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During my internship at MARKCubator, I realized the importance of community building, which is a core value of the company. As an Event Coordinator, I aimed to cultivate this sense of community by organizing an informal networking event—a first in three years for MARKCubator. The primary goal of this event was to help attendees forge stronger connections with both their peers and industry professionals, facilitating professional development through mutual support.
Traditionally, MARKCubator’s networking events featured formal panel sessions followed by brief "speed networking" rounds. This approach often created a barrier between industry professionals and attendees, limiting opportunities for genuine connection. To address this, I designed a more relaxed and engaging event format. Instead of formal talks, guest speakers were assigned trending topics and interacted with smaller groups for extended periods. This setup ensured that even the more reserved attendees could fully benefit from the event, fostering deeper and more meaningful interactions.
I invited professionals from various sectors within marketing, including analytics, branding, influencer marketing, events, agency work, and strategic planning. This diverse lineup allowed attendees to explore different areas of marketing and identify the fields that interests them.
The topics selected for the guest speakers were not only current trends in the industry but also beneficial for international students aiming to secure employment in Australia, providing them with valuable insights to advance their careers.
How to Deal with Interviewers of Different Personalities
Dr. Theresa Teo (Founder/Director of AlphaIMM Agency)
During an interview, observe the types of questions you're asked to determine what the interviewer values most.
Dominant (D):
Characteristics: Result-oriented, decisive, direct, competitive.
Focus: Achieving results and goals.
Interview Tips: Highlight achievements with specific numbers and outcomes.
Influential (I):
Characteristics: Enthusiastic, sociable, persuasive, optimistic.
Focus: Influencing and energizing others.
Interview Tips: Be engaging, show social skills, and discuss hobbies and interests.
Steady (S):
Characteristics: Patient, supportive, team-oriented, methodical.
Focus: Teamwork and collaboration.
Interview Tips: Emphasize teamwork, collaboration, and support for others.
Conscientious (C):
Characteristics: Detail-oriented, precise, structured.
Focus: Accuracy and quality.
Interview Tips: Provide detailed, methodical, and structured responses.
Interview Preparation Tips: Avoid memorizing answers word-for-word; use bullet points and be flexible.
Understanding your dominant traits can help you find the right job and work environment. Aligning your job with your personality can lead to better job performance and long-term satisfaction. Be proactive in your job search and understand what you want from a role.
Navigating Networking Events: Mastering Professional Interactions
Kate (Brand Manager of Wella Company)
Defining Your Networking Goals: Determine whether you aim to find a job, learn about industries, or meet professionals. Networking is more effective for understanding industries and establishing connections, rather than finding a job.
Leveraging Platforms for Networking Opportunities:
LinkedIn (including joining relevant groups, cold messages to professionals)
Career Websites
University Societies
Xiaohongshu (for Chinese-speaking individuals)
Some people are naturally confident and comfortable with networking. Others, like our guest speaker, Kate, an INTJ, feels awkward around new people but can improve with practice!
The Three Parts of Networking:
1. Pre-Event Preparation:
Research profiles and career journeys of professionals and prepare specific questions. Ask open-ended questions to get them to share!
How did you get into this industry?
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Etc.
2. At the Event:
Arrive early to get a head start on networking.
Be genuine and show interest in others’ experiences and insights.
3. Post-Event Follow-Up:
Connect with professionals on LinkedIn and ask for a coffee chat to discuss their experiences and insights. Maintain these relationships by frequently engaging with questions about industry trends, interesting articles, and their work experiences. If you establish a good rapport, consider meeting for lunch and seeking their advice on career development. This approach provides mutual benefits, as professionals enjoy giving back and identifying potential talent, while you gain valuable insights and opportunities.
Networking is a lifelong activity, not a one-off event. Establish relationships early for future career opportunities and advice.
Matching Jobs to Personalities: Leveraging Strengths and Minimizing Weaknesses
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses through the MBTI is crucial for success, allowing you to highlight your strengths and address your weaknesses. For example, as an INTJ, strengths include being organized and detail-oriented, while weaknesses may involve spontaneous conversations and public speaking. The 16 personalities test provides detailed results, outlining characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, possible career paths, and workplace preferences. Job positions often require specific personality traits, revealing the type of worker needed.
A common question is whether introverts are suitable for marketing jobs. Absolutely! The marketing industry offers diverse roles, such as data analysis and advert copywriting, that suit introverted individuals. Remember, your current vulnerabilities can be overcome with time and effort!
Getting to know yourself is a gradual process involving self-reflection, feedback from others, and a continuous search for improvement!
Exploring the World of Analytics
Yan Yu Hui (Marketing Specialist at Australian Broadcasting Corporation) & Vy Le (Account Executive at OMD)
Marketing analytics plays a crucial role across various industries, including media agencies and broadcasting companies, as demonstrated by Vy's and Yan Yu's experiences. But is analytics your cup of tea?
Analytics role is highly technical, often requiring proficiency in SQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, M Scripts, R, Python, Tableau, or Power BI, depending on the specific job. When Yan started, she had no coding experience, but her willingness to learn allowed her to master these skills from scratch by referring to others' work and resources. From here, you can see the importance of self-learning and adaptability. Once you’re better at it, you have your own template and can train other people, an asset that is valuable towards the company!
Consider building emails, it sounds easy, but the back-end work is far from simple. You need to customize details and send personalized messages, requiring knowledge of JavaScript or M Scripts within the platform.
In addition to all the above, marketing often involves uncertainty, requiring extensive testing to identify similar patterns and effective strategies.
Professionals insights on AI
Susan Chen (Marketing Integration Manager at LEGO)
Due to COVID, Susan is unable to attend the session. Instead, she will host a free Zoom meeting for the attendees. Details will be provided soon!
Author: Clarissa Winata
Date Published: 25 June 2024
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