BA Q&A: Experience Is Priceless

some advice here and there. But it's meant to be taken with a grain of salt and for you to lean into the professionals that you pay. Did you see that there was a message of Mandy from a Brand and Vision listener who's an attorney who was asking us some financial question. But she was like, sidebar, I love your disclaimer as an attorney.

podcast and I love it. I have a few questions. First, Miss Tiffany, do you offer any remote internships because I would love to learn and shadow you. Plus it will be it will help me get hands on skills for my degree in marketing that I'm currently working towards. Well, I mean, I'm not currently less. I'm looking for internship, but girl, you can always shoot me a message. Go to the budget lista dot com and there's like a contact me button you never know, like send me like

your resume, you never know. I really want to intern with a black owned business that I am passionate about supporting because we do have some a position that's open for community support. Like I'm looking for like a community manager, like community as in like I have my online Facebook group and I have a Mighty Networks screw, I have my Patreon group, so I want someone to do that.

I don't know if that's something you interested in girl anyway. Okay, So then my finance question is how do you bounce back from getting laid off from retail work? I was previously a full time assistant merchandise manager and visual merchandiser, and now I'm a part time remote stylist. As I previously mentioned, I'm in college for marketing. I guess I'm asking for tips on how to career change from retail to marketing PS. I'm twenty five engaged with two children, ages one and four.

time work at least. My first question is, well, my first statement is that I think your question to Tiffany

is exactly what my advice would be for you. If there's anyone who's in college or studying a degree trying to get some kind of internship, either while you're getting your degree or right after, but ideally before you graduate is hands down the best because you're going to just like every new college grad, you're going to go out into the world and you're going to be up against people who have gotten a little bit of work experience, which is going to lead recruiters and may hire managers

to look at your resume and say, cool, you have a degree. That's cute, but where's your experience. The good thing is that you do have some professional experience, so and the fact that you were merchandising manager. I too had a career in retail. I worked for all like gap calls, I know, assistant merchandising managers.

Position the experience you have to appeal from someone trying to hire from a marketing role. You know, and internships are amazing. If you and you mentioned you want to intern with a black owned business that you're passionate about supporting, there's always professionalists. There's usually a professional association with like major industries. I know, for like me and journalism, there's the National Association of Black Journalists. I'm sure there is

the equivalent for like marketing professionals. And this same way that you know you're reaching out to Tiffany because you've seen the great work that she does, you can do that for others as well, and continue doing this outreach, get your resume polished, and then you know, send them out. That's exactly how I found my virtual assistant. You know, she was like, here's my resume. I love to work with you, and you know, have some patience because it may take a while to find the right fit. But

don't stop the hunt. I would say for a good internship,

just to get that additional experience on your resume. Let me think, and in the meantime, the do the work that you need to do to make your you know, pay your bills and as a remote stylist, Like again, that can be something you can put on your resume and maybe you'll be able to segue into a career that includes some retail or fashion element because whenever you're pivoting, like from one sector to the next, I like to find like a commonality or something that can be the bridge.

And I feel like for you that could be your experience in retail and merchandising and maybe fashion and so an agency or a company that dabbles in that world or deals in that world, they would look at your resume and may that may appeal to them, like, oh, she doesn't have exactly this experience in this you know what we're hiring for, but she has this like she understands the merchandise, she understands retail, she understands fashion, et cetera.

Anything to add to But that's what I would say for you, miss transcendent teachable Tammy.

the more experienced you can put under your belt. And I wouldn't I would not turn my nose up if the community manager experience was the internship, you know, because it's experience, and so Mandy's right to try to get much experience under your belt because also too, you want to see what you like, you know, like like you might work with me and be like, ooh, so I really don't like that. I didn't realize I don't like

digital marketing or I don't like marketing this capacity. Now I know, so I can start to you know, it's better to learn, you know, earlier on so you can pivot to what you do enjoy than to wait too until it's too late. But I think Mandy gave really great advice, so you wash, she well triple T.

