How I Went From Intern to Manager in Less Than a Year!
Kelsey Vincent is the Social Media Manager for Hannah Schneider Creative.
Picture this: You just graduated college with a marketing degree and you decide to move to a new city with no job, no plan and no money. You scroll through LinkedIn, Indeed and every other job posting site out there to find any job that looks like something up your alley. You’ve probably applied to at least 80 jobs in a matter of weeks with no luck, and you’re thinking about giving up. Flash forward to 10 months later and you’ve somehow landed a managerial position at your dream job doing what you love. How did this happen? I’m here to tell you.
After graduating from Missouri State University last August, I decided to make my dream move happen. Nashville had always been a second home. I knew it was the right place to go out of college, even though I had no idea what I’d be doing. Many people thought my decision was foolish (Hi Mom!), but I was determined to make it work.
With a background in social media and advertising I knew I wanted to do something along those lines, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I could do. After a few weeks of applying to jobs, some that I didn’t even find interesting, I saw one in particular that stood out to me. A boutique PR and digital marketing agency was looking for a Social Media Intern to start ASAP. After taking a look at the website, I decided to send an email to the job lister, who I now call my boss. The internship was one of the most rewarding experiences I have experienced to date. I learned so much in three short months that school never taught me. Not many people get a hands-on internship where they aren’t fetching coffee or just doing busy work. It felt like a real job because it was one. Granted, I had some long days and nights, but I loved what I was doing and that made it totally worth it. Every day I was learning something new and going on an adventure; whether it was to a TV filming segment, a media event, a photoshoot or a grand opening party, I was always meeting people and networking. During my internship, people were constantly asking me what I do and how they could get involved. My Snapchat and Instagram Stories made it look like I was just going to restaurants every day, taking photos of food and then grubbing on the leftovers.
During my internship I stayed up to date on every new algorithm, features on apps, and tried to watch at least 1 webinar a week. I was determined to have the most knowledge when it came to my role. As an intern and still to this day, I’m not afraid to ask questions. If I don’t know how to do something, can’t figure it out on my own or don’t know what is expected of me, I go out of my way to find out. Even if that means pestering my colleagues (sorry #TeamHSC).
I never acted like my internship was an internship. To me, it was a real job. After my internship was over, I received an offer for a full-time position, and there was no way I was turning it down. If I had learned so much in a span of three months interning, I couldn’t imagine what I’d be doing as a full-time employee.
I was hired on as a Social Media Coordinator doing a lot of similar job tasks I was doing as an intern - but taking on more clients and more responsibility. Even when hired full-time I was still learning something new at least every other day and getting to do something I had not done before.
Every day I felt as though I was taking on more responsibility from getting to schedule photoshoots, being sent to client events on my own, taking initiative on new social media tactics for clients and even getting to oversee the work of two interns. I was not only reporting to my boss, but I was also keeping two interns accountable and making sure their tasks were getting completed. I can’t lie and say that this was easy breezy. I was terrified telling other people what to do at first. I had never been responsible for someone under me, but since I had gone through the same internship I knew the important aspects of the position and what would be most beneficial for them and to my employer.
For me, if I had to stay late at the office or work after-hours from home, I was willing to do so. If my boss asked who wanted to go to a client event, I would do my best to be there even if that meant going alone. When I see an opportunity that will help me grow, I take it. I still have a lot to learn in this crazy PR and digital marketing world, and I can’t wait to explore more of it.
As cheesy as it may sound, hard-work really does pay off. I was recently promoted to Social Media Manager and now oversee the social media side of Hannah Schneider Creative. Never in a million years would I have imagined I would grow so quickly with my first job out of school, but I am so thankful I have. Luck may have played a part in where I am today, but other key things that worked in my favor included taking risks and being determined to do the best that I can do. I’ve played many roles since working here from being an intern, to coordinator, to now manager and even an occasional hand model. I work with some of the most hard-working and determined people in Nashville. We’re all very like-minded and goal-oriented, but we also have our quirks that make #TeamHSC who we are today. I am so thankful to get to work at an amazing company with amazing people.
