Nathaniel Tower: Internet Marketing Specialist

Name: Nathaniel Tower

Age: 32

College & Majors/Minors: Washington University in St. Louis; Majors in English Literature and Secondary Education; Minor in Writing

Current Location: Minneapolis

Current Form of Employment: Full-time Internet Marketing Specialist

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I'm currently an internet marketing specialist at a web design agency called First Scribe. We're a small agency with about 25 employees. I manage the accounts of 15 or so clients, which involves SEO, email marketing, content marketing, reporting, and more. The position requires a balance of verbal and written communication skills. As with any job involving clients, customer service is the key ingredient to success. All the technical skills in the world won't help if you can't adequately communicate with the client. I'm also now in charge of the company's blog, which is one of my favorite parts of the job.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

When I graduated from college, I landed a high school teaching job in St. Charles, MO. Even though I went to college with the intent of becoming a teacher, getting a teaching job was no easy feat. I mailed an application packet (resume, transcripts, cover letter, portfolio samples, letters of recommendation) to just about every school district I could think of in the St. Louis metro area. That's right, mailed. As in stuffed papers in big envelopes, licked them shut, and slapped postage on them. No one accepted electronic applications then, so I spent a fortune on stamps. I had plenty of interviews, but it seemed almost impossible to find employment. Everyone wanted experience, but how do you get experience unless someone will hire you when you don't have experience?

When an opening at the school where I student taught popped up, I thought for sure I was going to get the job. The principal even told me I was guaranteed to get the opening unless someone with "ten years of teaching experience and a PhD" came along. When I got the phone call telling me they were hiring someone else, the conversation went something like this:

Me: So how much experience does he have?

Him: Two years.

Me: So he must have a PhD, right?

Him: No, just a Bachelor's.

Ouch. I had been bamboozled. But the principal promised he would help me get a job. A few weeks later, I called him and said I was applying for a job in another school district. Turned out he knew the associate principal there. Turned out the associate principal went to the same college as me. Are you surprised to hear I got the job?

I held that teaching job for 9 years before my wife and I decided we needed a change of scenery. So we quit our jobs and packed up and moved to Minneapolis. Because of some roadblocks with the Minnesota Department of Education, I decided to end my teaching career and look for a new career. I applied for everything that had writing in the title. It eventually paid off, and here we are.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

In 2008, I founded a literary magazine called Bartleby Snopes. We publish 8 pieces of fiction per week, along with two print best-of issues. We also publish tiny books called flash novels. It's not a "job" in the money-making sense, but it has plenty of reward. It's made me a better writer and a better editor. I'm also much more organized and much better at marketing. I'm sure it played at least a small role in landing my current job.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Not as much as I should have, that's for sure. I spent the first year of college skipping classes and thinking I was too smart for everything. Then I started to get serious, which meant going to class and writing all my papers at the last minute. I never spent a minute at the university's career center, and I only spoke to my advisor during the required bi-yearly sessions. The one thing I did right was get a summer job as a "teacher" in a summer school program. I had the attitude that I knew what I wanted to do and that it wouldn't be that hard to get a job. And now I'm doing something I never imagined I would do, something that barely even existed when I was in college.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

1. Don't listen to anyone who tells you an English degree is useless. The world we live in struggles with communication. An English degree has a lot of value because it tells the world you can communicate. There are many job opportunities that require some amount of writing.
2. Value your talents. There are a million freelancing opportunities that pay practically nothing. Don't accept jobs that don't pay you what you're worth.
3. Be willing to explore new opportunities. Don't assume an English major has to be a novelist, journalist, or teacher. Every business needs to have something written. An English major can write anything. Believe it or not, the biggest obstacle to launching a website isn't approving the designs. It's finding a person to write all the content.

Check out Nathaniel Tower's writing (and juggling!) blog at nathanieltower.com, visit his Amazon author page, connect with him on LinkedIn and follower him on Twitter!

