Evelyn has been evolving at Envol for the last three months and shares her experience and takeaways below. She will be continuing as a part-time Marketing Coordinator in the fall.
In April of 2020, I fled the west coast, returning home to Ottawa, with no prospects for the summer. I didn’t know how long I’d be here or what I would do with a suddenly very open schedule. After finishing up exams and deep-diving into extracurriculars, I started looking at employment opportunities once again.
There was one job posting that immediately stuck out to me; it was a marketing role with Envol Strategies. I was inspired by their mission to be women-owned, led, and operated because I have worked for other organizations with the same goal. They also have continuously supported businesses throughout COVID-19 through a hub of free resources, consultations, and community engagement. I am passionate about social enterprise, so Envol’s initiative really resonated with me.
Joining Envol for one of my first “professional” experiences has taught me so much, completely redefined what I thought an internship would be and helped me evolve as a marketer.
Embracing a version 1.0 mindset
Here at Envol, we believe in version 1.0. To us, it means that everything can always be better, and we can always learn more. This mindset creates an environment where direct, constant, and two-way feedback thrives. We call it out when something can be done better. Bad habits or mistakes cannot build, and so there is little dysfunctional conflict.
I have learned that embracing a “version 1.0 mindset” doesn’t just affect the way your team communicates; it expands your ideas and imagination. It’s an optimistic approach because you start to look at the world as something that can be improved. We aren’t satisfied with “the way things are”, so we continue to push for better than the status quo.
It’s why at Envol, we have such strong relationships with clients – when we don’t settle for anything but the best (and are open to improving on it), we get regular referrals to new clients. I’ve always been interested – and wary of – the ease of transactional or superficial relationships in business. Working at Envol has taught me how to navigate authentic, meaningful relationships with my co-workers and clients.
This mindset shift has influenced how I interact outside of Envol; I’m much more confident in my ideas, far better at receiving feedback, and intend on being the change I wish to see in other teams, workplaces, and life.
Busting Internship Myths
When I started this remote role in a different time zone, I thought I’d be spending the summer operating in a vacuum. It couldn’t be farther from my experience. From day one, I had welcome access to members of our team and sister company, DeepND. At the end of every team meeting, my co-workers would share their day’s activities in case anyone needed to reach out.
Collaboration has been crucial to my success here at Envol. Besides creating content, I learned about the HR services Envol offers, facilitated the technology for client workshops, translated materials for our bilingual clients, and even proofread an employee handbook. In return, my team helps when I’m sourcing content!
I always envisioned internships to be task rabbit-styled positions where I’d get the coffee and spend my days hunched over a desk. The great thing about working for a young HR company is that we set an example for our clients. Having a great culture, environment and workforce is essential. I was treated as an equal to the full-time team; my ideas had merit and were worth discussing.
After work, I participated in our summer book club, reading Patrick Lencioni’s The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. I also ran my own Musical Jeopardy night and was very impressed by my coworkers’ knowledge of “Tik Tok Songs”.
Evolving as a Marketer
Before working at Envol, I had no experience in B2B marketing and little knowledge of it. I knew the basics of email marketing, content planning, and social media, but had no idea how I’d reach a B2B audience.
We have a large audience of job seekers hoping to a) find employment, and b) get information that helps set them apart as they apply. One of my first initiatives this summer was building up content to include job seekers in our audience.
I’ve also launched a series of videos, laying out different HR concepts in a way that’s digestible and interesting. I wrote blog posts on topics of interest from Zoom fatigue, celebrating Pride, and female leadership through COVID-19.
I’ve learned from my content mistakes (zero engagement, I’m looking to you) and pivoting our content strategy accordingly.
Over the past three months, our growth on LinkedIn tripled! Followers have been rolling in, and with the right content, we’re starting to see stronger engagement.
As I’ve continued to learn the ins and outs of marketing through LinkedIn, I’ve experimented with creating my own content about writing, feminism, and marketing. It’s been a fun journey that’s led to a surge of interest in my own LinkedIn profile. I’ve been able to use what I’ve learned to boost Envol Strategies’ content.
Final takeaways
As I finish up my last full week at Envol (and am so ecstatic to continue part-time in the fall!), I am so grateful. Besides a huge personal and professional learning curve, this opportunity has given me confidence as a candidate and marketer. Being part of Envol is far more than a blurb on my resume. It’s an experience that confirmed how important teams with transparency and authenticity are to me. My team at Envol has definitely set my expectations high for future employment after I graduate.
Plus, it means that I can come back to the best – sorry, West – coast! I’ll finally meet the amazing team I’ve been working with remotely in person! Safely, socially distanced, of course.