Name: Caira Conner
Age: 29
Job Title and Description: Community Manager at PolicyMic
College/Major: University of the South/English Literature
Website: theimpatientobserver.com
Twitter Handle: @CairaConner
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Caira Conner: The typical parts of my day include (a lot of) coffee, reading a variety of news outlets, checking in with our writers and keeping an eye on social media feeds. As the community manager, I work closely with our online community and our internal staff, so the other parts of my day depends on a combination of editorial priorities and projects, meetings, vetting applications and the state of my inbox.
What is the best part of your job?
CC: What I love about my job is that it combines so many different things that I like to do—reading, writing, editing and studying how people and ideas connect to one another. It also holds me accountable for my opinions. The thing about working for a media platform is that people will ask for your perspective on current events; unless you want to feel extremely embarrassed, you’re going to need to know what’s happening in the world.
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
CC: I actually wrote for PolicyMic before I worked at PolicyMic. I’d applied for a different role at the site and didn’t get it. The initial rejection worked in my favor because 1) having an authentic understanding of what it’s like to be one of our remote writers is helpful in recruiting new ones, and 2) I love the job I have now, and it’s not one that was available when I first applied.
I moved from remote writer to intern to staff; my role as the community manager grew from an idea (during my internship) to have a recurring article on the site that spotlighted writers doing interesting things. The first ever "pundit of the week" column created a space devoted to showcasing our community, as well as my definitive role as the person responsible for helping PolicyMic-ers new and old develop their place with us.
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
CC: It’s going to look completely different by the time you get there. Don’t get stuck on how you think something’s supposed to turn out.
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
CC: My undergraduate advisor, Elizabeth Outka. She told me I didn’t have to panic if my life wasn’t figured out by age 25. She supported me when I moved to Chile. She wrote me a letter of recommendation for graduate school. Most important of all, she suggested I not use “cthebeef@aol.com” as my email address once I graduated college.
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
CC: Andy Van De Voorde said, “As a general rule, I try to avoid pat advice of any kind, in part because I ended up where I am largely because of dumb luck and the kindness of strangers, not because I followed some seventeen-point plan I read about on the Internet.”
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
CC: I didn’t treat my first temp-job out of college with respect. I viewed it as a way to kill time until I figured out what I “really” wanted to be doing, and it showed in the mediocre quality of my work. I realized later (after I lost the job) the mistake was in thinking that I didn’t have to take work seriously until I loved what I was doing. Uh, no. Work should be taken seriously if you expect to pay the rent.
What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
CC: Someone who asks good questions and gives straightforward answers.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
CC: Living abroad (and well outside my comfort zone) is when I discovered I loved to observe how different cultures and communities operate within and because of each other, and going to graduate school was a way to formalize that study. But do not go to grad school in the absence of not knowing what else it is you want to do. It is uncomfortable to not love what you're presently doing, but bathe in that discomfort. Grow in it. Force yourself to prioritize and make lists about what you do want out of the next couple years, what you do like about your current role, and what you will not tolerate in your next.
Oh, and keep going.