What are your job responsibilities/duties?
At Clique, we build websites for organizations. My role involves two primary tasks: Strategy and copywriting. That means structuring websites in a way that reduces friction and drives conversions and writing copy that tells their story in a way that resonates with key audiences. I also create content for Clique designed to increase our reach and educate our readers: from writing articles, to creating content, and managing our social media.
What does a typical day look like?
No day is the same at Clique. I might spend a day writing website copy for a client, prepping for a messaging strategy workshop, or shooting a video for internal content. There's never a dull moment.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I think it's the trust. The leaders at our company really trust everyone to take ownership of their projects and do the best job in service of our clients. And we always have support or back up should we need it because everyone takes such pride in their work.
What is the most difficult aspect of the job?
Not having enough time to do everything. I tend to over prepare or do more than is required to get a job "done" to feel good about it. But sometimes, "done" is better than "perfect". It's tough for me personally to toe that line.
What on-campus activities were you involved with? Where did you gain relevant experience?
I was involved with AAF when I was at ILLINOIS. Midnight Oil, in particular. It was a mock agency that did real work for local clients on campus. It was my first experience interacting with clients. Having that experience early on helped me get comfortable as I navigated account management, freelancing, and now working at Clique.
How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your professional life? For this specific position?
I think the professors in the College of Media placed a good amount of emphasis on "doing your homework". Not just in the traditional sense, but in being prepared, being deeply interested, and doing a good amount of research. That practice is really helpful for my work today.
What advice do you have for students interested in this field?
I'm going to recycle some advice from Professor Chambers on the first day of Advertising History. He said, "if you want to be interesting, you first have to be interested". That means if you want to stand out, you have to show--keyword being show--people that you're interested. Enthusiasm goes a long way.
What is one thing that you know now that you wish you had known when you started in the field? When you graduated from the College?
People respect action above everything. Actions express priorities. If you have an idea, act on it first, then ask for permission.