This week, our chapter was visited by Ohio University alumna and past chapter member, Kelly Lambers (‘22). During her time at OU, Kelly was also a campus tour guide and a Morale Captain within the Bobcathon organization. Today, Kelly works as an Associate Social Media Strategist at Dooley Social Studios, a full-service social media marketing agency based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kelly said that she has been with Dooley since she graduated from OU. Kelly attributed her decision to stay with Dooley to the agency’s commitment to work-life balance and cultural values.
During her presentation, Kelly walked us through her career experiences, daily responsibilities and her advice for our chapter members as OU students.
Career Reflection:
During her presentation, Kelly revealed to us the many expectations she had as a college student for what her future career would look like. Specifically, Kelly revealed that she thought her chosen field of social media marketing would be much easier than she thought, but learned that it was much more complex than she knew. Since starting her career, Kelly has learned to work with the field’s many complexities. Kelly also spoke about two common mindsets that college students may have when entering the work world: that they need to have all the answers or that they have to leave home to succeed and find larger opportunities. Kelly disproved these assumptions and instead encouraged us all to be willing to learn, ask questions while working and to find opportunities that best fit our needs and interests.
Kelly’s Role:
While presenting, Kelly gave us a close look at what her job’s responsibilities look like. She categorized her responsibilities into four main areas, including account ownership, cross-team collaboration, strategy development and performance and optimization. Kelly discussed how much of her work revolves around evaluating social media trends/patterns and learning how to apply them to her clients’ needs and wants. Kelly also explained that working in socials means having the freedom to “push the envelope” in advertising and having a greater emphasis on creativity and audience engagement.
Kelly’s Advice:
Below are Kelly’s main points of advice for our chapter members to take into consideration during their time in Athens.
- “Get involved in Scripps PRSSA and stay actively engaged.”
- “Seek out learning opportunities from professors, mentors and industry professionals.”
- “Work hard, but give yourself grace throughout the process.”
- “Take advantage of your time in Athens—get involved and make meaningful memories.”
Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn, here.
Ella Neighborgall is majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in PR & Advertising. You can connect with Ella here.