Career X Culture with Senior Manager of Paid Social, Isabel Cahill
Welcome to Career X Culture, an ongoing series showcasing the talented people of iProspect and their unique backgrounds, passions, and accomplishments.
In this edition, meet Isabel Cahill, a senior manager of paid social at iProspect US. Isabel reflects on the importance of communication and speaking to a client’s needs as well as the vital role confidence plays in signalling knowledge and expertise. Read more about Isabel and her role, in the Q&A interview below:
Q> What does a typical workday look like for you?
Isabel> Our team starts every day with a Scrum meeting, which essentially is a project management meeting. We are all working remotely and having a touch base every day is so important. We go through what everybody is doing each week and prioritize it by day. It helps organise us and is designed to let the team plan out their work for the day as well as identify any obstacles that could impact that work. Then, we break into tasks, and as a manager, I am meeting with the team to go over decks, media plans, and recommendations. I am always challenging the team to think outside of the box.
Q> What is one skill they do not teach in school that you use every day?
Isabel> Communication is the number one skill I use, and it is a skill that encompasses so many different areas. Communicating with confidence” is key, especially when speaking with clients. It is so important to backup knowledge and expertise by speaking confidently to signal that you know what you’re talking about. My role also includes learning to communicate effectively with my team, even sometimes over-communicating. We’re all doing different things but knowing that all our different roles affect each other and learning how to communicate that by setting clear expectations when it comes to deliverables, bandwidth, etc., is vital.
Q> What was your first job? What was the most important skill/lesson you learned?
Isabel> I was doing sales at a co-working space. Sales is a useful skill whether you’re in a sales position or not. In a client facing role, we want to increase client spend or get them to listen to our recommendations. We are essentially 'selling' our expertise. On top of that, it is not about proving ourselves and the company, but asking questions about what a client is looking for and then speaking to that client’s needs. These are all skills I learned doing sales.
Q> How would you describe your job to a child?
Isabel> The advertisements you see on your phone are there for a reason. Not everyone sees the same advertisements, it was coordinated so that it is most likely a product you want to buy based on lots of data.
Q> What is your favourite aspect of iProspect?
Isabel> The teamwork mentality. While we all have different lines of business, at the end of the day, we are all on the same team. This means making sure that everyone is doing okay and doesn’t have too much on their plate and jumping in to help when we can. I think this mentality is what makes iProspect so successful.
Q> For me, iProspect is the Intersection of _______ and _______?
Isabel> Data/analytics as well as creativity/innovation. There is the numbers side of our business, as well as the creative aspect that is paired with data to inspire innovation. Having those different elements is what makes our work successful.
iProspect is built by individuals from different backgrounds, all united by a common passion – the acceleration of brands through knowledge of culture and technology. Interested in learning more? Check out the iProspect LinkedIn page here.
