What was your first job opportunity after graduation?
I started working as a community manager at Tinkle Communications in January 2019, while in the final year of my bachelor’s degree. This meant that I already had six months of experience by the time I graduated back in July of that year. From the very first day, I had to combine a full-time job with my university responsibilities and my final project. This was a challenge, but one that I was ready for. I had also already worked at Tinkle between May and August 2018, when I did my first internship there, so I already knew the company pretty well.
What were your responsibilities? What would you highlight about the experience?
At the beginning I didn’t have many responsibilities inside the company, but I decided to take a step forward and became a proactive professional. Most companies are looking for “fresh blood” that can bring them the latest ideas and different ways of thinking, and I really think that proactivity is one of the most valuable abilities that a young professional can have. This is one of the qualities that my time at IE University really helped to instill in me and it has undoubtedly helped me to progress.
Do you feel your IE University experience and the support of the IE Talent & Careers team helped you secure this opportunity?
Thanks to the expertise and knowledge I gained during my university years, including at the IE Communication Lab, I was able to develop my creativity in different ways inside the company: filming and editing, writing corporate blogs, developing social media plans, creating social ads campaigns, managing social media communities and creating and analyzing reports. All my knowledge and support from IE University made me feel confident at all times.
IE Talent and Careers were a great help as well; they are a great resource that every student should take advantage of. They’re there for you every step of the way and provide really helpful advice and support—they are the reason I found out about the internship opportunity and they really wanted me to succeed.
What are you up to nowadays?
With almost five years of experience working at a communications agency, I’ve gained much more significance within the company. Nowadays, I work as a social media strategist and creative copywriter, leading some top projects and social media accounts. I’ve recently finished a master’s degree in creativity, so I’m looking for the best opportunity to develop my creativity and professional career in advertising.
What skills do you think have made you thrive in your professional development?
As I mentioned, being proactive is one thing that really made me thrive in my professional development, and so did my creativity and my willingness to never stop learning. This has been really key to my success. My time at IE University equipped me with way more than just the hard skills that I learnt on my academic program—I also developed a wide range of soft skills such as critical thinking and collaboration. Together, these skills helped me to get my professional career off to the best possible start. That, for me, is what really sets IE University apart.
