Twitter Interview with Michelle Slater, BBA '97 - Head of Business Marketing

April 8, 2019

Working at Twitter

What’s it like working for one of the biggest social media brands in the world?

There’s never a dull moment! It’s a very fast-paced environment. Lots of change – constant change – lots of innovation, which is really fun. You get to be very creative.

One of my favourite things about working at Twitter is that it’s not just smart people that are hard working and driven, but they are very kind and people here really care about each other. I get to see people every day that I actually genuinely care about and I know they really care about me. It makes all the things we do day in and day out that much better knowing that I get to be with my friends at work. 

What types of things do you do day to day in your role?

(As the Head of Business Marketing) I help the business community understand why Twitter and why Twitter should be part of the marketing mix. My day to day job consists of a lot of different kinds of marketing – content writing, sales enablement materials, media interviews and presentations, and industry events. It’s really the whole gamut of B2B marketing. Michelle 

Is what you’re doing now what you thought you were going to do in 4th year university?

Out of school, I didn’t even have email at work. I had a personal email but the internet was just coming to life when I graduated – it was bare bones, very basic. One of my early jobs in my career I actually launched a website and now I work for Twitter and Twitter didn’t exist when I graduated. I always thought I would be in the marketing field but I never thought I’d work for a tech company, and especially not one as fast-paced as Twitter.

I didn’t have a computer while in school, they were too expensive and my parents couldn’t afford one for me. I borrowed my roommates [desktop] computer when I needed to type something up, so that’s what I liked about the Peter’s building because there was a really good computer lab there called PRISM – I spent a lot of time there.

What did the steps look like to go from new grad to where you are today? Especially from the internet being new to working at Twitter?

For me, I’ve always had a little side project on the side of my desk (I still do at Twitter) and it’s always been something I’m very curious about. Maybe it’s something that’s never been done before, and I help to grow that passion point into something that’s more meaningful to the company. That got me the next job and then the next job and then the next job.

I’m a very curious individual so I’m always learning, I’m always reading I’m digging into stuff that may not even apply to what I’m doing currently but it’s something I’m interested in and that opened up a tremendous amount of doors for me. And also – saying yes. Saying yes to things where I was like ‘I don’t know where this is going to end up’. Just say yes! You know you meet new people, you have interesting conversations, it means usually a lot of extra work but it can be fantastic. Be open to possibilities. Even if you don’t know what the end game is going to be – just try it. 

Life at Laurier 

What were the things that helped make your Laurier experience special and/or helped you know that the Lazaridis School was the right place for you to pursue your BBA?

I was really involved when I was a student and so for me it was not just the education, it was the experience of being a student that created this tight-knit community. I’ve taken all the extra volunteer work and I still do a lot of it now. I think giving back was something that was instilled in me while I was at Laurier. It’s about the community that you’re living in and the community you’re supporting.

Do you have specific memories about your time at Laurier that you draw into your everyday work or that have contributed to helping you along the path to getting here?

What we learned in terms of working with people was so helpful because you could practice at school and then bring it back into the real world. It was so helpful because you built interpersonal skills and you learned how to use your power of influence to be able to get decisions made and move group projects forward. For us at Twitter, I think one of the best things about working for a global company is that I get to work with people in Dubai, in Paris, Dublin, Australia, and because there are so many different cultural nuances between all of us and how we communicate, it does create some interesting conversations and Laurier helped to foster that – how to you know, cut through and make sure that everyone is understanding and moving together towards the same goal.

Advice for Students and New Grads

What advice do you have for someone who’s looking for a co-op or grad role? What do you see that sets the Laurier students apart from the overall applicant pool?

I’m looking for behaviours when I’m hiring, especially a new grad, because they may not have the skills. You can teach someone skills, but if they don’t have the right behaviours then it’s almost impossible. I also look at where their volunteer work is, if they’re a volunteer, and what they are learning and what skills they have because of their volunteer work. The reason I look at Laurier grads is because most of them do volunteer work and it’s impressive volunteer work, and I also know how most Laurier students are taught and the values that are instilled while they’re at university.

2019 marks 42 years of Lazaridis ICE, presented by CIBC, do you have any memories of your own ICE competition or any advice for current ICE competitors?

We’d been in the Peters building for like 24 hours straight and it was right at the end and this huge thunder and lightning storm came through. It’s scary to be in that building at 4 am, and all the lights went out and we were like ‘Ah!’ And so that was the end of ICE for me. I was like ‘Oh no, I need to shower, I’m stuck in this building with people and I haven’t slept in hours’ – it worked out ok in the end but the memory that stands out is the crazy storm.