Marketing Happy Hour - Landing a Full Time Marketing Job Right Out of College | Alison Taplin of FabFitFun

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome, everyone, to the Marketing Happy Hour podcast, where you'll hear career-defining advice, powerful social media strategies, unique creative tips, groundbreaking influencer marketing tactics, and more from marketing experts that represent some of the world's leading brands. Go ahead, grab a drink, and join us for this week's episode. This social media update comes from Social Media Today. They shared this week that Clubhouse has announced that it's moving out of closed beta, with the app now open to everyone who wants to join a club and tune into the latest audio chats.

Starting point is 00:00:46 As explained by Clubhouse, we have removed our waitlist system so that anyone can join. If you have a club, you can post your link far and wide. If you're a creator with an audience, you can bring them all on. If you're hosting a public event, anyone can attend. You can bring close friends, classmates, family members, co-workers, and anyone else you like on iOS or Android. All right, so this update is definitely a long time coming. I think they should have done this months ago. I know the platform reached a peak in popularity back in February when Elon Musk joined the platform and got in there and did some rooms, but ever since

Starting point is 00:01:22 then it's kind of been on a downward spiral. To be honest, that's kind of why we pulled our marketing happy hour chats off of Clubhouse and put it into the podcast platform, just because it's more on demand for the users. People can listen to it anywhere and they're not constrained to a certain time of day. I think they're going to have to continue to get a little bit creative with opening up the platform more, adding some more features, especially if they want to compete with other platforms, opening more clubhouse clones, kind of like Twitter spaces. So we'll see what continues to happen. You know, they might be able to save themselves if they continue to innovate, but we'll see. This week, we're excited to hear from Allison Taplin of FabFitFun, the seasonal subscription box company that offers customizable selections from some of our favorite brands. She'll be sharing her best career tips for those just starting out in the marketing space

Starting point is 00:02:21 and giving us a taste of what she's learned at FabFitFun. Listen in. Hey, Allison. How are you? I'm great. How are you guys? Good. Thanks so much for joining us. So as you know, you've been on Clubhouse with us, but we always have to ask our speakers

Starting point is 00:02:36 this question because it is marketing happy hour. But what is in your glass tonight? Tonight, I am having a Olipop. This is my second time having it and it's the strawberry vanilla flavor and I really like it. I need to try that. Yum. I have always wanted to try their goodies. I've never been able to try them, but I always see them like, I think they're in Whole Foods and I always pass by they were on sale today so I grabbed two that's amazing I'll have to we actually just got a really huge new Whole Foods in Tampa and I've been dying to go so I'll have to go and

Starting point is 00:03:18 maybe I'll pick up an Olipop there so tell us a little bit about your role now and the company that you work for. I'm familiar myself, but not sure if all of our listeners are. So go ahead and tell us a little bit about that. Yeah, totally. So I work at FabFitFun, which is a subscription box and shopping membership that delivers a seasonal box of home, fashion, beauty, fitness, tech, any other kind of product that you can think of that you get to choose right to your door. So my job within the company is on the paid media team. And I work in between kind of the paid media team and our in-house creative team to request and execute, keep everything organized, all of our creative assets that we use for ads. So it's kind of similar to a project manager role where I just

Starting point is 00:04:14 kind of keep everything in line, keep track of everything that's going on, and then answer any questions that their creative team has and just make sure that everything is turning out how the paid media team wants it. That's great. And so tell us kind of about how you got to where you are. So in college, did you do any internships? What kind of experience and skill sets did you acquire that helped you land a full-time job out of college? Yeah, I did four internships in college and they were actually all pretty different. My first one was in like just social media. I made a bunch of memes, which like was really fun and a talent I didn't even know I had, but some of them went viral and that was like really exciting. And then I did one that was more focused on PR um my next internship after that was on like media sales

Starting point is 00:05:13 and media planning which was so crazy like a whole new world that I'd never even experienced before um and then my last one was at FabFitFun which I did in my last semester of college and then stayed on full-time after I graduated um so yeah semester of college and then stayed on full time after I graduated. So, yeah, they were all kind of all over the place. But I think that's actually good because you can kind of figure out what you like and what you don't like. And both of those are equally as important. Like, for example, the media planning, I had never done anything like that before. And so I learned a lot that summer, made a lot of great friends, but also learned that I didn't want to be in Excel all day doing spreadsheets and numbers and all stuff like that. So it was a great experience to learn that I

