SP Diaries #13: Caroline DiPaolo, Account Executive

What goes down in your first year at Socially Powerful?

Caroline DiPaolo is coming to the end of her first full year here at Socially Powerful, and it has been quite the whirlwind! From steep learning curves to finding your office voice, Caroline covers all the the little lessons that come along in your first SP year.

Read on to find out how her year went, and what she would advise those just starting out.

When did you start working at SP?

I began at SP in September 2023 – just about a year ago!

What is your role?

I’m an Account Executive here at Socially Powerful

What does that entail?

Like a lot of people here, our roles are quite flexible and varied. I currently work across campaign and influencer management, community management, copywriting, and the occasional graphic design with our production team!

What does an average week look like for you?

No two weeks look the same, and that is the beauty of it here! In any given day, I work across campaign management, community management, sitting in on creatives, coordinating in house shoots, working with our production team, and spending hours on photoshop! I live and die by my Trello board – I would be so lost without it

Why did you choose SP/ want to work for them?

I was really interested in how open the team was for me to be able to figure out my passions in the field! When I was having my interviews and first few weeks here, the team was quick to assure me that they would guide me throughout the process to figure out what I like and where I can fit within the team. Speaking to you a year on, I can tell you that I have settled into the team and found my passions in the industry! 

What do you like about working at SP?

The genuine collaboration and community here is really something special. From the first day, the whole team – from our founders down to the other interns – always wanted to hear each other’s input because it is built into the fabric of how we work.

What do you like about working within this industry?

I love how fast paced it is! I know that sometimes the pace is hard to keep up with, but it means that every day is different! It is never boring and there is always some fun to be had.

Why did you choose this industry to get into?

I came to SP from a postgraduate programme in Anthropology. My field of study was Material and Visual Culture with an emphasis on Digital Anthropology and how people have very real reactions to a space which is not tangible in the physical sense. When I found SP, I saw a place where I could apply my research and really get stuck in.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned across your career so far?

Being the person who says yes will put you in so many conversations you wouldn’t otherwise be invited to! Your work will speak for itself, but it is up to you to make your work ethic visible.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome at SP?

When I first started, I remember confessing to my manager that I didn’t think I was the ‘creative type,’ so she actively chose to put me in projects which really pushed me to prove to myself that I am creative. Overall, I’ve really had to learn to put some trust in myself, as well – trusting my creativity, my ideas, and speaking up when I have something to share!

How has your career path/vision changed over the years?

Like many people at SP, I didn’t study anything remotely close to Marketing! I studied History and Anthropology in my degrees, but have found that our team’s diverse trainings give us a really unique perspective when it comes to how to approach briefs and projects. 

In a very romantic view, I always imagined myself becoming a History Lecturer or Archivist. However, I’ve found that I still am able to channel a lot of that passion back into what I do each day! We are living in a digital dark age, so it is crucial that we are able to preserve elements of the pace of how social media is constantly evolving. Because reactivity and agility are cornerstones of our approach, we are able to throw away the traditional rule book of marketing and figure out what will really work online.

Working at SP has opened my research to a whole new world of how we interface identity and memory through the digital sphere.

If you had asked me 5 years ago, I don’t think I would have imagined that I would work in social media, but I genuinely couldn’t imagine it any other way now! 

What advice would you give to someone starting out in your role?

It doesn’t matter what happens, either way you’re going to grow a little bit. Be flexible, say yes, and know that the whole team will be there to help as soon as you need it.