industry and do admin side. And it took her a long time because of course she didn't have that experience on her resume, but she did get a job, like I said, at this beautiful spa in our area. And I was like, that's what you need on your resume even before you graduate, so that by the time you graduate with your healthcare administration degree, like that, you're gonna have like a double whammy. You're gonna have the experience of working in that kind of environment, you know, plus

the education. So I think, yeah, just reiterating what I said, but I wish you all the best squeezos, cute little babies. That's gonna be me before soon I'll be You have a four year old and a one year old, so be anny tips. Sure you have tips for me? Oh lordy, maybe B twenty five and not thirty five, so you like are not. Your body isn't breaking down as you go. All right, thank you so much, Tammy. All right, let's take a quick break and we'll be right back with

question number two. This one's really good, especially for listeners who are more what do we call mature, our mature audience, a seasoned season. Yes, all right, va fan, we are back. I'm doing career questions today for b a Q and A so excited. This question really hit like a chord for me. Struck a chord for me because a lot of my I like when I branched out as a career coach, TIF Like I posted on Instagram, you know, is anyone wanting well, I didn't even know if I

was going to be a career coach. I was like, can I do this thing? So I posted if anyone wants a free half hour session, fill out this form. I got two hundred responses, and one of the trends that I saw immediately was I was expecting and I

was so happy. I love talking to seasoned women, like women who have had a career, whether they're changing it or they're like maybe ten fifteen years into their career, they're trying to get to that next level or they're trying to pivot, and I was worried that maybe I would attract like because people think your career choices happen

after college when you're twenty two. But I know there's so many of us going through like these periods of transition or a thirties, forties, fifties, and I was getting I got so many responses from women in their forties and fifties, and this question it just feels like something that you know, I've talked about with so many women who were, you know, like you said, more seasoned, and they have this fear of agism and how that can impact you. So all right, I'll shut up now. But

this question is from what did she say? So discouraged but not giving up yet in Baltimore? Okay, all right, let me jump in. All right, she says Mandy and Tiffany mandra in. Tiffany, I love your podcast. You're both fabulous. I just graduated from college in twenty twenty with a BA in English in a specialization in professional writing. It was the culmination of many years of college off and on. The Thing is, I'm fifty two years old now, and

age is real. Although I have over twenty five years of administrative work experience, no one will give me a chance as a copywriter. I've begun creating my own website to feature some content, but I haven't been consistent with it. I'm thinking that if I get that up and running with some content, that might show potential employers or clients that I do have the skills needed to do well in a role as a copywriter. I'm so very discouraged right now. I mistakenly thought that I would have no

problem getting a job in copywriting after I graduated. Mandy, I know that you have been a copywriter. What would you suggest? Not having any internships really has seemed to hurt me. Do I need to go to grad school at a and at my age? Will that even makes sense? How can I who is really considered oldish? Tiffany always calls herself oldish, but Tiffany, you are definitely not. How can I land a job as a copywriter or content writer. There's many of us who didn't graduate from college in

our twenties. I was fifty when I graduated, and now at fifty two, I still have dreams and goals to go get Yes, there are so many of us that are fifty and older who have them. I know I'm rambling, so i'll end it here. Oh she's a Tiffany Patreon mentee, my mentor and maybe any to sign a person coaching for Mandy two. I'm so freaking proud of you both. Oh you're the sweetest. You two are badasses. Love you both, Okay,

love you too. Wow. Yeah, so first and foremost amazing of you too, pat And I know it's so hard, like to finish your degree and to have finish it in twenty twenty after years of off and on. That's an accomplishment. You should really really feel proud. But I think what you're running into is exactly you know, is that the marketplace doesn't necessarily it may not be about

your age. It's about probably the experience on your resume, like we're just talking about with Tammy and the previous question, not having any clips like examples of content that you've written professionally could be hurting you. I'm just shocked that you would be able to go through a professional writing program and they wouldn't give you opportunities to work for or freelance for outlets like that's mind boggling to me. But it looks like that was the case for you.

So whatever you can do to get some freelance assignments, I agree. I don't think you need to have like a full fleshed out website, but at least have like a PDF where you have examples of your work. You may, you know, take some lower hanging fruit assignments from outlets that can't pay you amazingly just to start getting some clips. Join Facebook groups for freelance writers. I know when I was I started out as a journalist, but also I ran a content team of like and I worked with

thirty staff, but I also had hundreds of freelancers. We needed a lot of freelancers to create our articles and to help edit them. And it's copywriting, like, it's not sexy editorial magazine writing, it's like what is a mortgage? Like, it's technical writing, like what you've been trained to do. And we are not the only ones doing that. So I would say one of my favorite ways to recruit freelancers and find them was to go on Facebook groups.

