Making social media a career has always been a major dream of mine. Ever since I started watching YouTube and following major influencers, I knew I wouldn’t have a dream job that surpassed having a job online. Although I’m not even close to achieving that dream yet, a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to take a little stepping stone toward that dream. Throughout the month of February I was involved in a hand-picked social media campaign for Betsey Johnson (yes, the super nostalgic brand we all loved as middle schoolers).
For the campaign, I took photos of myself with some of the company’s new spring products and posted them to my Instagram in exchange for compensation. A dream right?! I thought so too. I basically acted as a collegiate brand ambassador, posing with the products and encouraging my followers to engage with the website. You might be asking yourself, how did I manage to land such a random gig like this? Honestly, for a while, I was wondering the same thing.
The job was initially recommended to me by another member of HC through our Facebook group. She mentioned hearing something about the brand looking for ambassadors, and sent along a link to the application. Right before Christmas break, I filled out the application, not thinking much of it. A few weeks later I received an email saying I was selected for a group phone interview! I was ecstatic but definitely nervous. I’d never done a phone interview before, let alone one in a group. I was worried that my voice wouldn’t be heard, or that I wouldn’t be able to make a strong enough impression. Fortunately, that isn’t what happened. When questions were asked of me, I made sure to give unique answers that I thought would stick in the mind of the interviewer. After the interview was over, I even followed up with an email to make sure she remembered me when reviewing applications. I think this tactic might have worked because a few weeks after that I got an email saying I was selected for the campaign!
I was lucky enough to receive some products from the company soon after I was chosen, which they directed me to use in some photos to post on my Instagram. My friend and I got to work on scouting places to do a photoshoot, and I thought about how I’d style the pieces within my existing wardrobe. After a few days, the photos were shot and edited, ready to be posted online! I carefully curated my captions and hashtags, making sure to draw specific attention to the products featured in my post. Luckily, the brand loved them! I even got some likes and comments from Betsey Johnson herself.
Although this job kind of fell into my lap, I think there are certainly things you should take away from this experience to use in future interviews. Definitely fill out every application you can, even if you think it isn’t quite up your alley or you don’t feel fully qualified. You never know! Also, always follow up with your interviewers after talking with them to give them any information you might have forgotten, and provide them with additional contact info. This way they’ll be more likely to remember you when looking back on everyone they’ve interviewed. Finally, take every step you can towards your dreams, even if they seem like tiny ones. You can’t ever predict where a connection might lead you!
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