Smart in Public Why Checking Your Own Boxes Beats Chasing Titles with Jess Aptman, Chief Communications Officer, Zocdoc
In an industry obsessed with job-hopping, Jess Aptman, Chief Communications Officer at Zocdoc, has been at the company for 13 years and she's here to tell you why loyalty isn't a dirty word. In this refreshingly honest conversation with The Katies, Jess breaks down what it actually takes to build a communications function from survival mode to strategic powerhouse, and why the best career move might be doubling down instead of moving on.
This episode is a masterclass in (what some people might call) 'the unsexy stuff': resilience, institutional knowledge, trusting your gut when you want to take a bet on a brand, and the art of playing the long game. The truth is, these things really freaking matter when you're growing your own career to your own tune, and not based on what you see on LinkedIn. Jess also gets real about navigating company crises, evolving from reactive PR firefighting to strategic business partner, and why internal communications might be the most underrated lever for organizational success.
The a-ha moments:
The longevity advantage - Why 13 years at one company makes Jess more valuable, not less (and what assumptions people get wrong about long tenure)
Survival to growth mindset - The critical shift every communications leader needs to make when their company (and their function) moves past crisis mode
Internal comms as infrastructure - How strategic internal communications shapes culture, builds trust, and actually influences business outcomes
The AI reality check - What's actually changing in communications work and what human skills remain irreplaceable (spoiler: it's not what you think)
The curiosity imperative - Why continuous learning and genuine expertise in your industry are becoming non-negotiable for comms professionals
Key insights you can steal:
- Context is everything: The power of institutional knowledge in a world that celebrates the new and shiny
- Check your own boxes: How to drop the promotion chasing mentality and make career choices based on your goals, not industry narratives about what success should look like
- Strategic evolution: The transformation from tactical execution to strategic influence—and how to make that shift
- Resilience as skill: Why the ability to navigate challenges and bounce back is your ultimate competitive advantage
- Trust building: How internal communications becomes the foundation for everything else a company tries to accomplish
Your career doesn't have to look like everyone else's LinkedIn highlights reel. Sometimes the most strategic move is going deep instead of going wide—building irreplaceable institutional knowledge and evolving with your organization instead of chasing the next big title. Thank you Jess for coming on the show!!!
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