Starting point is 00:05:54 didn't want to do that and then could navigate into something more creative and fun. Yeah, that's awesome that you had that experience to kind of round out and help you figure out exactly what you wanted to do or at least what you wanted to and established company fresh out of college. I mean, I'm sure it's difficult in the job search today, trying to navigate, you know, which companies are really hiring and really looking and which ones are just putting the job description up there and looking to more hire internally so what would you what advice do you have yeah that's a great question and I really feel for all of the class of 2020 2021 everybody that's still in school because it has been so crazy with internships over the last year so I feel really lucky that not only I graduated before this whole pandemic

Starting point is 00:07:03 happened but that I had an internship that led right into a full-time job. And also just, we don't at FabFitFun have as big of an internship program as we used to. So I'm lucky that I got in before that kind of stopped. But I would say that like one of my biggest tips would be to just reach out to people um that work at the company not like asking for the job but just to get like a feel for the company and what experience they would recommend having if you wanted to apply there see what the culture is like um and like it could be not even somebody that's like on the team that you want to work for just to see what their experience is like and how they've liked or not liked working there. And also we just, we, so, okay, this is a little bit confusing. I'm moving into a new role and we

Starting point is 00:07:58 just, my replacement just started last week for my old role. And so I got to be involved in the hiring process, which was cool because I'd never done anything like that. But it really gave me like a new perspective on like who stands out and who doesn't stand out. And I think the ones that stood out to me the most were people that could really show how passionate they were about our company just in their cover letter or in the emails they wrote to us or the messages that they sent me on LinkedIn. So that really kind of set them apart and lets the company know that you're not just applying because it's a big name and you want to work for a huge company, but that you really are like connected to their brand and

Starting point is 00:08:33 passionate about what they're doing. I think would really help you like stand apart from everybody else. Yeah. I love that you mentioned cover letters. We had this conversation with someone that was a guest with us the other day, but how cover letters are not in fact dead. And I think one thing I read an article the other day, someone said it's kind of a way to go above and beyond the resume. So to show that you know about the company and the needs of the company. So I love that you mentioned that because it certainly is relevant nowadays. Yeah. And I think a lot of people like think that it has to be very formal and like, this is the experience I have and this is how it applies to the role that you listed here. But it's like you can make it fun and personal and it will really let the recruiting team and the people who are reading your cover letter, get to know a piece of who you are and not just like, I did this internship and it taught me this, like it can be fun and like casual and like really personal. Yeah, definitely.

Starting point is 00:09:27 That's great advice. I would definitely also echo that because I think it's kind of hard to stand out. A lot of people have the same things on their resume these days, same kind of internship experience and all sorts of stuff. So if you can identify your love for the company, your love for what they're doing, and maybe anything that you think could help push them further to where they want to go, I think that's an awesome way to go about your job search. So that's a great idea. Yeah. And I'll say too, like most of the time when you do apply for a job, obviously filling out a resume is required and a cover letter is kind of an optional component. So people who do actually submit cover letters, it shows they took more time to that application and more interest in the company that they're applying for. It's not just, you know, submitting an application to submit an application. So I think it definitely speaks volumes to the

Starting point is 00:10:25 company itself. So really great point there, Allison. Appreciate you mentioning that. So the next question we have for you is, so you're currently kind of in the paid media sector, but you have dabbled kind of in different avenues of the marketing world. So we'd love to get a little bit of insight on your future goals. Do you want to continue in paid media? Would you like to segue into something else? You know, what steps are you taking now, I guess, to get to your future goals that you currently have? Yeah, that's a great question. I do really enjoy paid media just because I feel like you're so connected to the success of the company when, like when your ad is doing really well, you're like, yes, like

Starting point is 00:11:10 I know these are like members that are signing up for a box and like making our company stronger. So like that is like really motivating, but then also adds a lot of pressure. Like when things are not doing well, you're like, oh my God, like we really got to like turn this around. So it's a lot of pressure, but it's good and bad at the same time um but just even like in preparing for this podcast I was like I like my first internship in social media was so much fun and like I said I was like making memes all day and like it was really just like I don't know like I don't want to say casual but just like fun and like I'd see a like a trend and just like I don't know like I don't want to say casual but just like fun and like I'd see a like a trend and just like make something and go for it like that in that way I like organic social

Starting point is 00:11:52 a little bit more just because it can be quick and fun and like funny when paid media is more like serious and more based in data and like you are working off of other ads that you know did well. So I do still love social just on the organic side with memes and stuff. So I would like to incorporate more of that if I can. But there are also a lot of fun projects at FabFitFun that are coming up that I'm excited to keep working on. So, yeah, we'll see what happens. That's awesome. What is one piece of advice that you'd give to someone looking to land in a position that's similar to yours or the one that you are leaving and moving on to something else? Yeah, so my new role is really similar to my old role. I'm just moving over to move on to something new um but yeah for anyone looking to get a similar role to either of those um I would say it's really important to pay

