2022-07-25
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How I Became A Full-Time Content Writer

My story and personal tips for career progression💡 

Illustration of a ladder in the sky
IN THIS ARTICLE:

Career progression, in simple terms, is the process of climbing up the corporate ladder. It’s all about finding new challenges, opportunities, and having greater responsibility.

And although sometimes it may feel like it’s taking forever, it's important to trust the process and stay motivated 💙👩‍💻

It’s time to go and get that promotion 💅

WHERE I STARTED

I finished college back in 2017, which means it’s been 5 whole years since I had to start making my own money and stop relying on student loans 🙃

It would be fair to say I had a little bit of a shock when I finished studying…

🤝 Jules – the real world 🤝 The real world – Jules 🤝

So, there I was. A graduate with little over $200 in my bank and more than $50,000 in student debt, surviving on a veryhealthy peanut butter and jelly kind of diet.

I was finding it super hard to get interviews for jobs within the area I studied – events management. I wasn’t having any luck, and at this point I just really needed a job.

So… I went down the route many people do once they leave university – I took up a customer service role in a call center.

It was for a sports company with plenty of opportunities to work abroad though, so that was pretty cool 🏈

Competition was hella tough, so I was lucky. And one of the main reasons I landed this job was because I knew someone who knew someone… you get the idea.

Most people seem to get their first career break through connections, so it’s definitely worth putting yourself out there and asking around.

HOW I GOT THE MOST OUT OF THE JOB

I was 21 years old and my confidence wasn’t great as it was my first full-time job. The pressure was on because I knew I needed to learn as much as I could as quickly as I could, to get to where I wanted to be.

And that meant moving as far away from my comfort zone as possible.

Gif of two circles

So…

🚀 I started shadowing other teams in the business to gain experience in different areas

🚀 I put myself forward for as many things as I could. Some of which I didn’t feel totally confident doing (like taking 150+ soccer fans to an away game on a chartered flight 🙃)

🚀 I volunteered as a ‘voice representative’ on behalf of the company and travelled to the head office every couple of months to report on how the business was performing

What I learnt:

  • Getting a role in your desired field isn’t easy
  • Remove yourself from the comfort zone
  • No matter what job you have or the level you’re at, you’ll always learn and gain valuable experience
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HALF-WAY MARK

After around 18 months in my first “proper” job, I was ready to move on as I gained the skills I needed for a similar role in a more well-known company.

So, I packed up my things, moved cities and started working for one of the most well-known consumer finance sites 🧳

And although it was a similar role, my salary increased instantly by $10,000 due to the location and size of the company.

HOW I GOT THE MOST OUT OF THE JOB

Similarly to my previous role, I put myself forward for as many things as possible to help build my confidence.

I had regular one-to-one meetings with my manager to chat about how work was going and the steps I needed to take to progress further. I made it really clear I wanted to move over to the content writing team, and we both did everything we could to make that happen 🚀

So, I took up some of the free courses my company offered, alongside Google Digital Garage and LinkedIn Learning during my own time, to help build on my skills 📚

Some of the courses which helped me:

💻 Google Digital Garage: Fundamentals of digital marketing
💻 Google Digital Garage: Understand customers needs and online behaviors
💻 LinkedIn Learning: Writing a compelling blog post
💻 LinkedIn Learning: Marketing strategy - SEO content writing

I’d also highly recommend a ‘public speaking’ course which you can find on Google Digital Garage, it helped me prepare for interviews 👋

After around 6 months into the job, I was working part-time on the editorial team as a content writer. And after a further 6 months, I moved over full-time and never looked back

When I left college back in 2017, I left with the vision of working within the field I studied, but I soon figured out it doesn’t always work out like that. Sometimes finding the right career path for you is through trial and error.

Learnings:

  • Move to a more well-known company, even if it’s the same role – you’re bound to get a salary increase and there will be opportunities for progression
  • Always take advantage of the free courses your company offers
  • Never be afraid to have a chat with your manager about progression
  • Shadow other teams within the business to gain experience and confidence

WHERE I AM NOW

Well, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a Content Writer at Cleo 👋

I’ve been here for a little over two months.

And I feel super lucky to say I’ve finally landed a job which was everything I wanted in my next role – challenging, a higher salary, way more responsibility, and plenty of opportunities to progress in a fast-paced FinTech start-up 💙

Being at this stage in my career and having the freedom to write about what I want, and what I think is important is just THE best.

TO SUMMARISE

Throwing yourself in at the deep end may be scary and daunting, but it’s great to get any experience you can at first. It really helps build your confidence. And you learn SO much.

We tend to waste way too much time focusing on just the negatives like “what if it all goes horribly wrong?”

But it’s important to remember, the chances are it’ll be absolutely fine, and you’ll enjoy it. And even when something doesn’t go the way you planned, you’ll learn from it and grow 🌱

That promotion is waiting for you, and it’s just around the corner ✨

And if you’re looking for the next stage in your career, Cleo’s hiring 👀

Enjoy this post? Give it a share or send it along to a friend. You never know, it could make a big difference. And of course, if you want to try the best money app in the world for free, just hit this link right here.

Big love. Cleo 💙

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