Intern to VP: How Jami Caruso Climbed the Career Ladder @ uShip was originally published on Power to Fly.
Every great story has a memorable beginning, and Jami Caruso’s is no exception. On a winter’s evening in New York City, Jami’s mother had a craving for a mortadella sandwich and stopped at a 24-hour deli. Her water broke, and Jami wasn’t wasting any time. Already crowning, Jami’s mother rushed to her parent’s living room couch and Jami made her debut before her grandparents could even get out of bed.
This fiercely independent start set the tone for Jami’s life.
Jami is now the Vice President of Customer Operations & Home Delivery at uShip, where she’s grown across eight roles. From an intern to a department leader, she’s harnessed her ambition and go-getter attitude to carve her path in the world’s first and largest shipping marketplace.
Achieving seven promotions in 15 years is no easy feat — so we caught up with Jami to hear exactly how she’s climbed the career ladder, including her top tips for how you, too, can get promoted.
The first rung
Jami wasn’t initially drawn to customer support, but her first conversation with uShip sealed the deal. She chatted casually with the interview panel at a local coffee shop and met three of their women employees, one of which is the current CEO, Heather Hoover-Salomon.
“After the interview, I had to head to my job at General Motors. Four hours later, I got the call from uShip. They wanted to offer me the internship. I accepted and never left.”
Jami’s internship was extended twice, and before her college graduation, Jami was already a full-time employee.
“I don’t know if I ever thought, ‘I’m going to be at uShip for 15-plus years.’ But at some point, probably five years in, I knew I was committed for the long haul. There wasn’t one big event, but rather many, many experiences that happened over the years which kept me dedicated to this company and the people I work with. I truly believe the grass is not greener on the other side. So why leave?”
Climbing the career ladder
Jami’s journey with uShip is a testament to proactive career growth and leadership, even when you’re just getting started.
“I’m a firm believer in going for what you want through clear action. If you want another role, added responsibilities, or a promotion, you should take it upon yourself to start doing the things that you’d be responsible for in that other position,” she says. “Find gaps no one is filling or absorb responsibilities from colleagues that have left. Be a leader in the sense of being the first to take on a new task, help your coworkers, be uplifting, and ask for a seat at a table you may not have been invited to.”
In doing so, Jami was already on leaders’ radars when opportunities arose. She became an easy choice for new customer operations roles — climbing the career ladder step by step.
To develop her skills and prepare for each new promotion, she read, listened, paid close attention, and asked questions. uShip supported her by providing multiple mentors, an executive coach, and numerous leadership trainings and courses for people managers. Jami also took advantage of uShip’s LinkedIn Learning account, intra-company cross-functional training, shadowing programs, and opportunities to attend conferences.
“Being a forever student and giving myself the space to try new things is what’s gotten me to where I am today.”
5 strategies for securing a promotion
In the realm of career growth, we have two options: seek an outside opportunity or secure an internal promotion.
If you ask Jami, climbing the career ladder inside uShip has been the most fulfilling route.
“I’ve found a way to have a similar experience to job-hopping by doing exactly the opposite. I’ve been in six offices, under the leadership of four CEOs and many flavors of senior leadership, taken on or created seven branches of the business, survived a large COVID-era reduction in force, had 170 direct or indirect reports over the years, spoken at several conferences and panels, won a Leader of the Year award, and been promoted seven times.”
If you’re searching for ways to achieve internal mobility in your organization, Jami leaves you with five strategies:
- Find gaps and fill them. Don’t ask; just do it. Raise your hand and say: What else can I do?
- Crave feedback. Take constructive criticism well, and act on it.
- Find ways to lead even if you’re not a people manager. Leadership and people management aren’t the same thing. Stand up for what’s right, lean in to help others, and never utter the words, “that’s not my job.”
- Convey fearlessness on the outside even if you’re terrified on the inside. Confidence, perceived or real, goes a very long way.
- Be firm, consistent, vocal, and persistent in what you want. Then, be open to doing the things you’re told you need to do to achieve your goals.
“My experience is unique, and I won’t say sticking around for 15+ years would be the right move for everyone or at every company, but if something still feels right, maybe you should buck the trend and become a lifer like me.”Looking for a workplace that will support you for the long haul? uShip is hiring! Explore the career opportunities here.
