Many Facets of A Career In Communication
We’re far past the time when you would enter an industry and stay down a linear path for an entire career. The jobs of the future don’t exist today, so how can you prepare for a job that you don’t even know you want yet? Students from colleges all across the Northeast got answers to this and more at the 2017 Student Communications Career Conference hosted by New York Women in Communications. Through a combination of panels, workshops, and keynote speakers, students like myself got to mingle with some of the communications industry’s biggest influencers, as they shared their best tips and tricks along the way.
One of the very first panels of the day was titled “The Many Facets of Careers in Communications.” As a communications student myself, I often struggle to understand and interpret what careers are possible, and how to get involved with a little bit of each varied aspect of this environment. This panel represented a taste of some of the many fields that someone like myself could potentially find themselves in. Brittany Hennessy for example, is the Director of Influencer Marketing at Hearst, but described her job as spending her days on Instagram. She mentioned that with established companies like Hearst, you can make a new role in an old company, even though the structure is still in place. In this type of situation, she encouraged us to be flexible. Tying into her social media experience, she pushed us to learn everything out there about the content and business behind new platforms, making tools like Snapchat your expertise.
A big topic discussed at this panel was the intersections between your title, the company, and you. As young professionals, titles can get messy in terms of specific responsibilities at a new job. The women on the panel recommended looking for a positive company culture over a higher title and pay. Titles aren’t as important as one may think. They recommend to not work up to your title and don’t feel limited by it. Saying a task is “not my job” is not an excuse that will get you places that you want to be. Once you get the “Sunday Scaries,” start looking for a new job because if you lose your passion then it’s not the place for you. Panelists highlighted that you work for the company and the company doesn’t work for you, meaning that you don’t get what you don’t ask for. However, it is important to not think that you are entitled, but to instead be brave.
Being brave was also discussed in taking the time to develop your craft and passions further. Everyone encouraged us to learn new things because if it is truly a passion, then it will come naturally. This is especially important in creative jobs, like Charlotte Japp’s role as a Senior Creative at Vice. She takes the time to travel to help with inspiration for both her job and life. She told us to be the most knowledgeable person in the room about whatever it is you’re passionate about. You can make it as micro or macro as you want, but make it yours.
This panel opened up my eyes to not only the many different careers within communications, but what to do once you get there. These women shared their successes and lessons that they learned along the way, paving the path for future women in communications like myself, leaving inspiration along the way.
