What does a typical day in the life of an account manager look like?
A day as an account manager is quite varied with no two days the same. However, I always start my day with a walk, enjoying the silence in the city before thinking about the multiple deadlines for the coming day. Then I’m ready to kick off: taking a brief from a client, developing narratives, training a spokesperson on an upcoming business announcement, reviewing work from the team to ensure our clients brand and identity is adhered to in a marketing campaign we are developing, drafting articles, developing narratives and presenting work to clients. Did I already mention you need to be adaptable 😉?
What three skills do you think are essential to fulfil your role?
- Powers of persuasion! Being able to recommend appropriate tactics to clients and lead teams on project implementation.
- Being proactive in keeping things moving and making things happen! You need to be actively engaged, not passively observing and always looking to the future.
- Always questioning. Demonstrating a strategic and thoughtful approach in challenging yourself and others to ask the right questions. Sometimes you need to dig into the pain points of the client and get to the facts that will help to deliver better results.
- Be adaptable. Business priorities can change and adapt at hyper-speed, especially in fast-moving fields. When you work for a wide range of clients you need to learn fast and good at transferring your skills to different scenarios.
What do you like best about working at Edelman?
More than anything, I enjoy the people I work with! Everyone is passionate about doing their best, it always feels like a team-effort. Additionally, I get the chance to work with so many other areas of the business (e.g. Digital, Creative or Data and Intelligence) which enhances my knowledge and skills.
What are some of the challenges you face in your day-to-day role?
Sometimes there can be a lot to juggle. Especially when you haven’t had the chance to build a relationship with a client or the opportunity to demonstrate your competence and credibility. You need to build trust from the pitch stage all the way through!
Describe your working week using 3 emojis
🤹 🤓 🤝
What’s been your most memorable moment at Edelman so far?
My secondment at a global energy supplier was definitely a highlight. Being involved in developing a national supplier event: narrowing down the scope and tailoring it to the needs of their NL business, drafting a strategic communications plan and dealing with internal politics and stakeholders.
What’s your favourite part of a working day?
When proposals become reality: turning your expertise into the execution of plans.
How do you stay motivated?
Focus on your goal and remind yourself of what you want to get out of your day. This helps you to know exactly what action you will take to move forward.
What’s your top tip for working from home?
Repeat a set of habits (e.g. moving your body or reading) each morning that boost you into an ideal mental and emotional state. The result – at least for me – leads to productivity.
Did anything surprise you when you joined Edelman?
The amount and variety of work you can do within a short time – nothing is impossible!
Finally, how do you see your career path developing in the future?
Focusing further on corporate communications: branding, reputation, issues management and community relations.