Felicia Clark: Communication Specialist

Name: Felicia Clark

Age: 27

College & Majors/Minors: Journalism/Creative Writing

Current Location: Appleton, WI

Current Form of Employment: Marketing agency

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I work for Candeo Creative (a marketing agency in Oshkosh, WI) as communication specialist where I post social media content for clients.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

I was a senior in college at UW-Oshkosh when I landed my first job as a copy editor at the Oshkosh Northwestern (Gannett) newspaper. I was a proofreader for Oshkosh Corporation in the Oshkosh Defense Bid & Proposal department, working 90 hours per week editing government documents. I then worked for Shop Local Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay (and everything in between) as the community social media manager. That's when I found the communication specialist position open at Candeo Creative. In just three short months I went from being part time to full time.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

My first taste of marketing, since I was strictly a journalism major, was when I brought a Danish documentary called Free the Mind to Appleton Marcus Cinemas. It was a video that followed veterans suffering with PTSD as they took an intensive meditation course that changed their lives. It was so inspiring that I signed up to show it, knowing I needed at least 77 tickets before the theatre would play it for an audience. By the end of the month, after marketing my own event, I had 170-plus attendees and the cinemas gave me a larger room! I also found the veterans who were in the film and brought them out as a surprise for a Q&A session after the film. All the money donated went Dryhootch Fox Valley. This became one of the most important moments in both my personal and professional life. I had discovered my passion for the marketing world!

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I gained leaderships skills in college by running student organizations, taking 18-19 credits per semester on top of two paying jobs, including writing two articles per week for the student-run newspaper (the Advance-Titan). Juggling so many activities at once helped me learn prioritization skills and reach any deadline, no matter how short.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

• Don't give up and be willing to leave your comfort zone to try new things. You never know where these little adventures will take you. 
• Between each of the jobs I had in my field, I was typically working another entry level position to pay my bills. From waitressing to barista to canvasser to bookseller, I became a jack-of-all-trades, which helps me understand clients I am now marketing in my current job. Those "insignificant jobs" prepared me for the next. It took me nearly 5 years after graduation to land my dream job. You have to trust that the right job will come along.

Visit Felicia Clark at MeasureLifeInBookmarks.com for more details on her writing journey!

Heike Young: Content Marketing Writer

Name: Heike Young

Age: 26

College & Majors/Minors: Anderson University, BA, English; Minor, Spanish

Current Location: Los Angeles, CA

Current Form of Employment: Content Marketing Writer at Salesforce

Where do you work and what is your current position? 

I work for Salesforce Marketing Cloud’s Content Marketing & Research team as their Global Content Lead. Wha-whu-eh-huh? Yep, that’s a lot of tech and marketing jargon—but it means I work for a big tech company as a writer of multimedia content. I write everything from infographics to research reports to video scripts (and that’s my voice, too!). Everything I write and edit centers on helping digital marketers do their jobs better with content that guides marketing strategy and execution. I also interview important people in marketing and technology for our corporate blog, which sometimes lets me meet cool people like John Green.

Hypertension Cookbook For Dummies

$14.72

By Rosanne Rust, Cynthia Kleckner

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job!

Oh, boy. The short answer for English majors who prefer the Emily Dickinson poem-length story: I persevered until a publishing company finally let me edit their books.

The long answer for Infinite Jest-reading friends: Having loved books my whole life, it was my goal upon graduation to edit them. English degree in hand, I secured an interview at Wiley on the For Dummies team as a temporary editorial assistant. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the job. I was utterly disappointed, but I tried to remain gracious about it, and I continued to apply as I saw other openings at the company. I really liked the For Dummies brand and knew it would be a great experience to work on the books.

(Pictured on left: Heike Young served as the primary editor of 'Hypertension Cookbook for Dummies.') 

Several months and a temporary job at a film festival later, I earned another interview as a copyeditor, which was actually one step up from that original editorial assistant role. The interview was accompanied by a grueling three-hour editing test! It went so well that I was called back to interview for a different job as a project editor, which was a step up from the copyeditor job and two steps up from the job I initially interviewed for. It worked! I was finally a project editor for the For Dummies series, meaning I worked directly with authors on Tables of Contents and full chapters to refine and develop their books. In a strange turn of events, I ended up being pretty thankful that I didn’t get the first job, as it would’ve been less challenging and rewarding.

