This past June marked the two-year anniversary of Jaqueline, our Marketing Coordinator, working for Van West Media!
Her journey with VWM began during her final year studying Communications at SUNY New Paltz. After two years she’s sharing what she’s learned so far working at a digital marketing agency in the heart of New York City.
Can you explain a bit more about your journey from college student working part time to full time marketing coordinator withb VWM?
Well, I landed an internship for the summer in June 2015 working closely with the Social Media Director. Originally, this was a temporary position for the summer that wrapped up at the end of August and I planned to head back upstate to complete my last year of undergrad at SUNY New Paltz. Instead, I was lucky enough to be offered a part-time position working remotely for the duration of my senior year. When I graduated that May, I was offered a full-time position and now here we are!
Working remotely is becoming more and more common. Give us some insight on any challenges or benefits of working remotely while still attending university:
I honestly think this depends on the kind of person you are and what factors play into how you do your best work. For me, working remotely allowed me to become more organized and taught me to manage my time in a way where I had a good work/life balance going on. The challenge is in limiting all distractions during work hours so that tasks get completed, but also being able to turn off your laptop on a weekend and go enjoy some time with friends. The biggest benefit from this experience, for me, was learning how to prioritize and also how to adapt to alternative ways of working with and for a team back in NYC.
What is the best part about working for a small business?
There are a lot of positive factors working for a small business. I like the fact that it’s a more intimate environment so I know everybody that I work with and can easily communicate with everyone on any given day.
I also like that the “all-hands-on-deck” aspect of a smaller company gives me the chance to learn about and even attempt tasks outside of my given role. These past two years I have gained experience in social media, the website development process, project management and client support, to name a few.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned these past two years here?
Personally, one of the main things I’ve learned is to never stop asking questions and to always look for opportunities to learn something new. When I started working for VWM I jumped right in; this learning-by-doing mentality really helped me gain confidence in my ability to successfully work on projects but also led me to find the areas in which I enjoy working most on.
I started here working mostly on social media but in the past two years, I have seen that what I thrive in is organizing and structuring projects behind the scenes. This led to me to start taking on the kind of tasks necessary to help all team members execute projects into completion. A couple of title changes later, I’m excited to have found a position where I can continue learning what it takes to one day manage a team.
What advice do you have for recent college grads or those just starting out in the digital marketing industry?
Always be willing to engage in learning and evolving with the industry. There is always some new program to try or a new strategy to implement, etc. and it’s important to be able to understand why and how you can help a company make things happen! There is so much value in taking your responsibilities seriously and showing a company what you can bring to the table – it always results in a win-win situation.
Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
I would like to see myself being a part of the team that has worked for and achieved the goals that we recently have set for the company. One of the best things about working for Van West Media is that I’ve had the chance to see where my strengths are and essentially customize my own role within the company. Hopefully, in a few years, I will have continued to grow with the company and will be showcasing my managing skills!
Why VWM? What would you say to someone interested in working for Van West Media?
If you want to explore the world of digital marketing without sticking to just one niche, this is the place to be! We work with many different clients across various industries, which allows us to work on so many unique projects from web design, web development, marketing and more.
I also need to acknowledge the entire team behind this company. Every single one of us really cares about each individual client and ensuring that they are happy with the result. Our objective isn’t just to complete a project and move on, we seek to form long standing relationships with anyone who chooses to work with VWM.