{"id":3448,"date":"2017-04-18T14:59:42","date_gmt":"2017-04-18T20:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/?p=3448"},"modified":"2017-04-18T14:59:42","modified_gmt":"2017-04-18T20:59:42","slug":"8-questions-with-olivia-chow-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/8-questions-with-olivia-chow-08\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Questions with Olivia Chow ’08"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Major: <\/span><\/b>Political Science<\/span><\/p>\n

Grad Year: <\/span><\/b>2008<\/span><\/p>\n

Current Job Title, Organization:<\/span><\/b> Content Marketing Manager at <\/span>finder.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

What did you do after graduation? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC:<\/span><\/b> I had received positive feedback two years in a row at the CC student fashion show. So, after graduation, I decided to take my stab at fashion design thinking it could be a talent I wield for social change. I went home to Massachusetts and found a local seamstress with 30 years of experience to teach me how to sew in exchange for my work in her shop. <\/span><\/p>\n

A few months later I met a couture fashion designer while scouting a guest speaker for the organizer of the following year\u2019s CC fashion show (the one held after I graduated). The guest speaker became my design mentor, and his guidance led me to jobs designing for the Gap, Kate Spade, Calvin Klein \u2014 just to name a few. <\/span><\/p>\n

What are you up to now? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC: <\/span><\/b>Something different. I just completed three months of in-depth consumer and market research for the <\/span>finder.com Money Transfer Awards 2017<\/span><\/a> \u2014 that\u2019s more than three blocks! This study was for\u00a0<\/span>finder.com<\/span><\/a>, a personal finance product comparison site, which includes comparing global payment services. These services support the $141 billion remittance industry by getting immigrant funds back to their home countries. <\/span><\/p>\n

The thing is, my team conducted a preliminary survey that revealed <\/span>80% of Americans<\/span><\/a> sending money across borders felt \u201cripped off\u201d. As a result, the awards largely centered around understanding why this disproportionate dissatisfaction exists. We\u2019re now taking the findings to improve the finder.com comparison products, get feedback from industry experts, and let consumers know there are alternatives to Paypal and Western Union. Hopefully some will feel a little less \u201cripped off\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tell us about your current position.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC: <\/span><\/b>I understand an audience and create something they\u2019d appreciate so much that they\u2019ll share or link to it. This process involves researching trends, talking to influencers, and genuine interest in the relevant communities. I then have the license to write articles, conduct research, produce videos, develop apps, and create whatever else that could go live on the internet \u2014 as long as I can make a case that the business\u2019 marketing needs will be met. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a big proponent of getting paid to do what you\u2019d do anyways. I\u2019m obsessed with learning and understanding why the world is the way it is \u2014 in particular, the people that keep it perpetually evolving. Ultimately, for the same reasons I was accepted to CC, I find myself a natural fit for this position. <\/span><\/p>\n

What is the most rewarding part of your job? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC: <\/span><\/b>Getting to hone my natural talents and create work somebody out there finds useful and enjoyable \u2014 to be part of a dialogue. I also appreciate just having the opportunity to have a positive influence on the personal finances of everyday people and bring some consumer transparency.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does your typical day look like? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC: <\/span><\/b>I fight the fish market seekers for sidewalk space as I walk to the New York Chinatown office. It can be an adventure. Depending on the day, I spend my time on a combination of things. I could be writing, monitoring research, planning the next project, or going to meetups to stay up-to-date and learn from others. <\/span><\/p>\n

Has your career path changed at all from graduation to now? If so, how? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC: <\/span><\/b>I\u2019d say so. I went from non-profits to fashion design to trend forecasting (all while developing a journalism and sales career). These transitions were before I landed in content marketing. I\u2019m proud to say that each career built off the last never having to sacrifice a pay cut or go back to school to make the next pivot. <\/span><\/p>\n

What are the transferable skills you took from your liberal arts education? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC: <\/span><\/b>Being able to digest large amounts of information in a short amount of time, ask critical and thoughtful questions, and communicate my learnings were skills that were drilled repeatedly at CC. The professors were right. These liberal arts pillars are no joke. <\/span><\/p>\n

I also can\u2019t forget to mention the entrepreneurial resources and ecosystem Colorado College provided. You can put on a program or event that you\u2019re passionate about just by consulting faculty and deans for advice, recruiting sponsors by learning to build your case, and thinking creatively about how to get others involved. I suppose this is what people call \u201cnetworking\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of which, one student organization I was heavily involved with was the school environmental group, EnAct. There, I met one of my current finder.com co-workers and fellow CC alumni, Adrienne Kmetz. I think these foundational skills and experiences have given us both an edge in contrast to those with more vocational backgrounds. <\/span><\/p>\n

What advice would you give to students looking to find a job in your field? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

OC: <\/span><\/b>Find something you\u2019re curious about and start putting stuff up on the internet! I\u2019d say this for any field you\u2019re entering actually. Although we spend hours online daily, most of us lurk rather than contribute. This is obscenely true even within the digital marketing profession. So, taking the time to publish your ideas in whatever form you prefer can definitely set you apart. <\/span><\/p>\n

This process is also a great vehicle to teach yourself the ins and outs of digital marketing, which leads me to another piece of advice: learn how to educate yourself. Use the structure at CC to take note of what learning styles and frameworks appeal to you \u2014 and don\u2019t. We live in a fast-paced world that rewards those that never stop learning.\u00a0\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Major: Political Science Grad Year: 2008 Current Job Title, Organization: Content Marketing Manager at finder.com What did you do after graduation? OC: I had received positive feedback two years in a row at the CC student fashion show. So, after graduation, I decided to take my stab at fashion design thinking it could be a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":833,"featured_media":3451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"CC alumna Olivia Chow '08 worked in fashion after graduating for big names including the Gap, Kate Spade, and Calvin Klein. Now she's in the content marketing game in New York with finder.com, a personal finance product comparison site. Read more about what Olivia's been up to in her career path and the skills from her CC education that have best served her in her career.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[61,3,106],"tags":[101,312,997,34],"class_list":["post-3448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-job-info-advice","category-marketing-and-communications","tag-advice","tag-alumni","tag-content-marketing","tag-featured"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/files\/2017\/04\/stock-photo-New-York.jpg?fit=800%2C377&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p79l8e-TC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/833"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3453,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448\/revisions\/3453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/careercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}