By Lorena Essmeier, Assistant Account Executive, Hoffman Europe
I was one of those kids who really liked watching TV – and luckily, I had parents who didn’t have a problem with it. That’s not to say that I did it all the time, but definitely on a regular basis.
At some point during all that media consumption, my desire to work in the communications field emerged. I was always curious, liked to travel and was eager to learn — perfect for a career as a journalist, right? The years passed, and things changed, but my goal of pursuing a career in journalism remained.
Just a few months before graduating from high school, however, I realized that the job wasn’t for me for a variety of reasons that I’ll save you the trouble of reading. Fortunately, my school offered career counseling, and they suggested I major in cultural studies as it seemed to combine my strengths and interests.
Spoiler alert: I actually ended up majoring in European ethnology and explored various disciplines in the field, including media. Along the way, I also used social media increasingly as interacting and networking are simply the essence of being as a student. Admittedly, it was part of my free time, too.
At some point during my college career, I had to decide on a topic for my thesis. While I was thinking about possible topics, I realized another dream of mine: having a dog of my own. Out of my love for dogs and interest in social media came my thesis that focused on dog profiles on Instagram.
You could say my thesis really got the ball rolling on my career path, because during the research, I found that social media wasn’t just something I enjoyed on a personal level. I liked it for work, too.
To deepen my knowledge and get into the field professionally, I applied for a social media internship at Krones AG, a German engineering company that is considered one of the country’s prime examples of successful B2B social media marketing.
The internship opened my world to corporate communications — managing content, maintaining accounts, community management, monitoring and much more. This was all incredibly fun and renewed my passion for communications. After several months at the company, it was time for a new adventure, and through a friend, I became aware of The Hoffman Agency.
After getting to know the team, it was clear that it was a match. On November 16, I started my role as assistant account executive. Of course, it hasn’t been that long since I started, but what I can say so far is that it’s a challenging, yet exciting job. I also have a great team who involves me bit by bit and always has an open ear for questions.
But before I wrap up, I must address the headline of this post. What my story also shows is that it’s not about stubbornly pursuing a goal but about celebrating getting there and staying open-minded about other possibilities that may arise. I have taken a new route on my journey, and I’m more than curious where this path will take me. I encourage everyone else to do the same.