While I enjoyed developing content for books, I eventually wanted a more fast-paced job where projects didn’t take upwards of 8 months to complete. This led me to a job in digital marketing. At Salesforce Marketing Cloud, my new team appreciated the experience I had working on books, as well as my experience managing social media accounts while working at an agency. In this role, some of my projects are longer-term (like research reports, which can be 30+ pages and take a few months to complete) and some are quick hits (like blog posts or short slide decks). It was a great fit. My interview required me to submit several writing samples, and books I had edited were hard to fit in that mold, so I was happy for the freelance experience I’d garnered at Indianapolis Monthly and my experience at a social media agency (more on that next).

An example of Heike Young's work.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career? 

Between my job at Wiley and my current role at Salesforce, I worked at a social media agency as a social media account executive. This was an important link in securing the job I have now, because before that, my digital copywriting experience was limited to my personal Twitter account. At the agency, I did social media writing and content marketing for national brands in the form of blog posts, tweets, Facebook posts, and more, and I learned so much about what works online vs. what works in a print book.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life? 

I tried to get as much writing and editing experience in college as I could. Editing our university yearbook, a newswriting internship at a local TV station, an on-campus job that involved social media, and freelance editing all kept me busy. 

I tried to look for writing and editing opportunities in unorthodox places—for example, my university's alumni office had an office assistant-type job that required writing event promotions, so I took the job. It wasn’t through our English department and it wasn’t exclusively a writing job, but it eventually led to more social media publishing responsibilities.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree? 

I’m no expert—I’m just a few years out of college myself. But here are two important things I’ve learned:

• First, maintain grace under pressure, like your old pal Hemingway always said. In my job-hunting tale above, you read that my first publisher interview resulted in nada—but they gave me two subsequent interviews after (even months after) that led to my first job as a project editor. I made it my goal to stay positive, friendly, and gracious with the company after they didn’t give me the job. That way, I’d be the first person to come to mind next time an opportunity arose. If you get a “no” phone call or email, try to respond gracefully, even if you’re disappointed. This positive attitude may soon work in your favor.
• Second, always be adding skills to your repertoire. I graduated with a fantastic understanding of how to write a Thomas Hardy research paper but no clue how to write a whitepaper—so I’ve slowly added to my skill set to remain marketable and give myself freedom to explore new jobs. Try a course on Codeacademy or code.org if you want a blogging job; those HTML skills will come in handy during a Wordpress snafu. Poke around on YouTube or Google Analytics if you want a social media job; social media success weighs heavily on metrics success, not just writing posts. 

Writing and editing are absolutely critical skills in our content-saturated age, and I think English majors are nicely poised to find jobs. It’s all about positioning yourself as a well-rounded professional. And that English major attention to detail and punctuation? Keep it. The world needs it.

Check out Heike Young's Author page on ExactTarget.com—she has a long list of some fantastic articles. Connect with Heike on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter!

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Katie Woodzick: External Relations Manager @ Hedgebrook

Chris Strom: Marketing Copywriter

Marisa Bunney: Immersive Journalist & Social Media Specialist

Katie Woodzick: External Relations Manager @ Hedgebrook

Photo by Samantha O'Brochta.

Name: Katie Woodzick

Age: 28 

College & Majors/Minors: Theatre/Dance Major, Minors in English and French 

Current Location: Whidbey Island, Washington

Current Form of Employment: External Relations Manager 

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I work for Hedgebrook, which is a non-profit retreat for women writers. We have six cottages on 48 acres and award writers fully-funded residencies of 2-6 weeks in addition to offering professional development programs and public readings. I serve the organization as one of two External Relations Managers. We manage marketing, fundraising and communications campaigns. My favorite aspect of my job is managing our social media networks and analyzing data. I can totally geek out on identifying trends in data and using them to better communicate our programs and mission.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

My first job was a work study placement working janitorial in my college's Biology wing. It was terrifying to clean the labs alone at 6 AM being watched by glass cases filled with stuffed animals. Luckily, I transferred into the Interlibrary Loan Department halfway through my first semester.

I found my current job through strategically choosing my practicum placement for graduate school. I studied for a year in Seattle University's MFA in Arts Leadership program. Each quarter, we were required to set up a 3-5 hour a week practicum with a local arts organization. I chose Hedgebrook and after two quarters, it led to a part-time position as a Development Associate, which later led to a promotion to External Relations Manager.

@ AWP.

What was another job that was important in your career?

I toured with a children's theatre production of Jack and the Beanstalk for a summer. There were two actors and a bunch of set pieces and costumes in the back of our pickup truck. We traveled to a different town each week and taught the show to up to 100 kids. It was a magnificent opportunity to hone both my interpersonal and leadership skills.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Honestly, I didn't do that much. I mainly focused on my acting, directing and writing, while enjoying the social aspects of college. I participated in a general audition which landed me the Jack and the Beanstalk gig. After that I didn't know what to do with my life, so I applied to a dozen different AmeriCorps placements all over the country. Whidbey Island was the first place to offer me a position. I drove from Minnesota to Washington state in two days. I think that AmeriCorps is a great program with which you can ease into post-graduate life. It allowed me to try out working with non-profit organizations, which I now love. And there are so many different kinds of programs! I highly recommend AmeriCorps.

Celebrating the release of the 2014 VIDA count.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Don't let anyone tell you that your degree is impractical. I was asked many times: "So, what are you going to do with a theatre degree?" 

What is impractical is to study subjects for which you have no passion. Writing is an incredibly valuable skill that will serve you well in many professions. In this digital age, we have lost the essence of thoughtful communication. We need people who take the time to study literature, reflect on it and attempt to draw meaning from it. 

Don't be afraid of applying for positions if you don't have every single qualification listed on the job posting. Use your killer writing skills to write around any gaps in your work experience. Plus, the first thing any future employer is likely to read is your cover letter. Give yourself permission to wow them with an unforgettable first impression on the page.

Also, never stop writing. Whether it's keeping a personal journal, submitting to contests and publications, or attending a local poetry slam, it's imperative that you keep writing. You never know the impact of what you write and put out into the world. It has the potential to inspire, enlighten, and possibly even save a life.

Check out Katie's professional website and visit her blog!

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Brittany Shelley: Director of Content Marketing

Amanda Rinker: Content Manager at OVC Lawyer Marketing

Andy Badalamenti: Creative Director at an Advertising Agency

Megan Falk: Direct Response Marketing Coordinator

Name: Megan Falk

Age: 29

College & Majors/Minors: B.A. English: Creative Writing, with a focus in Womens’ Studies

Current Location: Cincinnati, OH

Current Form of Employment: Direct Response Marketing Coordinator for a non-profit organization

Where do you work and what is your current position?

I work full-time for The Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters as Direct Response Marketing Coordinator. My job is largely encompassed by creating and editing content for direct mailings, as well as creating and updating websites to promote special events.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different).

My first job straight out of college was as an ESL instructor in Seoul, South Korea. At the time, I was blissfully afflicted with wanderlust and the job market was dismal, so teaching English seemed to be the perfect fit. A friend of the family had been teaching in South Korea for years and although I enjoyed his anecdotes and stories he told during his state-side visits, I wanted to see it all for myself!

After completing the lengthy application and applying for my passport, I had to answer a few essay questions regarding my aspirations in English and undergo a phone interview (Skype had only just launched and was still quite unknown!). I lived in Seoul for one year and massively enjoyed balancing work and play.

An acquaintance assisted me with acquiring my current job in the non-profit sector. She had been promoted and asked me if I knew of anyone who would be interested in her former position; I jumped at the chance. I had always been told that working for a non-profit was very rewarding and I can honestly attest that it is and continues to be!

