“Anyone Who Says ‘No’ Is Not Automatically a Brakeman”

Media relations, social media, communications strategy – Alexander Derno is a corporate communications expert at Deutsche Telekom and his job is as multifaceted as the challenges of a technology company. In this interview, he explains which talents are important for the job, why passion is the key and how to score points with new ideas.

Werksgelände: What do you actually do as a corporate communications expert at Deutsche Telekom?

Alexander Derno: Important to know: Many years ago, we reduced the different titles and job descriptions. This had organizational reasons, but also the advantage of having more freedom for projects and tasks. In other words, there is an abundance of possible activities. This includes media work, i.e. the exchange with journalists. But also the production and publication of different content, be it social media in all its facets, articles for the intranet and the corporate website. Events for employees and the media are also part of this. I mainly deal with the future of communication. This can be work on the communication strategy, but also the conception and discussion of technical projects.

What experience or talents should you have for the job?

It helps to have done some form of communication work. This can be the school newspaper, your own TikTok channel or regular speeches at weddings and birthdays. It’s about getting a feel for the audience. What do I say and how? How do I make it interesting? How is it received and what do I learn from it for myself? If you enjoy it and professionalize it step by step, for example with an internship, part-time job and studies or training, you have enough good things under your belt.

If you are a waiter. Please put it on your CV. Some people leave it out because they think it's not good enough or doesn't fit in with corporate communications. The opposite is true.

- Alexander Derno

What appeals to you about your job?

It never gets boring. Especially at Telekom, because we are a technology company. There are always new topics that affect society and everyday life. There are always new people with exciting stories and perspectives. And communication itself is changing rapidly and constantly presents us with new problems that need to be solved.

What are the biggest challenges in your job?

Keeping an eye on the two paces of my job and that of the company and reconciling them. I can and should try out a lot and I like to throw myself into new things with enthusiasm. At the same time, our company is the size of a large city (in terms of population), which consciously slows down the pace or simply waits before proceeding. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes it’s simply money, sometimes it’s safety or simply practicality.

What has been your biggest flop on the job so far and what have you learned from it?

The flop is not a project, but my own behavior. I said ‚yes‘ to everything in the initial phase. I thought I was a good employee – hard-working, open and always willing to go the extra mile. I was a valued colleague, but more of a supplier and not a worthy discussant. But above all, my head grew tired at some point. In communication, however, it is important to have ideas, not to get too bogged down and to develop your own profile over time. Saying ‚no‘ doesn’t automatically mean that you’re a hold-up.

Alexander Derno

… is a Corporate Communications Expert at Deutsche Telekom.

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