Going back a few months to May, I kept browsing through all the various positions on Symplicity. Being a Business and SIAT Joint Major student with concentrations in marketing and design, I am often faced with many career opportunities. After applying for a few positions and going through several interviews, I was excited to receive an offer from TELUS, the largest telecommunications company in Canada. At first I had trouble considering whether I wanted to pursue marketing and TELUS is very well-known for marketing. I was also very unfamiliar with the telecommunications industry. However, I was sure TELUS and I shared the same values of creating positive customer experiences. TELUS already does this very well, putting customers first. And so, I was up for the valuable challenge of taking on a marketing position at TELUS.
Before my Co-op began in September, I remember studying up on TELUS and the position as much as I could to prepare for my first corporate job. Previously, I was the Communications and Marketing Assistant for SFU International Co-op, so a Marketing Coordinator position on the Home Solutions (PureFibre) Marketing Strategy and Execution team was relevant. When I started working, I met a lot of great coworkers and arranged coffee chats to get to know them. I went through a lot of introduction workshops, documents, and also had to learn all the acronyms of course! My main responsibilities were to help my team of Senior Market Managers out with customer acquisition campaigns and more. This involved participating in discussions and taking on some tasks such as creating briefs for the Creative Design team to develop promotional materials. After I got the hang of that, I got involved in much more. At first, from the job description, I thought all my responsibilities would be marketing-related. During my interview, I expressed interest and experience with branding, copywriting, and design — little did I know, I actually got to experience all of those areas at TELUS!
Branding and Copywriting
I had a chance to study up on TELUS’ branding and tone of voice that I reflected in some of the work I did.
- Went through a few branding workshops to learn about TELUS’ tone of voice, colours, typography, and more
- Drafted copy for ads, postcards, social media posts, and more, leveraging product claims and ensuring that the content was appealing
Design
To help the team be more efficient when it came to developing promotional materials, I got a chance to create initial drafts and work on design-related projects.
- Worked with the internal Creative Design team by providing briefs, copy, and drafts for ads, postcards, and more
- Initiated a TELUS Digital Product Design project with a Product Manager which utilized user experience and user interface skills (research interviews, personas, journey frameworks, mockups, and testing)
Web Analytics
My managers were also open to me wanting to expand my knowledge in web analytics so I got to take on some analytics projects as well.
- Shadowed a Web Analytics Manager and learned to use programs such as Adobe Analytics
- Utilized heatmaps and click rates to analyze the performance of TELUS’ web pages
- Presented insights and recommendations to the Digital team to enhance the web experience and thus aiming to drive more conversions for TELUS
Aside from the vast marketing work that I handled, I am very glad I also got to further expand my skillsets in these mere four months. From my branding and copywriting involvements, I learned the importance of consistency and personality. TELUS’ tone of voice is very friendly and approachable and the critters that they use are very appealing, making technology more welcoming. I am glad I was able to contribute to the development of a possible digital product that can provide value to TELUS and their customers. This was such an amazing addition to my portfolio of design projects! Last but not least, my learnings in analytics confirmed the importance that data can play in helping shape user experiences. All the skills I have enhanced will further prepare me for careers in marketing, design, and perhaps even product management. In either of those fields, I will aim to balance the values and practices of both business and design. I am thankful for all my amazing coworkers at TELUS that helped me grow into a more well-rounded individual. My Co-op experience could not have been any better than what I had at TELUS!
Christy Liu is a BBA candidate pursuing a Joint Major in Business and School of Interactive Arts + Technology. With concentrations in Marketing and Design, Christy is passionate about branding, strategy, and all things creative. In her first few years at SFU, she was also a Director of Promotions at SFU Student Marketing Association. Outside of school, Christy has taken on several marketing, design, and management volunteer positions at non-profit organizations. Prior to her co-op term at TELUS, she was the Communications and Marketing Assistant for SFU International Co-op. With her diverse knowledge and experience, Christy aims to pursue a career in Product Management. Connect with Christy at jchristyliu@gmail.com.