Working Across the Globe … By Way of Texas
As a graduate of the Class of 2021, the professional world that awaited Kevin Fontenot was a far cry from what had been expecting when he started at UT Austin. Given the circumstances, he was worried he would have a difficult time finding a job, much less one that would allow him to work in a global capacity.
Nevertheless, this International Business major remained resilient, and with some hard work and persistent networking, he found his future in August with the remote business development team of an entertainment technology startup based in Israel — Riverside.fm.
And now Kevin puts his International Business skills to work every day .. while working from his home in Texas.
As a business development representative, Kevin works with the sales team to bring in new enterprise customers and develop partnerships. He is therefore constantly drawing on the skills and expertise he developed as an IB major — especially with respect to cross-cultural communication.
Since Riverside is a globally distributed company with employees and clients around the world, Kevin is routinely in meetings that cross 5+ time zones, with team members phoning in from around the U.S., Italy, the UK, Israel, and the Philippines. For a typical college graduate this would be a minefield of communication pitfalls. But happily Kevin’s time at McCombs introduced him to the the dance of timing, content essential to working with international teams. This allows him to be constantly adapting, ensuring his communication is received appropriately and accurately, rather than appearing as impolite or irrelevant.
Kevin’s favorite part of his job is the opportunity it gives him to develop cultural intelligence and speak with people from different schools of thought — every day. Of course, he’s also thankful for all the chances he has to polish the French he learned as an IB major interning remotely with the French company TotalEnergies.
Now that he has made his way to the “real world” Kevin has a message for his fellow IB students:
Never be afraid to ask questions about a position that interests you. Recruiters can be a wonderful source of information about open positions, and I’ve never met one who wasn’t eager to speak with students or recent graduates.
As the global context continues its increasingly dynamic shifts, Kevin is an example that current IB students can look up to as they start their professional journey. And he is a Longhorn that we’re proud to have as an alumni.
Read more about how CGB Alumni Find Success Across Industries and Around the World or visit our YouTube channel to hear their stories in their own words.
