Community Contribution #7

For this week’s learning experience, I conducted an informational interview with a marketing manager (in Victoria) where I connected with through LinkedIn. Before the interview, I researched their professional background and career experience to get a better understanding of their role. Preparing questions ahead of time helped me think about what I actually wanted to learn, especially about working in marketing, building experience, and how people develop their careers in the industry. It also helped me go into the conversation with a better understanding of their background rather than asking general questions.

One thing I learned from the conversation was that working in marketing involves more than just creating content and managing social media. For this person’s role specifically, it involved way more on the analytics side, which was really interesting to me. Before the interview, I had a general understanding of marketing from my university courses and previous work experience, but hearing about the responsibilities directly from someone working in the industry gave me a different perspective, as each marketing role is different. It also helped me understand how different skills and experiences you have all help contribute to building a career. This made me feel less anxious, as I feel as though I put a lot of pressure on myself in terms of my career, and accepting and realizing that every small thing that I learn helps contribute to my career in some way helped ease my mind. My interviewer was really kind, and I could tell how ambitious she was, which motivated me.

I found the experience valuable because it gave me the opportunity to ask questions and hear about someone’s actual career journey. I also realized that people can have vastly different paths into an industry and that it is okay to try different things out.

This experience was different from learning through social media because I was able to have a direct conversation and ask follow up questions based on her personal experiences she has had. Although LinkedIn can be useful for connecting with others and learning about different careers, the interview allowed me to learn beyond what someone shares online. Overall, it made me more interested in pursuing a career in marketing and showed me the value of networking and learning directly from others.