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

When I returned to the U.S. after a year teaching abroad, I took on a job as a teacher’s aide at a special needs elementary school. Although most of my day consisted of working one-on-one with students, I was given the opportunity to assist a colleague with creating content for the school’s new website. I relished the opportunity to put my writing skills into action while helping to promote the services and programs of the school.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

I applied and interviewed for the college newspaper but unfortunately did not get the job. Writers and reporters for the college newspaper were highly coveted positions and although I didn’t get hired on, this was perhaps my first real lesson about the competitiveness of writers in the job market. This experience, however, did not deter me from submitting articles on a freelance basis in order to get my work out there in print.

During my sophomore and junior years, I had a paid summer internship at a marketing firm. The internship allowed me to learn how to make professional connections and discover that the film “Office Space” was really a cautionary tale! All cinematic interpretations aside, I learned first-hand what the expectations were of working in a nine-to-five office job.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Having meticulous spelling, grammar, and punctuation will assist you in many ways, but in order to find and keep employment that will justify your years spent studying English, you must not settle. It is of the utmost importance to find a job that you look forward to going to each day.

Employers want to hire someone who stands out and can bring innovation to their company. Keep your mind fresh with learning about new technologies and acquire new skills that will make you a valuable asset. Accept challenges head-on and understand that there are no failures, only learning opportunities.

Visit Megan's online writing portfolio, check out her blog, and connect with her on LinkedIn!

Andy Badalamenti: Creative Director at an Advertising Agency

Name: Andy Badalamenti

Age: 48

College & Majors/Minors: Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art (diploma in Cinematic Animation); College of St. Elizabeth (English degree, minor in writing)

Current Location: New Jersey

Current Form of Employment: I am a creative director for an advertising agency

Where do you work and what is your current position? 

I began my career as a commercial artist—I did illustrations, mechanicals, layouts, posters, lettering and the like. I often worked with writers who had Journalism, Communications and English major backgrounds… they wrote the words, I created the pictures. (“Me not know, me simple artist” was my favorite saying back then.) My father was a former English teacher, and my sister currently teaches middle school English, so I was always exposed to great literature and art. Shakespeare and Whitman were regulars in our house. To this day, my father and I share poems and talk literature all the time.

The first company I worked for was a public utility. I was part of the Communications and Marketing Division. One dark year, we had a round of layoffs, and a number of the writers were let go—yet the amount of work was the same. (It’s been this way in America ever since.) Given my love-of-English DNA, I volunteered to help write a newsletter for our customers. That dopey little decision changed everything, as many dopey little decisions do.

When I wrote the newsletter, I had very little supervision, thanks to the fact that staff that was cut to the bone. I gleefully unleashed the anxious little creative dog in my brain longing to be free and let him run amok. I wrote a quirky, fun piece… which was a huge change for the stiff, stodgy, conservative, make-bankers-look-like-Dead-Heads company I worked for. Yet, after it was published, we got a great response—customers wrote and called in, saying it was the first time they ever read the newsletter, and some had received it every month for 20 years. 
The vice president of our division was simultaneously thrilled, flabbergasted, horrified and defensive—and came up with an appropriate punishment for my success. I was given the project to write every month from then on. (“You like being creative, huh? Well, here you go…”)
Soon, I realized I was smitten with writing. But if I wanted to get anywhere with it, I knew I needed a degree, so I went back to school at night. It took seven grueling years, and I moaned and complained every minute of it, even though I found the subject fascinating. In the meantime, my wife and I started a family and I was working in excess of 45 hours a week. I worked very hard at school, focusing on writing, kissing up to professors and networking with fellow adult students. I ended up graduating top of my class.

I eventually left the watch-paint-dry world of electric utilities, and I began working for advertising agencies. In the beginning of my time with them, I was a 50-50 hybrid—art director and copywriter. I wrote the copy for projects, then I would mentally unplug from left-brain to right and create the artwork. I loved it, but agency life was a huge adjustment for me at first. It was, and is, creativity on demand—and what you produce must be really good. Clients are paying top dollar for it and love to fire agencies that ever fall short. No pressure.

