businesses.

Stay connected to Natasha via LinkedIn and if you are interested in exploring careers at Aruba, please visit Aruba Careers page and grow your career too.