Her lively personality and strong work ethic make Ilyssa Bernstein a person you'd love to know and work with. I can say with complete confidence that after reading this piece, you'll have gained several learnings that you can implement in your professional lives.
Let’s start with the basics! Tell us about your current role and responsibilities, and the type of projects you work on?
My current role is Senior Account Strategist at a tech startup called VidMob. VidMob is a tech platform that offers both Enterprise and Growth brands a continuous cycle of Create and Learn to further develop their online video ad strategy.
Create: Our Creative Community consists of over 6,000 talented creators from around the world who bring to life a brand’s source assets (photo and video footage) by socially optimizing them to meet platform best practices (i.e. Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest).
Learn: Our platform then uses artificial intelligence to understand the creative elements of each ad that are helping and hindering performance.
My role is to 1) shepherd the client through our process and nurture the relationship; 2) bridge the gap between Create and Learn by leveraging our data-driven insights to build out a strategic creative plan the client can action on.
Can you please share some of the challenges you face day-to-day and how you overcome them?
Working at a startup (especially a fast-growing one like VidMob) you face very different challenges than working at a more established organization. You must maintain a nimble mindset because internal strategy shifts by the week. As someone who's previously worked in more structured organizations,
I think the key to succeeding in this environment is to remain flexible, create transparency with your colleagues and supervisor, and to not stress over perfection.
Knowing that change can happen at any time is scary when you appreciate routine, but it’s also exciting because you know you’re an integral part of building processes that will continue to evolve for the better.
Looking back at the past 8 to 9 years of your career journey, what are some of your key learnings?
Know your worth. You often hear this when negotiating salary, but I’m referring to once you’ve gotten the job. Not only has my performance been significantly better when my workplace self-esteem was high, but my year-over-year salary increases have been larger and my overall life happiness has been better. Here are a few tips:
Mistakes: Everyone makes them. Should it be your turn, admit to the mishap and understand how to avoid the same mistake in the future. Then move on. Do not spend another second dwelling on it. Instead, think about how you’ll rock the socks off the next task on your to-do list.
Supervisors: If your boss doesn't respect you - get out. No one has time for this. It’s common knowledge that when employees are encouraged with positive feedback they find more interest in their job, feel more loyal to their supervisor, and overall perform better. Further, early on in your career, seek out a supervisor that wants to be a mentor. These personality types will encourage you to own your self-worth and help you understand your value within any organization.
Have Faith in Yourself: If you don’t believe in yourself, why should anyone else? Remember you were hired for a reason. That reason is because you’re deserving of the role. Welcome constructive criticism and allow it to help you grow, but never forget that you are an important member of your team and your growth will only make the entire team stronger. If you’re giving 100%, then that team is lucky to have you.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received from a mentor/someone you look up to?
I don’t think there is a single piece of advice I have been given that uniquely stands out as ‘the best’.
What has stuck with me more is the kindness, education, support and mentorship different individuals, from internships to today, have offered me.
I will always remember how grateful I was for their guidance and support, and will continue to try to pay it forward by offering the same to others as I continue to advance and learn in my own career.
How do you think Covid-19 is going to impact your industry and your role?
The marketing industry has been heavily affected by Covid-19. Brand teams’ budgets have been slashed deeply and production shoots are on permanent hold. While locked budgets and paused campaigns have affected the day-to-day of my clients - and by association - me, VidMob is designed as a remote-friendly organization. So far we’ve been able to continue our day-to-day operations without too much disruption. I am very grateful for this.
What are the digital tools you interact with on a daily basis and which skills (professional and interpersonal) do you think every marketer should have?
Digital Tools: My team uses Slack, Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint/OneDrive and AirTable to help maintain organization. What these tools all have in common is transparent visibility across an entire team. We can see the edits someone across the office (or now from home) is making in real time. This helps with version control and efficiency. I also rely heavily on VidMob’s tech platform, the Agile Creative Studio. Through this platform we offer a home for creative development and data analysis.
Skills: Clear communication, organization, a healthy sense of curiosity, and respect for others’ work and time (and yourself!).
What do you like to do in your free time?
When not in quarantine I love to travel, explore new restaurants, go to the movies and spin. I started boxing earlier this year and I'm excited to pick it back up once things return to normal.
Where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years?
Professionally, I see myself continuing to grow in my career and managing a full team of rockstars who hopefully see me as not just a boss, but as a mentor and a friend.
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