While a number of Emerson students have become involved with Her Campus on the national level, not many can say that they have gone on to work for Her Campus Nationals full time. We had the pleasure of chatting with Megan Shuffleton, an Emerson grad and the current Community Manager of Ambassadors and Influencers at Her Campus. Here’s what she had to say about her job, what she’s learned over the years and how Her Campus has impacted her life.
Her Campus at Emerson: What is your role at HC Nationals?
Megan Shuffleton: Here at Her Campus, I’m the Community Manager of our InfluenceHer Collective and our High School Ambassador Program. The InfluenceHer Collective, or the IHC, is Her Campus’s exclusive network of over 2,200 bloggers, vloggers, and social media stars. They join the IHC for the community, the resources, and opportunities to create sponsored content for our brand partners. The HSA Program is an annual mentorship program we run each year for high school students. The program teaches our High School Ambassadors new skills in the journalism, marketing, and PR fields while also preparing them for college life. My job is to manage and grow these two networks to make them the best they can be for both the members of the groups as well as our brand partners that might work with our members.
HCE: What is your day-to-day like?
MS: I spend most of my time managing and growing the IHC and the HSA Program. For the IHC, you can usually find me onboarding members, reaching out to potential new members (usually on Instagram!), finding resources to put in our database (like articles about blogging best practices), and sending out community emails. For the HSA Program, I’m often putting together assignment emails, going through assignment submissions, and brainstorming new assignment ideas. In addition to these regular duties, I’m often looped in on calls, emails, and meetings with our Integrated Marketing and Business Development teams, which helps break up the day!
HCE: What is your favorite part of your job?
MS: There are so many aspects I love about my job! My role is so flexible and versatile, which makes it so fun. Every day I’m working with talented bloggers, ambitious high school students, and my amazing colleagues in other Her Campus departments. I’m basically my own department, which means I have a lot of responsibility – I’m allowed to make decisions on my own, which is really refreshing. On top of all this, I work remotely, which means I can work from home, explore coffee shops, and work while I travel! I think the flexibility of my role makes it really enjoyable for me.
HCE: What is the most important thing you have learned so far?
MS: That’s hard to say! Even though I was an intern for Her Campus in the past, I started to learn much more about Her Campus as a company and brand. I’ve learned more about being an adult (responsibility, time management, all that stuff) since it’s my first time out of school in a while. And I’ve learned a TON about influencer marketing and community management!
HCE: What advice do you have for people that are graduating and starting to apply for jobs?
MS: I would say relax (if you can!). You’re likely going to be working a full-time job for the rest of your life, so try not to rush into it. Take advantage of your last few months in school and even the summer following, because you’ll miss it once it’s gone! I understand if you’re stressed and eager to get a full-time job, but if you’re able to take some time off to relax, I definitely recommend it.
HCE: How did your time at Emerson help get you to where you are today?
MS: Emerson helped me in my education, of course, but I think it was more of an outlet for exploring. At Emerson, I was able to take classes in different subject areas, intern at multiple different companies, join multiple extracurricular groups, and study in different locations (highly recommend the LA program and/or going abroad!). It was definitely helpful to explore different paths and dip my toes into various interests.
HCE: Why would you recommend joining Her Campus at Emerson?
MS: I joined the Emerson chapter during my first semester at school, before I had any internships or experience, and it was a great introduction. My position at Her Campus Emerson helped me go on to get an Editorial Internship at Her Campus Nationals, which helped me get my following internships and my full-time job at Her Campus. I would definitely recommend joining Her Campus Emerson because it allows you to get real, hands-on experience in different fields. And on top of that, Her Campus is such a well-known name by now that future employers will be impressed to see it on your resume!
HCE: How has Her Campus impacted your life?
MS: Unexpectedly, Her Campus has had a huge impact on my life. I joined first semester on a whim because a friend joined and it seemed interesting. I had no idea it would lead me to my first internship, much less my first full-time job! From the Emerson chapter, to my internship, to my full-time job now, Her Campus has given me hands-on experience, great connections in the marketing and media industries, and tons of responsibility and satisfaction in my work. Quite honestly, I’m not sure where I’d be without HC!
Photos courtesy of Megan Shuffleton.