I worked for several advertising agencies and began climbing the proverbial ladder to supervisory positions, which I still hate. I can supervise—I have the ability—but I don’t like it much. I’m truly a Mac monkey who loves to create. I’m having a blast right now banging out this little interview. Fortunately, in my current job, the agency relies on my creativity a lot, too… so I still get to play. 

Because I had both an art and writing background, I was valuable to the smaller agencies that hired me—they couldn’t afford separate supervisors for each function. I found my niche: Getting paid to do two jobs for the price of one. Just kidding.

I also threw myself, completely and hopelessly, into self education. I have read hundreds of books and thousands of articles/blogs on writing and marketing and I have taken dozens of courses, seminars, and workshops over the years. I am currently very tired and nearsighted, but well informed. Advertising and marketing is all about being current, and you have to stay on top of your game, constantly. Clients look to you for that expertise, and you better provide it. Again, no pressure.

For the past few years, I’ve been educating myself on content and social media marketing, and I’ve been writing a marketing blog for a few years now.

In my current position, I am responsible for all the daily operations of my advertising agency (part of a larger marketing company). I oversee a staff of account executives, art directors and production personnel. I work directly with clients, help pitch new accounts, write copy (headlines, content, ad copy, marketing strategies, public relations writing, social media, etc.), and I help our clients shape their brands and messaging for their products and services. If you watch Mad Men, I would be Don Draper, just uglier and nowhere near as nicely dressed.
Working in advertising and marketing is a ton of responsibility and stress. I usually put in at least 50-70 hours a week, year round, which is typical in these industries. But it can be very exciting and interesting work, too. You just have to handle stress well!

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

In advertising, having a degree is important, but I’ve always found that it is much more important what you can do. In other words, what specific skills can you bring to an employer? That can include—depending on the advertising agency or department you work for—writing, editing, conceptualizing, partnering with art directors on projects and more. In marketing, an advanced degree is much more important—we’re talking MBA here.

A major part of the interview process in advertising is showing the work you’ve done—having a portfolio of work—and highlighting what skills you have. Talent matters, a lot. You also have to be comfortable presenting work to clients, defending ideas, and be at least decent with handling people, taking criticism, working with a smile under heavy pressure/deadlines/hours, and doing multiple projects at the same time with perceived grace.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Since I went back to school at night, I was already working in my field by day. Still, I wanted more writing experience—things like radio commercials, brochures, websites and more. Freelancing was a big help with this. I started writing for friends and acquaintances’ businesses, often for free, just to get experience and build my portfolio. My only payment was samples of the finished pieces! Before long, I had a book full. Today, my samples are on my iPad.

As I alluded to before, stopping your education at your degree is a huge mistake. No matter what field you’re in (advertising, writing, teaching or whatever), keep your skills fresh. I really believe we’re living in a transitional period. I can’t think of a single industry today that is either A) About to go through a major change, B) Is in the midst of a change, or C) Has already changed dramatically. Keeping your skills and outlook current, I think, is key to survival—no matter what you do.

If you’re in college now, and you have an idea what field you’d like to end up in, use those pricey English skills and research the hell out of that industry. Find trade publications, websites, blogs and more and read, read, read. (Just what you want, more reading!) Know that industry and what’s happening in that world, and set your skills and sights accordingly.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

I think my advice to anyone—not only English majors—is to be self aware. Know what your talents and abilities are. I was always good at coming up with ideas, and I found a way to use that skill, coupled with my degree, to make a career. It’s not like I had a big plan or anything. A lot of it was by accident or luck. But when I saw something I thought I could do, I went for it. And I always shaped my skills.

Your talent may be in teaching… writing resumes for people… blogging on a topic you love… writing articles for a local pub… composing killer lyrics… being a social media maven… assembling data for scientific studies or reports… interpreting classic literature with a fresh perspective… or editing other people’s work to bring the best out in them. Know yourself, know what interests you, and try to find a job that needs that ability. Always learn all you can and bring something of value to the table every day.

Currently, Andy writes a blog on marketing for his currently company, CI - Group. It's a blog that's geared towards marketers in business-to-business or business-to-consumer companies. 

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn, and check out the children's Christmas book that he wrote and illustrated!

