Advice From The Experts: Tips For Starting A Career In The Social Media Industry
Over the next few weeks our CEO, Rob Illidge and Senior Account Executive, Davina Consoli will be sharing their experiences and advice for entering the social media industry.
In this blog we picked their brains to see how they started their careers and their top tops for CVs and interviews.
What has been your social media journey?
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Rob: My aim has always been to build an agency that has its finger on the social media pulse whilst offering transparency and flexibility during campaigns.
My journey and relationship with social media started in 2006, studying at a Connecticut University where I became one of the first Britons to access Facebook thanks to my American university email address.
I instantly saw the potential opportunities available to businesses on the platform, moving to Manchester in 2008 to work in-house for legal, technology, and FinTech brands.
Many social networks including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were still in their infancy, finding their feet for users and businesses. Other networks that we know and love today didn’t exist, for example Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.
My aim has always been to build an agency that has its finger on the social media pulse whilst offering transparency and flexibility during campaigns.
That’s Social Republic.
Davina: One main reason why I loved working in this industry was because each day was so varied and presented a new way to be creative and unique – either via content or in my approach.
I always knew I wanted to work within the creative industries, something which was reiterated after I undertook a four-week internship within a Leeds-based advertising agency.
One main reason why I loved working in this industry was because each day was so varied and presented a new way to be creative and unique – either via content or in my approach.
Officially, I started my career within the social media world as an apprentice within a well-established PR agency in Leeds. Here I spent more than five years working my way up the industry ladder from Junior Account Executive to Senior Account Executive and then Junior Account Manager, gaining knowledge across a range of sectors including furniture and furnishings, health and lifestyle and education.
My role consisted of all areas of PR and social media – including creating social media plans with daily activity and constant reviewing to ensure success, as well as advertising schedules.
I undertook numerous training courses and attended a variety of industry events to keep up to date with the latest platform developments to ensure that my knowledge was of best practice and relevant to the ever-changing industry.
It was also within my role here where I discovered my interest in social media and the world of digital marketing.
Roll on March 2020, when I joined Social Republic, focusing solely on social media campaigns across organic, paid and influencer strategies, as a Senior Account Executive
What are the key qualities of a successful CV? What do you look for?
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Rob: Experience is key to a stand-out CV.
That doesn’t mean you have to possess years of in-house or agency experience, but you should be proactive in gaining experience in a business setting. This could be managing social media accounts for a family or local business, or undertaking an internship at an agency.
Davina: An eye-catching CV that has a nice personable feel to it.
As well as showing off your skillset it needs to show how you’ll be a good fit to the agency/team.
What’s your best tip for interviews?
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Rob: Be yourself.
You don’t have to be the loudest or smartest person to interview, you just need to be honest. Relax and explain how your experience is relevant for an agency setting. If you have work examples or a personal portfolio, even better, we want to see what you are passionate about.
Davina: Have a conversation, be confident and personable – show them who you really are and don’t simply read off your CV.
It’s important that you show to a potential employer how you’d be a great fit and where you could add value to their teams”.
Be sure to follow us on our socials to see the next blog from the Advice from the Pros series!
Do you have any questions you’d like to ask the pros?