By: Rebecca Capozzi | Staff Writer and Treasurer
For most of us, we are in college to gain experience in the field that we want to work in one day. This can be difficult, however, for those who do not know exactly what field they want to go into. It is important to explore many fields and to entertain any possible options. On March 3rd, the English Department took a step to help these students out. The department held a panel in which Salve alumni who have worked in social media shared their experiences with students. They shared tips on how to deal with the constant changes in social media, on applying to jobs while coming out of college, and shared other skills that they have developed.
There were four panelists at this event:
- Ashley Bourque: social media specialist at SONY
- Cassidy Rota: social media specialist at Brown University
- Marissa Guerard: social media specialist at Wahlburgers
- Kelsey Murray: VP of social media at NASDAQ
Even though all of these panelists are working for different companies, they had a lot of the same experiences and similar advice. One piece of advice that they all reiterated was the importance of being able to take on many roles. In the social media field, it is important to be flexible and adaptable. Social media is constantly changing. The changes can be as little as an update within the platform or as big as the creation of a whole new social media site. It is important to be aware of when these changes are occurring. In order to do this, Rota follows social media platforms on other social media platforms. For example, she follows Instagram’s account on Twitter. This is where she gets the most up-to-date information on the app.
One piece of advice that they all reiterated was the importance of being able to take on many roles.
As for the big changes in social media, like the introduction of a new platform, social media specialists have to decide whether or not the platform is worth having for the company. For example, if it does not make sense for the company to have a TikTok account, then it is not worth even creating the account. This surprised me at first, but it makes a lot of sense. If the company does not have the means to provide its followers with good content on the account, then there is no point in having the account at all.
Another topic that was discussed thoroughly was community management. For many, this is an entry position. Even though it is an entry position, it is undoubtedly one of the most important ones. Essentially, community management is dealing with customer reviews and questions on social media. In simpler terms, they are the people you see on Twitter responding to the tweets of people complaining about the product or company. The panelists described this position as the “digital body guards for the brand.” They are the first people in the company to hear messages from their customers. It is important that the people working in community management tell people higher in the company when there is a big issue. They are also able to tell people higher in the company exactly what their customers want. Although community management is not one of the most difficult jobs, it is definitely one of the most important ones.
The panelists described this position as the “digital body guards for the brand.”
In addition to these topics and many others, the panelists gave advice on the best way to land a job coming out of college. They all expressed the importance of reaching out to others. Whether it is friends, colleagues, or just someone who graduated from your college, there is no harm in reaching out to them to see if they know of any open positions or if they could give the name of someone else to reach out to. When reaching out to someone, ask them about their interests and their career trajectory. Doing this with a number of people will lead to many connections, and ultimately a job somewhere. Although the job may not be what you were originally looking for, more connections can be made at this job. The more connections that you have, the more opportunities that you are exposed to.
The more connections that you have, the more opportunities that you are exposed to.
Throughout the panel, the panelists shared little pieces of advice that are just as important as the others. These pieces of advice will get you through the daily tribes and tribulations of your job:
- You are not your brand; therefore you cannot take online messages personally.
- People will think that they can do your job. Do not let anyone judge your expertise.
- Start in a general position and allow yourself to find your niche.
The objective of this panel was to broaden students’ knowledge regarding a possible career path, and that was definitely achieved. There were many topics discussed during the panel that I would never think that someone working in social media would encounter in their position. I think that it is important for undergraduate students to attend events like these, as it can possibly help to steer you in the direction that you want to take your career in.
Cover Image Screenshot by Dr. Matthew Ramsey from @salve_english on Instagram.
