What does a typical day in the life of a Senior Digital Content Specialist look like?
This job is all about having the flexibility of a circus artist – delicately dancing between team meetings, content creation, client presentations, social media campaigns, deadlines, strategies, briefing colleagues, and anything in between. Juggling these tasks with poise and grace feels like walking on a tightrope. It is challenging, but extremely rewarding. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
What three skills do you think are essential to fulfil your role?
- Strategic and creative thinking
Sometimes, what the client wants to say is not what the audience wants to hear. It is up to the content specialist to bridge the gap. Other times, brands really don’t know what they want to say – so you have to make it up as you go. Fun!
- Time management skills
If you don’t know how to manage your own time, you will drown in a sea of to-do’s in a matter of days. It is essential to stay afloat because deadlines are very tight for digital channels.
- Teamwork
Teamwork makes the dream work! Knowing what each teammate’s strength is and what kind of work brings them joy will ensure you can give clients the highest quality.
What do you like best about working at Edelman?
When I was 23, I found out I was on the autism spectrum. Usually in the professional sphere, this is a stigma. I’ve always been told to keep this to myself, as it is assumed that it will not help my career path due to prejudices. I kept this integral part of myself hidden.
However, at Edelman, I realized this shouldn’t be the case. Here, you’re viewed in light of your performance, not your background, socioeconomic class, gender, or neurological differences. Thanks to the open and inclusive environment at Edelman I felt right at home. About half a year in I decided to ‘come out’. The feedback I got was overwhelmingly positive. However, we are not there yet. The fact that coworkers called me brave for coming out shows that neurological differences/neurodiversity isn’t normalized yet. Edelman has encouraged me to spearhead the neurodiversity and disability movement in EMEA, to support an inclusive working environment further.
Words can’t express how grateful I am for this unique opportunity and for the fact that I can truly bring my full self to work without feeling like I have to hold back. I’ve never felt more at home.
What are some of the challenges you face in your day-to-day role?
As a specialist, you are required to not only know the ins and outs of communications and understand all the different factors that come into play, but also of your own expertise, which is the digital playing field and content. It is essential to stay up to date for all.
Furthermore, with the workload divided across many clients, working on 12+ projects simultaneously, and some projects requiring immediate attention, it can feel like you need to split yourself in four to get everything done in time.
Describe your working week using 3 emojis
🤯🚀🌞
What’s been your most memorable moment at Edelman so far?
It must be the last official off-site we had. It was an inspiring day, and afterwards we all dressed into ridiculous themed outfits and drank more Moscow Mules than I will allow myself to tell you. The entire day was magical.
What’s your favourite part of a working day?
That feeling of completing a piece of work and knowing that it is good. You’ve put your best self into the work and you expect positive results: a happy client, better brand awareness, more leads, etc. It’s a wholesome feeling to know that you did well. I’m glad I get the chance to do that every day.
How do you stay motivated?
My motivation KPI (key performance indicator) is to be challenged while still having a manageable workload. I always have nice chats with my line manager where I indicate what my needs are and he makes sure they are met. Is the work challenging enough? Am I learning on the job? Am I able to progress projects and bring quality into the work? Am I busy, but not too busy? We check in on these questions and if something is amiss my manager will make sure we get things back on track.
What’s your top tip for working from home?
I usually work out in the mornings. Getting into action mode starts the day energized and motivated. It’s also crucial to stimulate your creativity throughout the day as a content specialist. Sitting in your home all day, watching paint dry, is not the way to get inspiration for your content. So, during the day I take mini-breaks (when possible) to recharge my content batteries. I go for a little walk, fiddle on the piano, or do something else completely unrelated.
Did anything surprise you when you joined Edelman?
Just how much I would learn in such a short timeframe! I was immediately thrown into the deep end, but managed to learn so much.
Finally, how do you see your career path developing in the future?
I am currently developing myself to do more strategic work. Furthermore, I’m going to increase awareness for the neurodiversity topic. It is close to heart, and I feel we still have strides to make in this regard.
