What do you do, and how did you get here?
I completed my B.A., English & History and M.A. Literature & Publishing in NUIG, as I had dreams of working in publishing; for a literary agency or a company like Random House. After finishing my studies, I briefly interned in the events department of a contract publisher before moving to a full-time position with an educational publisher in Dublin. My initial plan was to stay there for two years before moving to London, but time began to pass by and I was no closer to my goal. While there I developed an interest in digital marketing. I had done a marketing module in college and really enjoyed it, so I decided to pursue this further and gained a Postgrad Diploma in Digital Marketing through the Digital Marketing Institute. Bored one day at home, I downloaded the popular dating app, Tinder, for a sneaky peek. While on the app I came across the advert for GirlCrew. A couple of days later I attended my first event, where I met Elva. I really enjoyed the experience but I quickly noticed there were ways to make the community better for members. During a chat with Elva she asked if I’d like to come onboard and the rest, as they say, is history.
How do you spend your day?
My days vary a lot but I usually start my day the same way – first I have a quick scan of my emails, before checking the GirlCrew social accounts. If there are queries I’ll respond to those and I’ll make a note of how our content is performing. A lot of my time is spent on our social media campaigns and strategy. With the app launching soon, we’re building out our plans for the international launch which is really exciting. I work a lot with our advertisers and partners as well, so we have to create creative solutions for them that will encourage our audience to engage with their product. Be it exclusive in-store parties with Benefit, our upcoming book club event with Jo Malone or even our work with Jobbio, we always want partnerships that add value to the lives of our members.
What’s the best part of your job?
I really enjoy speaking at events and meeting interesting people. We’ve had some fantastic opportunities while working with GirlCrew. Meeting Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg last year in Palo Alto at the Facebook headquarters was an incredible experience. It was interesting to hear, from Sheryl in particular, about the vision of the company and its future. This year we also got to attend SXSW which is something I wanted to do for years, so working here has opened me up to a lot of exciting opportunities.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Juggling everything is tough and so is maintaining the community. We want our network to be a positive and supportive place, but with so many people there are a lot of factors to take into consideration. What works for one person, might not work for another so it can be a bit of a balancing act at times.
What traits are ‘must haves’ to do your job well?
I think you need to be excited about the company you are working for. It’s a mixture of creativity, admin and strategy and each is as important as the next. Sometimes it can feel like you are focusing on one to the detriment of the others, so then it’s time to refocus. You have to be willing to make decisions quickly, and react quickly too. If something isn’t working, then change it. If something is working, then you need to find out why and figure out how to replicate it in a way that people won’t get bored of.
Any advice for people applying for a job like yours?
Be aware of the trends that are coming through in digital marketing and media. Keep an eye out on campaigns that have worked well for other companies and think of ways that they might work for you. The space is absolutely flooded at the moment, and with the shift to content, video, and storytelling it’s becoming even more saturated. Developments in the tech space means things move rapidly, but it can be some time before they filter down to impact your audience. It’s important to know what your customer is looking for, and try to provide that.
What’s your ultimate goal in your career?
Our aim is to make GirlCrew the largest female network in the world. Built on the combined ideas of social and professional empowerment, we hope to keep adding to the offering we provide. I’m looking forward to when we hit the point that we can start bringing real change to more people. I want to be part of a company that is striving for the greater good. There is lots of dark times ahead, so it’s up to us to keep fighting for what we believe in.
Check out the GirlCrew Careers channel
How do you unwind after work?
I go to a lot of gigs, at least one a week. There are so many great events on in Dublin so I like to get out and about to experience those. Whether it’s a pop-up restaurant or a lecture, I like learning things and enjoying new experiences. Luckily, my house is only a short walk from the office, so if I’m really shattered I’ll just head home to cook dinner and rewatch Peep Show.
Tell us one quirky thing nobody would know about you?
I don’t really know what to say here, but perhaps that I was born with postaxial polydactyly. I had an extra finger on my left hand which was removed a couple of days after I was born.
Want to join the GirlCrew team? Check out their live roles here.
