I recently had a chance to speak with Kate Gardiner who I have admired from afar for just about forever. Ever since I joined an incredible networking group called TheLi.st, I've been watching her and she's unbelievable. She's an audience engagement specialist working with media brands to redefine their digital futures. She's the founder of Dstl, which is a New York based agency serving clients around the world, and she's also the co-founder of AVG. I'm really, really impressed by the work she's doing with media companies - she'll tell you all about it, give you some good thoughts on your first start out of school, as well as what media brands need to do to survive in today's day and age.
Key Topics
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The Story of Kate's Career
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Advice for Getting a Foot Through The Door in The Job Market
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Having Downtime From the Internet
Key Answers
Should you jump into consulting waters straight out of grad school?
"You can, but you shouldn't. The challenge is that you won't have the same understanding of the business environment or the working environment so it's hard for you to provide insight as a consultant, as you'll be giving advice around a space that you don't really understand. In the context of a new and emerging platform, this may be an area of expertise, but you probably don't have an understanding of the dynamics of a team and how that could impact the execution of a strategy. These are the kinds of puzzles you'll come up against and need to have a solution for."
What's your advice for securing a job now that there seem to be fewer and fewer?
"I had 11 internships. It's a mixture of being really good at filling in forms and being tireless in your networking and freelance opportunities. Even if you can't find a full-time role, you can find a half dozen part time roles and just manage your time effectively. You can now secure paid internships, but there are fewer that are available. The other option is to go to a non-coastal city. There are definitely many more opportunities to specialize in audience engagement there. It'll be a slower path and you'll have to move across jobs but you don't have to spend too long in these. It's no longer for 2 years, it can just be 6 months in some cases as long as you have a clear and demonstrable trajectory from the positions that you've held. Take advantage of opportunities offered to you and work towards it, even if it means you have to have multiple jobs."
Key Soundbites
- "There are no jobs and media is dying"
- "Be tireless in your networking and freelance opportunities if you want to get your foot through the door."
- "I make sure I take at least 2-4 weeks every year away from the internet."
Resources
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Company Website: http://kategardiner.com/
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Personal Twitter: @KateGardiner
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Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gardinerkate
Enjoy, and check back here for more episodes of the All the Social Ladies podcast on Social Media Today.
This article was originally published on Apple News: