If you asked all our team members how they like to start their day, we’re sure you would get some different answers. But only one of them would say they like to wake up before 7 a.m. to go on a 5K run – meet our student worker Melissa! Over the last two months, Melissa has worked as a copywriter for our Financus and Feeling Lucky Belgium sites, creating content in Dutch and translating it to French as needed. In our latest interview to meet the clovio team, Melissa told us about everything she learned during her student work placement at clovio and how this helped her gain relevant experience to start a full-time job as a copywriter.
Why did you decide to apply for a student job with clovio?
As a fresh graduate of the University of Antwerp, I was looking for a job as a copywriter. It was hard to find something where they didn’t ask for previous experience. But then all of a sudden, the vacancy for a student job at clovio caught my eye. It was for a copywriter – perfect for me to gain some experience in the industry and work on something I like.
What is your role with clovio?
As I mentioned above, I worked as a copywriter at clovio. This means that I wrote for the Financus and Feeling Lucky websites. Most of the time I wrote in Dutch as I’m a native Dutch speaker. But in the case of the Feeling Lucky articles, I also translated them into French. The topics were very different, which made the work really attractive and fun to do. At first, I wasn’t familiar with these topics so I had to do a lot of research. But what I liked about it was the fact that I learned something every day.
What does your ideal day at work as a student worker look like?
As I worked from home, I was free to choose when my workday started. Because I’m the sporty type, I set my alarm at 6.45 a.m. to start my day with a 5K run in the neighborhood. With loads of energy afterwards, I could start my workday well. For the rest of the day, I sat behind my computer to write some interesting articles. Sometimes, it was a bit unpleasant to be all by yourself at your work desk without any contact with colleagues, but after two months I was used to it.
How did your experience with clovio help you prepare for a full-time job?
A lot! As I really want to work as a copywriter, this student job was very helpful. Most vacancies for a copywriter or anything similar ask for employees with experience. As a recent graduate, experience is really scarce. Thanks to this job with clovio, I gained two months experience, which is a good start to enter the real job market.
What are your career plans after you finish your studies?
I really want to work as a full-time copywriter somewhere. It doesn’t matter what industry or company, because my passion lies in writing and editing. It would be nice to get a permanent contract, but I’m aware of the adverse situation the coronavirus creates. A lot of companies don’t have the budget or the need to hire new employees right now – certainly, recent graduates are disadvantaged in this case. But I’m doing my best and I keep looking for a job I like.
What advice do you have for those who want to become a (remote) student worker in online media?
Very cliche, but if you want something, just go for it. I have experienced that it isn’t easy to find a student job in the online media sector. Mostly, these jobs are for those with some experience and not for students. But how can we students ever get experience just by studying? So, if you are dedicated enough to chasing your dreams, you’ll absolutely get what you want. But don’t take it too easy, because most of the time it’s not going to happen on its own.
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