Sabrina
Digital Marketing Program

Life repositioning through stepping out of comfort zone
Sabrina: Qualification is not everything

Nowadays, what you have studied is no longer a matter of course to your career path. Sabrina, who could not find job satisfaction in the customer service industry she worked in, has determined to change her career path by learning digital marketing from scratch, then successfully turned her interest into her profession! From Sabrina’s story, we learn that as long as you are well-quipped, even though you are switching to a new profession, irrelevant to your prior educational background, you can still make your own way.

Hope to regain motivation during work burnout
Like many teenagers, Sabrina has interest in new things and keeps track of online trends and hot topics. She has studied for an associate degree in corporate communication
and public relations then became a customer service representative after graduation. After entering the workforce, she realized that this industry does not suit her personality and strengths. Besides, the outbreak of the epidemic gave her more time and room to think about life, so she quitted her job without hesitation and tried to develop a different path.

At that time, the idea of switching professions came across Sabrina’s mind. She decided to boldly self-nominate herself to positions related to digital marketing, as she was interested in it. However, she got rejected every time. “I knew it. I am not outstanding regarding my educational background, also I don’t have any relevant work experience. My knowledge is insufficient even though I have studied relevant courses. My mind went blank when interviewers asked me questions,” she said frankly. Sabrina was not discouraged because of this and determined to equip herself to set off again by joining the ‘Digital Marketing Program’ jointly organized by CLAP@JC and Generation Hong Kong.

Practical experience with industry partner sharing
Set development direction
You all are familiar with online media, but one may not know how it actually works. Sabrina learned a lot of digital marketing strategies and skills during the program, such as “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO) and “Search Engine Marketing” (SEM), social media and brand marketing, etc. all of the above are technical skills. The program also provides practical opportunities. For example, the LIVE Project participated by employer partners allows Sabrina to apply what she has learned. Tailor-made promotion materials for specific brands makes her understand that “You know how to surf on the internet doesn’t mean you can work as a digital marketer.”

To help learners in fully grasping the requirements of an actual workplace, Generation Hong Kong and CLAP@JC arrange sharing sessions with employer partners to share their experiences and provide guidance to learners. Sabrina treasures the opportunity to communicate with the industry insiders. The experienced instructors, apart from sharing their experience in the industry, also give support and encouragement to the learners, which she has benefited from it a lot. “When I encountered any problems, I feel free to ask for advice. When they know I’m going to have an interview, they even prepare a mock interview for me.” She joked that they are even more nervous than her. She added that before attending the program, the picture of the digital marketing industry can just be based on imagination, but through employers’ sharing, it helps to better understand the job content and industry prospects, laying a solid foundation for the future.

In addition to industry knowledge enhancement, the program also focuses on soft skill trainings through group projects. Sabrina frankly said that she also learned a lesson about interpersonal relations. “I’m a direct person. I didn’t know my words sounded rude to others. I was criticized by the teammates for my bad attitude.” Having been pointed out the problem by her instructor, Sabrina is determined to make a difference. She understands that if she wants to work in the digital marketing industry in the future, contacting different customer groups becomes inevitable, and good communication skills are required. “Many people think that online media is merely a one-way transmission of information. Yet, it is necessary to consider whether the other side can receive and understand the message. Only mutual interaction is considered as a success.”

Breakthrough on traditional recruitment
Seeking “Perfect Match” in workplace
After the two-month program, Sabrina firmly believed that she had found the right direction, and she was given an interview opportunity. She remembered that nothing has been heard after the interview, so she decided to take an initiative to call the company and ask about the result. Jeffrey, the employer, was impressed by such passion. Seeing Sabrina’s proactiveness, Jeffrey believes that compared with an academic background, a proactive attitude can better reflect future work performance, so he decided to hire Sabrina, giving her a chance to realize her dream!

Jeffrey considers that the program not only helps young people plan for the future but also reduces talent mismatch for employers. “A traditional recruitment depends on resume, but academic qualification may not meet the actual job requirements. If there’s a need to search for an alternative, there’ll be a need to retrain staff as well, which means an increase in recruitment cost. On the other hand, the job seekers may not find out the work is not as expected and unable to give full play to their talents until they have started their work, which will affect their career and life development.”

Many teenagers may have a similar story to Sabrina’s. How to choose between staying in your comfort zone and switching to new professions? Here’s the advice from Sabrina. “Life is full of possibilities. You won’t know if that’s your thing if you don’t try out. Don’t limit yourselves by qualifications or work experience. More importantly, it’s your courage to face challenges. Even if it’s not what you expected in the end, at least you find a proper orientation to your own development.” Sabrina was once an office lady waiting time passes while at work, through the program jointly organized by Generation Hong Kong and CLAP@JC, she gets to know herself and a real workplace better. She appreciates herself for being willing to take this very first step and now she enjoys every challenge at work.