Two short weeks after graduating in May from New England College I was thrown into the real-world as I began my career in marketing at Amoskeag Health in Manchester, NH. While I was incredibly blessed to get a job right out of college, it was also incredibly overwhelming.
In my first week, I launched into rebranding efforts for my organization. Luckily, it didn’t feel far from my home in The NewEnglander office as I sat in a different seat, in a different office, still playing in Adobe InDesign. Whether it was designing a flyer, creating nearly 250 staff business cards, or coordinating with our printer to have new documents produced, I learned so much while also feeling like an asset to my team just in my first few weeks. Come June 13, not even a month since I started, we announced our new logo, brand, website, and social media accounts to the community.
Since then, I have designed and created 10 brand new rack cards to promote our internal services. This required coordinating with our clinical teams to develop content as well as working with operations to install displays in 42 exam rooms across our four locations. On top of that, I have designed 3 bi-folds, 2 booklets, 4 tri-folds, 2 stand-up banners, more posters than I could possibly count, all while actively managing three social media accounts, our website, and writing press releases.Â
All of this wouldn’t have been possible for me without my work on The NewEnglander. Nearly everything I was doing for free on The NewEnglander, simply because I wanted to, I am now paid for as part of my job!
When I arrived for my interview for this position, I was confident as I held a portfolio of all my accomplishments through my years as a staff member, editor, and eventually editor-in-chief. I knew I was qualified and was confident I could make a huge impact in this organization through their rebrand.
The skills I obtained through writing articles, editing peer work, designing print editions, managing social media, and running meetings have directly influenced my work ethic and success at my first job out of college. I never imagined how much I would use InDesign in my day to day life and how much my experience designing, redesigning, and designing again would help me succeed in the workplace.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing has been easy. I am continuously learning and there is always something new to do that will push me out of my comfort zone and challenge me. Most recently, I coordinated a photo shoot for new promotional images for our social media and marketing materials. Not only did I successfully set this up, but I also took the photos.
As editor-in-chief, I always felt that I was wearing multiple hats. In the real world, it is the exact same way. I am grateful that New England College and The NewEnglander helped me learn how to balance and prioritize my responsibilities in order to be successful. Learning Adobe InDesign, writing, editing, and managing social media with the newspaper has been invaluable tools in my continued success.
The bottom line: if you want a prosperous career in marketing or communications, please join The NewEnglander. The skills you gain will set you apart from the competition when applying for your first job. Even if you don’t like to write, join. You can manage social media, take photographs, or design print editions. There is so much room to learn and grow in this very accessible on-campus club.Â
Just join. I promise you will not regret it.
