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Talent Corner: Interview Dos and Absolutely Don'ts
Tips and tricks to help you stand out (in a good way) and succeed in your job interview
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Alyssa joined Cleo in January 2022. We caught up with her to chat about her time at Cleo 💙
I work on the Growth Acquisition team, also known as Gull Group. (It’s a whole seagull thing)
On that team, we have a mini creative agency, which supplies all the content and creative used to bring in new users. My job is leading that team 👋
I directly manage two content writers, and I indirectly manage two designers—all while also copywriting myself. Yes, that's way too many things for one person, so I’m hiring a copywriter.
School that cost too much
I had no idea what I wanted to do in university, but my mom was determined I go. So she enrolled me in the professional writing program at York University (thanks mom).
Her words were “writing is a skill and at least you’ll leave with that.”
After 5 years of not attending lectures and working nights at a bar, I decided I wasn’t ready to be an adult, and went back to school. I specialized in technical writing because I love plain English... and a nice salary. So I did a one-year graduate certificate in technical communications at Seneca College.
My first "adult" job
As a part of my graduate program, I had an internship at this nuclear waste company 😅 and somehow stayed there for three years—going from intern to digital communications specialist.
My job was to make nuclear waste not sound scary. I wrote everything from social content, ads, newsletters, website content, blogs, reports, physical pamphlets (can you believe those still exist). And although I loved taking complex concepts and making them simple, I was stuck in a routine of never being able to do creative things. I guess that’s government work for you.
So what did I do? I got them to pay for a certificate in strategic copywriting at the University of Toronto. And once I got my certificate, I quit and ran so far I ended up in London, England. (I'm from Toronto btw 🇨🇦)
I love how much Cleo values idea generation. We have the freedom to test, learn, iterate, and even fail. For me, this creates an environment where I’m constantly learning and pushing myself to improve. And I get to do that surrounded by people I actually like.
I love this “build credit everyday” campaign we shot this year. We hosted an advertising workshop with another team to get inspired. And left with the concept of using Cleo features in unlikely everyday uses—like cutting pizza or washing your hands.
And since Goose (my dog) was there on shoot day… he had to have a moment.
Choosing one is way too hard, so here are some of my favs:
Office karaoke
This is a karaoke company. We love karaoke so much that an office neighbor was overheard saying “oh they’re at it again, wonder if they're hiring.” (Turns out we are.)
2022 offsite
You know it was a good offsite when there's a video of you on a mechanical bull ✌️
Goose joins the leadership team
Let justice be served. My cute office boy made the Leadership Team.
@Barney get this good boy on payroll.
In
On my purple couch, red wine in my left hand, TikTok in my right hand, Real Housewives on the TV, and my dog in my lap.
Out
At a restaurant, eating olives, ordering a spicy margarita on the rocks (they never come with ice in London), and then complaining about the rain.
Every role is different, so I suggest checking out the other Meet the team blogs to find people in your field. But if I was to give general advice, I’d say come prepared with examples of:
Want to join my team? I’m hiring a Creative Copywriter to join our Growth Creative Team.
I’m looking for someone who can write… on trend. Someone who’s on TikTok and runs to the comment section. Someone who can write short, snappy copy that will get people's attention. And someone who gets sh*t done.
If that sounds like you, please apply with your portfolio.
Tips and tricks to help you stand out (in a good way) and succeed in your job interview
This summer, we asked students from the University of Nottingham to spend a week at Cleo. Safe to say we learnt more from them than they did from us!
*Hold ourselves accountable to this in 2021