Nicki Krawczyk: Copywriter, Copy Coach & Founder of FilthyRichWriter.com

Name: Nicki Krawczyk

Age: 34

College & Majors/Minors: Boston University, BS in Communication

Current Location: Boston, MA

Current Form of Employment: Copywriter, Copy Coach and Founder of FilthyRichWriter.com

Where do you work and what is your current position?

This isn't as simple a question as you'd think. :) Right now, I'm working part-time for a company called SmarterTravel as their Copy Manager. I'm there to help out, but my main focus is on my company, Filthy Rich Writer. We provide tips, tools and training for new and aspiring copywriters and we're in a big growth phase. It's very exciting, if ever so slightly exhausting. I also take on freelance copywriting work if it seems interesting. (I just finished up a video series with an animation studio in Brazil.)

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

Well, my first real job out of school was running events at a health club. It took me a little while to find copywriting. The funny thing is, when I was in high school, my Dad was a marketing director and used to bring home extra work for me to do. I'd write it and he'd review it, offering me feedback and suggestions. After college, though, I stumbled through a few different jobs (I taught aqua aerobics—and I made those ladies work) before it occurred to me that I could actually write copy for a living. Once I figured out that that's what I wanted to do, I really hustled; I put myself out there, learned as much as I could, made a bunch of mistakes and wasted a lot of time. It worked out in the end, but it wasn't exactly the most direct route to success.

Since then, I've had the privilege of working for and with a bunch of really fun clients including TripAdvisor, Marshalls, Hasbro, Keurig, adidas and, yup, Harlequin Romance novels. I’ve worked for agencies, I’ve worked in-house and I’ve worked freelance. I love copywriting. It's fun, it's challenging, it lets you work with really dynamic people and you get to see your work in print or online all the time. And it doesn't hurt that it pays really well, either.

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

I actually think the answer for me has more to do with a task within a job. I was working to build up a team of writers to write copy and content for a flash sale travel site and my team consisted of two brand new junior copywriters and three writers whose experience was in editorial writing. To bring them up to speed, I put together a course to teach them everything I knew about copywriting, and my company spawned from that. The crazy thing is that it’s actually been really hard for people to learn copywriting—and what I mean is that there very few college classes in it, ad school is expensive and many of the online courses out there have been either get-rich-quick schemes or don't give people all the information they need.

So, basically, I started my company to teach people everything I wish I'd known when I started out and then everything I’ve learned since then. (The books I bought back then basically just told me to buy a fax machine. I'm not joking.) I love copywriting, and I discovered that I really love coaching people to be copywriters.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

Not enough! I mean, I had a couple of public relations internships and those taught me that I didn't like public relations...so I guess that's something... Most of my preparation for post-grad life came post-grad. During college, I was always kind of itching to get out and really start my life. The thing is, though, that back then, internships were pretty much the only thing you could do to prepare. Now, there are a million and one things you can learn online and so many more opportunities to help you to hit the ground running when you graduate.

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

Get training in the field you want to get into, no matter what that field is. The big secret about changing careers (or starting careers) is that it's a three step process:

1. Get training
2. Get experience 
3. Get work

The thing is, most people try to skip over step one, step two, or both of them—and that's usually exactly why they fail. A lot of people think the way to break into a new career is just to write/rewrite their resumes and apply. But no one's going to hire you and give you a shot just because you're a nice person. I mean, if two people are applying for a job and one has training and experience while the other doesn't, who do you think is going to get the job? The good news, though, is that it's easier than ever to get job training. There are so, so many quality courses online. And the really good courses, too, will give you training, plus give you the steps you need to take to build experience and success for changing careers.

Check out Nicki's copywriting portfolio at NickiCopy.com, and head on over to her business website, FilthyRichWriter.com!

Marisa Bunney: Immersive Journalist & Social Media Specialist

Name: Marisa Bunney

Age: 24

College & Majors/Minors: B.A. in English with a minor in Religious Studies from Youngstown State University

Current Location: Miami, FL

Current Form of Employment: Immersive Journalist/Social Media Specialist

Where do you work and what is your current position?