There's literally a Facebook group called Binders full of freelance writers. And then what about niching down, Like, is there something? Because you've got you probably have lots of work experience that you haven't mentioned here, But do you have any particular knowledge and any in any specific subject area. When I niche down and started focusing on finance and career, more opportunities opened up to me because there were fewer

of me out there, if that makes sense. Like it's like Tiffany's analogy, my favorite one about if I'm on a plane and there's Denzel Washington or a heart surgeon and I have a heart attack. I don't care about Denzel like I want the niche. I want the person who spent a million hours in the in the operating room. Is that your Is that I messed that up? Okay, I'd be listening. So if you can, if you can lean on that experience, it's really about like well, like

I said to Tammy, like marketing yourself. If you say, okay, I've worked in I'm just going to make it up. If I've worked in the food and beverage industry for the last twenty years, Okay, what food and beverage companies have content needs? You know, who have blogs, who have articles or trade publications, and how can you start pitching yourself to those publications based on your experience, plus you

have a degree as a professional writer. You see, it's like trying to find what makes you special and unique and then pursuing what you want to do through that, through that narrow lens, which I know can sound challenging when like you're just like I just want a job, Like I'll write about lawn care if someone will have me. That's fine. But I do encourage you, especially as a writer, to find your niche and then become indisposable to your clients, you know, if you're willing to do that kind of

like esoteric professional writing. That's not sexy, but that does make companies a lot of money and helps them sell their services like I did for so many years. Like it's hard to find writers who specialize in some of these like really niche topics and girl and we paid well for people who'd write about faha loans and they would they would get into the nitty gritty weeds of like Veterans Association, you know, fine print to find out what are the rates for VA loans and reverse mortgages

and like all this stuff. Niche down, niche down, niche down. That's my main, my main tip for you and beautiful like and I agree, like, there's so many of y'all who have goals in your fifties and mean dead honestly, like people like Viola Davis. It's no excuse to not be fabulous. I guess in your fifties and sixties.

always wanted to learn. And she didn't know how to copyright. So myself and Jambrell Jabrill's are also a very good copywriter. We took her under our wing and showed her what we knew, and then she took She didn't go to school for copywriting, but she took it to the next level. To your point, Mandy, she got really good at like copywriting as it relates to personal finance, and so Logan

was really good at it. I think it's going to be important that if you are going to build that website, which I think is going to be helpful, so someone can click on it and say, here's examples of your writing, make sure it shows that you know how to mimic voice, you know, because that was really critical, Like when you there are things when you read like on my social media, you're like, I not. Tiffany said it, ninety nine percent

of chance is Logan. There are So the first year took her a while to get used to, like speaking the way, writing the way I would write it there. And I remember there was a transition when she had posted something and I was like, did I write that? Because it sounded so much like me? You know, just consider that too as you're you know, to Mandy's point, yes, they really honed in on financial education, but also showed that like they could do it through the voice of like,

you know, a male voice, a female voice. African American told, you know, like that would be really helpful to let me know that this is someone who can, who can who's not just going to write and it's just this generic thing. The real, real powerful copywriting speaks to the audience that's listening, and so it's not something that everyone

can do. Like I know how to speak to my audience, but for logan to then be me and speak to my audience the way I would because I've cultivated my audience to listen to the way I speak and speak the written word, that's not easy. So you know, that's just a little piece of advice. Is then to show

like you know and practice your skill set. If it was me, because I love, love, love practicing on other people's businesses, I would be copywriting for other people's businesses who have not hired me, not even to submit it. I'd be like, you know what, like this is what I do in general. When I see someone's ad or whatever, I redo it, like I.

So if it was me, I would be copywriting like if you see you know, someone's like let's just say for example mine for like I don't know the Patreon min I don't think we have to ads for that, maybe Literature Academy, And you might be like, you know what, if I was going to rewrite this, this is how I would do it, So you might want to do that too, is to rewrite people's ads so you can get the practice of what it looks like to successfully write.

But yeah, especially with new entrepreneurs, all these entrepreneurs that are most of them don't know how to write. They don't understand that copywriting as a critical component to grow in their business.

Yeah that, So many people are like wait.

You know, stage homes go for thirty percent more and more likely to be sold because you're like, oh, I could use this as a baby room, and this could be my office because you can see the things in there versus just this blank canvas. So consider that too. So hopefully this was helpful you guys, b a QA career segment.

We're the BA podcast on Twitter, Brown and Vision Podcast on ig Yeah, send us your questions.