Starting point is 00:13:11 attention to ads that you're seeing in market and what kind of trends are you noticing why do you think that it caught your eye or how would you make it better or how would you apply it to the company that you want to work for the company that you're applying to um just having that knowledge of like being able to analyze the content that you're seeing is really important and then you can iterate on that when you are working in the field um but I would also say like if you are applying to jobs and you're seeing like there are some tools or softwares that you don't have experience in that like a lot of people are asking for there are a lot of like free tools um like the google certifications that are free or like a youtube tutorial that you can like at least

Starting point is 00:13:56 familiar familiarize yourself with um so then you're not coming in blind if they ask you in your interview oh are you familiar with whatever you could just say like I haven't used it before but I'm familiar then um and then okay I know you only said one tip but I'll add one more a little bit um I really I forgot to touch on this um before when I was talking about like my experience in college and stuff but I went to like a bunch of conferences and whenever there were like speaker panels at my school I would always go to those just to hear um like everyone's different experience but also to grow your network and be able to reach out to people afterwards if you had questions for them after or just wanted to connect in case they would come in handy later when you were looking for jobs

Starting point is 00:14:43 um so I would definitely say if your school offers anything like that to go for it and get their email afterwards, or if they give you like their LinkedIn and you can message them on there. I think that is a really good way to not always lead to a job, but just to get grow your network and see who you know that's in common and kind of connect and learn everyone's different experience. Yeah, that's great advice. You never know what a connection will lead to, even if it's something, you know, small right now, who knows in the future, maybe they'll be looking for exactly what you're looking to provide. So that's really good advice. Thank you, Allison. Yeah. And Allison, I mean, you've pretty much set yourself up so well, which is amazing. You know, you touched on networking and looking

Starting point is 00:15:34 out for resources online that are free to you. I mean, Google is just such a powerful mechanism. So for anyone who's looking to learn more about anything in marketing, you know, there's resources like that. Google Facebook blueprint is awesome marketing, there's resources like that. Google, Facebook Blueprint is awesome. So there's so many avenues for people who just don't know how to do something in particular. I know I'm not super versed in advertising. I'm trying to get better at it. But I've just found so many amazing resources online. So that's great that you touched on that.

Starting point is 00:16:03 But in addition to some of the items that you've kind of talked about, is there anything else that you know now that you wish you knew early on when you were kind of starting out in your career and getting out of college? was a little bit unique because I just stayed at the company I was already interning at. But I would say that I didn't expect this transition from college to full-time work to be as like hard as it was. Like I thought it was like, okay, I already work here. Like this is going to be so easy. I already know the people. I already know the job. But it was like a big transition that I feel like not a lot of people really talk about that like now work is all that you do and you don't have school or class or as big of a social calendar anymore so it was a little bit difficult coming right out of college but I would say just like stay connected with your friends and focus on your work, but also have other things that you enjoy outside of work. So work is not all that you're focused on all the time.

Starting point is 00:17:11 That's such a good point. I totally resonate with that adjustment period. I think, you know, transitioning from the always on social calendar in college, or at least that's what it seems like into, okay, now we're focused on work. And now maybe I'll see my friends for, you know, like a drink every other week or something. It's difficult, but it is really true. You have to, you know, stay connected and, and find something that you really love doing that gives you purpose outside of work, I think is something that I've learned for sure. So that's great advice. And then Allison, how can people keep up with you and what you're doing? Is it through Instagram or LinkedIn? What's the best avenue for that?

Starting point is 00:18:02 Yeah, I would say you can add me on LinkedIn or message me on there. You can also, of course, follow me on Instagram, but I do keep my Instagram more personal. So if you're looking for any questions like related to my job, then definitely message me on LinkedIn. Or if you just want to be my friend, follow me on Instagram. My Instagram is just my name at Allison Toplin. And then my LinkedIn is the same, just my name. We kept it simple.

Starting point is 00:18:29 Awesome. I love that. We'll include a little note in the description here where they can find you. Great. Awesome. Thanks, Allison, so much. It was great to have you. And we're looking forward to sharing this with everyone.

Starting point is 00:18:45 Yes. Thank you so much for having me. Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode. And thanks to Allison for chatting with us. If you enjoyed this conversation, please remember to rate and leave a review. And don't forget to keep up with us on our Marketing Happy Hour Instagram. That's at Marketing Happy HR. Have a fantastic week.

Marketing Happy Hour - Landing a Full Time Marketing Job Right Out of College | Alison Taplin of FabFitFun

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