Example of Marisa Bunney's work.

I work for Ronin Advertising Group in Miami. My official title is Immersive Journalist, but as is the norm in advertising, I wear many hats. Realistically, I’m a Copywriter, Journalist, Event Planner, Account Manager, Brand Manager, and Creative Director. I manage a team of writers, produce content calendars, work with designers, create content strategies, manage social media accounts, plan events for luxury residents in Boston and San Francisco, and manage production of creative and collateral material. I also write everything from event invitations and digital e-blasts to ads, social media posts and lifestyle news and blog articles. 

I’ve done freelance work as well, writing websites, serving as a script consultant, and creating social media strategies for clients such as IBM’s #mysocialcommerce crowdsourced campaign. 

Example of Marisa Bunney's work.

Tell us about how you found your first job, and how you found your current job (if different). 

I actually started with Ronin five years ago as an intern, was promoted to a paid internship and was ultimately offered a full-time position. The interview for the position wasn’t quite as rigorous since I already had a relationship with my boss. But, I still had to sell myself. The position was different than what I’d previously done as an intern and required a fresh set of skills. In addition to copywriting, I had to be able to write SEO-friendly content and journalistic articles. I also had to be able to communicate with the client and manage expectations with a certain level of confidence and professionalism. Luckily, I was able to fulfill and exceed the demands. I’m a people person at heart and I was able to show my boss that I could handle client contact and project management and that snowballed into the position I have now. 

What was another writing-related job that was important in your career?

My freelance work. I’m a hungry writer and I learn quickly. Having the ability to cross multiple industries taught me to look at every project with an open mind. Script writing, for example, is totally different from copywriting, but it helped me learn the art of storytelling; and in advertising, that’s what we do, we tell stories. My personal interests and activities helped me as well. You may not think those countless hours of Facebooking are productive, but in this industry, having a voice online will get you far. The rise of social media and online marketing are forcing us to communicate in new ways and being able to master that kind of short-form writing is an incredible asset.

What did you do in college to prepare for your post-grad life?

As an English major, I wrote a ton—and I mean a ton—of long-form essays, which essentially gave me the tools to become a great writer. Being the perpetually curious cat that I am, I used my electives and “free time” to expand my skill set. I took poetry, film and screenwriting classes, got into journalism circles, volunteered at the campus Writing Center, edited work for friends, tutored high school students, worked in Summer internships and even wrote a children’s book that was eventually published as part of a recruiting campaign for a daycare. 

What is your advice for students and graduates with an English degree?

My biggest turnoff is to hear someone say that English majors have limited possibilities. On the contrary, it actually opens a lot of doors. Not everyone who wants to be in advertising should major in Advertising. One thing my boss—who just happens to be one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever known—always told me that any writer worth their salt has a degree in English. This degree teaches more than grammar basics and sentence structure. It teaches you comprehension and the elements of a great story and how to reach your audience. That knowledge translates into a number of areas: script writing, ad copy, textbook copy, news articles, social media posts, blogs, copyediting, proofreading, even strategy. Always remember this: writers tell stories. And to tell a great story, you have to see it from every angle. That means even if you’re writing technical instructions for assembling an entertainment center, you need to understand who you’re speaking to and what level of knowledge your audience brings to the table, how to create a natural progression or order for what you’re writing. Everything you write will have an arc, a beginning, a middle and an end. 

Lastly, possibly the best piece of advice I could give is to build a portfolio. Trust me, employers care more about what you can do for them than your 3.8 GPA. If you don’t have professional work, write your own stuff. Write a spec script, write product ads, start a blog, do whatever you can to have some kind of concrete work to show. That’s what will you get you your dream job.

Connect with Marisa on LinkedIn and follow her on twitter!

Check out more of Marisa's work online here:

• www.laviebos.com
• La Vie Boston on iTunes
• La Vie SF on iTunes
• www.thevoiceofdowntownboston.com
• www.pbs-archs.com
• www.thecureiswithin.com
• www.alliealligator.com