Intern Spotlight: Omar Ortiz
At Neighborhoods.com, professional and personal growth are both highly valued. We believe in providing our employees with the resources and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers, especially when it comes to our interns.
Omar Ortiz was the company’s first-ever Digital Marketing Intern in October 2016 and worked his way up to Digital Marketing Manager through hard work and dedication. Although he may no longer be an intern, he still certainly deserves the spotlight.
What led you to apply to the company?
The summer after my junior year at DePaul University, I interned at a pharmaceutical company. At the time, I was pursuing a career in finance and working for a Fortune 500 company, which was a great opportunity. While I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity because I learned so much, I learned two very important lessons during my time there. First, moving forward, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in marketing as opposed to finance. This worked out well since I was double majoring in both finance and marketing. Second, my personality simply didn’t fit well with a corporate culture.
After my internship concluded, I decided to look for opportunities working for a startup company. I had interned for a startup before and absolutely loved it. I used www.builtinchicago.org and that’s where I found Neighborhoods.com. I read all about the company’s culture and absolutely loved what I was reading so I decided to apply for the Digital Marketing Intern position.
What do you enjoy most about working here?
I wake up every morning and look forward to going into “work”. Everyone here creates a culture where work doesn’t feel like work.
What are some of your duties?
Some of my duties include reporting account performance across our various paid channels, overseeing a team of Digital Marketing Interns, and implementing new and innovative strategies to improve account performance.
What is something new that you have learned since being here?
I am incredibly grateful for everything that I’ve learned while at Neighborhoods.com. I’ve been exposed to various facets of digital marketing including paid search, paid social, SEO, analytics, remarketing, etc.
How did the internship prepare you for your career?
The internship ultimately cemented my desire to pursue a career in digital marketing. I learned so much throughout my internship and was intrigued by this incredibly dynamic field. This is a field that’s constantly innovating and changing so it’s important to continuously stay on top of the latest marketing trends.
Is there anything that has changed now that you’re a full-time employee?
Since I started working full-time, I’ve had the chance to truly experience and appreciate all the hard work that goes into building a company. As an intern, I was only in the office for about 10-15 hours per week because I was still also in school. Now that I’m working full-time at Neighborhoods.com and I’ve begun to work cross-functionally with my coworkers, I’m able to see the direct impact that everyone’s work has.
Favorite area/perk of the office?
Massage chair, by far.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
I’m constantly learning outside of work as well. Whether that’s listening to podcasts or reading, I’m always looking for ways to expand my knowledge and learn new skills. As far as hobbies, I love watching sports. My favorite sports are MMA, basketball, and fútbol (soccer). I also love food so I often go out to eat with friends or family.
Any secret/unique skills?
I was once ranked amongst the Top 150 Players in FIFA, so I’m decent.
What advice would you give to future interns?
Work hard, play harder. Be the hardest worker in the room but also take time for yourself and make sure you’re enjoying life as well.
Want to learn more about our internship program? Visit the Careers page of Neighborhoods.com for available opportunities.
