“It’s a lot different than any other job I’ve had—in a good way. The agency emphasizes work-life balance, including flexible schedules and telework. By being able to juggle my personal life and professional life, I’m able to bring my best self to my role and be successful.”
Steven’s initial interest in becoming a USPTO employee was sparked by an undergraduate course he took about intellectual property (IP). When he saw an opening at America’s Innovation Agency, he knew he wanted to apply.
“I’ve also always been interested in a career in marketing,” Steven explains. “It combines creativity and storytelling with data and analytics—the best of both worlds.”
Originally from northern Virginia, Steven serves as a marketing and communications specialist on the USPTO Office of Human Resources (OHR) marketing team. This role is nearly fully remote, saving him time daily.
For his undergraduate degree, Steven attended the University of Virginia and received a bachelor’s degree in media studies with a concentration on media policy and ethics. Steven then pursued his master’s degree in mass communications from the University of Florida. He also speaks three languages.
Joining the USPTO
The OHR marketing team supports business units throughout the agency with recruitment marketing needs. This can consist of coordinating email marketing, recruitment events such as career fairs and information sessions, and social media marketing. On the team, Steven’s work differs on a daily basis—something he greatly enjoys about his role.
But what really makes the job is the team’s collaborative and innovative culture.
“Each member is dedicated to their work and is striving to do their best work,” describes Steven. “Everyone is open to listening to new ideas or working together on a new initiative. Our team has a great dynamic, and we’re able to work collaboratively to help the rest of the agency meet their recruitment goals. We’re also always trying to find creative ways to promote vacancies to hopefully attract talented individuals to our agency.”
Making an impact on someone's life
The best part of Steven’s work is seeing the positive impact of this talent acquisition process.
“Whenever someone tells us that they found out about a position through our marketing campaigns and they accepted a job here at the agency, it shows me that the work we’re doing is making an impact on someone’s life,” says Steven. “It’s great to know you were a part of someone’s career journey and that your work convinced them to take the leap to work here.”
The skillset required for success
Steven believes that to be a great marketer, you need to have a combination of soft and hard skills.
“You also must be willing to continuously learn and hone your existing skillset,” Steven explains. Marketing technologies and industry standards are constantly changing, especially in today’s digital age characterized by a prominence of social media. “To be able to reach your audiences and effectively market, you need to be able to keep up with trends and new media,” he adds.
A people-focused culture
Steven defines the USPTO’s culture as “very people-focused.” He also notes that it is a culture of collaboration.
“We’re all here to help drive the agency’s mission and every employee plays a key role in that,” he explains. “There are also a lot of opportunities to be creative and come up with innovative ideas, which makes sense since we’re America’s Innovation Agency!”
Not every job has offered so many opportunities to grow, in Steven’s experience.
“It’s a lot different than any other job I’ve had—in a good way. The agency also emphasizes work-life balance, including flexible schedules and telework. By being able to juggle my personal life and professional life, I’m able to bring my best self to my role and be successful. There are also a lot of opportunities for job growth and career development, which appeals to me as someone at the beginning of their professional career.”
As Steven grows his professional career, the USPTO is at the ready to help him thrive.