Graduated, now what… Fun life is over! From now on my weeks will be monotonous, hard and grey. Every Monday morning I can start counting down to the weekend, which then flashes past in one go so it can all start again. Another 45 years of work and we can retire.
Hi, I'm Phebe
A little dramatic, slightly theatrical, very straightforward and with a wafer-thin worst-case-scenario edge around it: voila, that's me. Hippo Phebe, copywriter and part-time panicker at Social Hippo.
What you read in the introduction was my picture of working life when I'd just graduated. I didn't really know where to go (not hard with a degree in communication sciences in your pocket) and went looking for interesting vacancies with a certain 'fun factor'. I've always been a picky ditherer, and I wasn't going to settle for vacancies I only found so-so. Still, I considered the image of a workplace you enjoy going to every day, and a job that feels more like a hobby than hard labour, a big illusion.
Until the Social Hippos appeared
Until the Social Hippos showed up on my LinkedIn page. A vacancy for a creative copywriter with out-of-the-box ideas. Hmm, would I dare? I wasn't a copywriter, and certainly not a graphic designer. When people kept asking me towards the end of my studies "So what job can you do with communication sciences?", I always tied myself in knots a bit. I genuinely didn't know what I wanted or could do, or which role I should apply for. Copywriter seemed fun to me. I knew I had a fluent pen, that I pick up different subjects easily, and that I count tricky language questions and creative imagery among life's pleasures, but still… Don't I have too little expertise for that? What do I say when they ask about experience? Is this really a job for me? Luckily I'm also a firm believer in "You already have a no, you might get a yes" (thanks mum, and a West Flanders upbringing), and I simply took the chance.
An email, a FaceTime call and an interview with knocking knees and my best attempt at proper Dutch later, I knew: this is going to be a place where I can be myself and develop and use my talents. (@Judy ➡️ Thanks for not leaving me in unbearable suspense for 10 days, and for saying on the spot that you liked the idea of having me around.) When it turned out that my employers and colleagues weren't put off by my somewhat present (okay, outright in-your-face) personality, my bullseye feeling was confirmed even more.
Life in a start-up
A start-up environment means: unrestrained enthusiasm, a bottomless appetite to grow, trial and error, chances to evolve along the way, searching together for the best methods, a healthy dose of chaos, mad ideas (crazy or genius?!), a strong sense of team and A LOT OF FUN. To this day I don't take that list for granted. It takes a lot of trust from your employer to give employees every kind of freedom. Luckily the motto of the three musketeers applies within the Social Hippo family: one for all, all for one. We all care too much not to care. 😊
So it's fair to say: the atmosphere here is good. We're a creative team full of very different personalities, but we complement each other where we can and when it's needed. Our job simply consists of working together, and that's exactly what makes it fun. You learn from each other, you share your tips, and together you arrive at a result every team member has quietly — and without any fuss — been able to put their stamp on. And admittedly: it's secretly quite cool to see your own creations appearing online everywhere.
One year later
One year full of refreshing alternation between structured guidance and "just go and do your thing" later, I can say with certainty: I really am a copywriter. More than that: I was born to be a Social Hippo.
Three closing pep talks
Three closing pep talks for every doubting almost-graduate or job seeker:
- It really does exist, the job of your life…
- You already have a no, you might get a yes. ;-)
- Those who seek, find.
by Phebe Vanspranghe, content creator
