WOMEN@WORK: LINNEA KENNISON
Linnea attended Bridgewater State University (in Massachusetts) and studied Corporate Communications and Public Relations. She now works as a Social Media Queen over at Wayfair.
Meet Linnea!
Q: What do you do at work?
Linnea: I am a Social Media Content Strategist for a major e-retailer headquartered in Boston, MA. Essentially, what that means is I'm responsible from the company's social media handles and the content that's published everyday. It's really a 'start to finish' process in that I come up with a content stream, work with our creative counterparts to build assets, and I ensure all content is published (it's a 7 day a week gig!). I'm also responsible for reporting on the channels: fan growth, tracking visits to site, extracting trends we're noticing, along with managing customer feedback. There's never a boring day on the job!
Q: What would a productive day look like at the office?
Linnea: I love this question, because there are different iterations but I think one productive day looks something like this -- meetings in the morning with our creative team to pulse check assets, then post to social, check comments & posts we've been tagged in to see what our customers are saying... and have the rest of the afternoon to answer emails and to chip away at everything I need to get done. Other days, it's being on set all day and getting some killer footage & BTS (behind the scenes). Depends on the day and the time of year, honestly!
Q: What brings you the most joy at your work?
Linnea: What brings me the most joy is seeing our customers excited about the content we post for her! I work hard, with the help of so many others in the company, to serve her things that she wants to engage with and shop, so there's seriously nothing better than crushing your KPI benchmarks (key performance indicators) and feeling proud that I've accomplished exactly what I've set out to do. And on the other hand, if she doesn't vibe with a post, it pushes me to think more critically about performance and what to change in the future. Making our customers happy is our end goal, always, and I really strive to make that happen.
Q: What do you think has been the most pivotal or most influential thing in getting you to where you are today?
Linnea: My first job after graduating was at a PR Agency where I interned. What was meant to be one semester turned into two years because I really put in the effort to make it work. I think that's one thing I would go back and do again...get real-world experience! It teaches you so much -- is that really what you want to do? Who you want to grow up to become? And on top of the internship, I never said "no". I never felt "too good" for any task, in any role, at any time. I started out on the menial tasks and worked my way up to the more serious, client-facing projects before I finished school! Not many of my peers could say the same and I've tried to keep that mindset in every step of my career.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is starting out in the work world for the first time?
Linnea: One of the best pieces of advice I ever got, and something I would want to relay to someone who's early in their career is this: "your job is to make your manager's job easier." I think that is really valuable advice -- also use "answer first communication" when you're talking to someone in a higher position. Reality is, they're busy and have a lot on their plate, so make it very easy for them to take away the main points from your (sometimes short) conversations. It's a device used to provide important information, structured thoughtfully so nothing is missed. The earlier you can hone that skill, the more successful you'll become.
Q: How you have found community post-college whether that be at work or outside work?
Linnea: I'm a relatively outgoing person, so I'd say I don't have any issue with working with others, but it helps that the culture in my workplace is young and energetic. I've heard several, more tenured people than me, say how important it is to find a place to work where others are like-minded, who can challenge you without creating a taxing environment, and ultimately, help you along in your career. That's not to say there won't be stressful times, I think that's where you learn & grow the most!, but finding a community is important to your success, and overall happiness in a role.
Q: What were you most scared about when graduating?
Linnea: I think less scared and more excited!? Sure, the usual things like, will I get a job? Am I going to find a mentor? Is this going to be what I want to do forever? But life begins at the end of your comfort zone, so I would urge newcomers to not be scared and just say "yes"!
Q: What has surprised you most about starting a job?
Linnea: Something that genuinely surprises me on a daily basis is how small the world is...I think no matter what size company you work at, there are going to be overlapping networks and social circles. Use it to your advantage and connect with people on LinkedIn, or ask people what they're planning on doing over the weekend, I feel like there are always tangential friendships and connections on the horizon wherever you go!
Q: Do you have a side hustle/ if you do can you explain or dive deeper into it?
Linnea: don't! I used to have a Tumblr, which I loved curating for fun, and I've created a couple different Instagram handles but I've never really wanted to be in the spotlight like that. I like being BTS.
Q: What would be an average workday outfit would be for you?
Linnea: So, honestly, this is so seasonally-specific in Boston but, loose, cropped jeans, a light sweater or turtleneck, and sneakers is a go-to outfit for me. I like staying casual with a bit of Cali cool vibes, queue Vans(!), and pockets are everything since I always have my phone! One part of working in the social media industry is always checking posts, spying on competitors, and remaining active on the platforms...a place to keep my phone is a must-have.
Thanks for sitting down with Holdette Linnea!
Enjoyed reading about Linnea and her work in all things social? Stay tuned for our next post where we'll have a chance to sit down with more working ladies!