This month we have a bit of a different blog: we are unmasking our editor and interviewer for the past year. Charlotte joined us this time last year, having had a weird and wonderful career prior to joining us, so we turned the tables on her this month and asked her to go from interviewer to interviewee. Read about her years in China and her international, multilingual career to date!
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Charlotte, but I go by Charli, and I work in the Marketing department across Exertis, MacroEV and Exertis Supply Chain Services (ESCS). I’m originally from England and I moved to Dublin for this opportunity. I am on the DCC Graduate Programme, and this was my first placement. I’ve been at Exertis for a year, and today is actually my last day!
You’ve had quite a career before you joined Exertis; could you tell me about that?
You could say that! I have a degree in French and Spanish from the University of Bristol, and I decided to move to China a few weeks after my graduation ceremony. I’d like to say that it was a calculated career move, but in all honesty, while languages open many doors, they don’t provide much career direction. Learning Mandarin was a way for me to progress without making any major decisions. I thought by knowing English, Spanish and Mandarin, in addition to French, I would be able to communicate with a vast number of people worldwide and could therefore always be employable. Since I graduated from university, I’ve worked as an English teacher, a show producer, a salesperson, a translation and localisation specialist, and the manager of a startup. I gained exposure to a vast array of skills and processes, which allowed me to then start freelancing while I travelled the world. I started applying for graduate programmes because I found it difficult to secure a job I wanted to do, as many employers couldn’t quantify my experience without specific qualifications, and I accepted a place on the DCC Graduate Programme in 2023.
Have you always had an interest in marketing?
I would say so, yes, specifically the creative side of it. So much that I have done in my career has been based around creative ways to capture people’s attention, whether it be finding memorable ways to teach literature analysis or essay writing to Chinese teens or even promoting my own shows. I’ve always been interested in the psychology of marketing and advertising: I believe that having learned from experience rather than from formal education means that I don’t feel constrained by what is traditionally done, therefore my ideas are very outside-the-box. This is a quality which I’m happy to say has been both embraced and praised in my position here.
You have an affinity for languages, being fluent in four and currently learning others. How has being multilingual benefitted you in your career?
I am very extroverted: I have always loved meeting new people and will talk to anyone. My parents joked when I moved to China that, once I became fluent enough in the language, I’d have 1.4 billion more people to annoy! I think that one of the highest forms of respect you can show to a country and its people is to learn and speak their language, especially since so much of a language is cultural and doesn’t translate exactly; you have to learn the language to understand the culture. Languages are of course beneficial in business, but I’d say that the biggest benefit has been picking up on nuance, which prevents misunderstandings and makes for better working relationships.
You ended up doing quite a lot of work in Exertis Supply Chain Services, was that a challenge for you? How did you adapt to working in a field that was completely new to you?
Yes, it was very unexpected! My manager encouraged me to get involved in as many projects across the three businesses in our Fonthill office as I could, to allow me to develop a wide range of skills. I didn’t realise it before I joined, but we have an office and a lot of operations in Shenzhen, China, and once my colleagues in ESCS realised there was now a Mandarin speaker in the Dublin office they were delighted to get me involved in their side of the business. I even began live translating on calls with potential clients in China, so it was both a challenge and an opportunity to increase my vocabulary in both Chinese and English: I’d had no prior connection to supply chain vocabulary. Everyone was very patient with me as I wrapped my head around all the diverse services that ESCS provides, and I was able to learn a lot on the job as I interviewed many of our top-level professionals when I took on responsibility for our blog. Although I didn’t necessarily need to understand a great deal in order to fulfil my responsibilities, I wanted to understand the business well enough to make a valuable contribution to discussions surrounding marketing and business development. I’m grateful that the team were receptive despite my lack of experience.
Before joining Exertis, you worked as an English teacher in China. How did that shape your professional and personal growth?
I was a teacher for five years to various age groups from 6-year-olds to adults, with most of my experience being with adults learning business English. Oddly enough, it made me realise how weird the English language is, so I both sympathise with and am impressed by non-native speakers who navigate our odd nuances every day, especially in a professional setting. Also, when you’re teaching English to adults who can’t yet speak in sentences, out of necessity you become very sensitive to body language, tone and facial expressions, which I would say has helped me immensely with how much I’m able to understand without a common language. It has also made me more conscious of my own communication style. I honestly gained so much from my years in teaching, but most of all I’d say public speaking skills: I am confident speaking in front of a crowd, and actually really enjoy it- you can’t be quiet and timid when you’re trying to keep control of a classroom of teenagers!
Your CV mentions a diverse array of roles from copywriting to live-stream sales. Can you talk about how these varied experiences have contributed to your versatility in the workplace?
I’d say each of them gave me different skills, but all have been marketing adjacent. Copywriting is essentially a sales skill, translation and localisation helped me develop a feel for how to produce an intended effect on the reader, rather than focusing on the actual words used, and live-stream sales- one of the most fun jobs I’ve had- taught me how to think on my feet when things don’t go to plan: if the coffee maker you’re demonstrating is coming out with water instead, what a great opportunity for me to open it up and show you the inner workings of this fantastic machine! There was nothing you could do if something went wrong, so it was up to us to distract from or solve the issue. Most of all I’d say, having done all these varied jobs, that I’m confident I can, or can learn, how to do pretty much anything I’m asked to do.
You’ve lived and worked in multiple countries. How has this international experience influenced your outlook?
Being the non-native speaker in a fast-paced workplace is an experience I wish everyone could have, just to understand how everything is harder. Of course, not everyone has the time or opportunity to learn another language, but being on the other side gives you insight into the experience of your non-native colleagues, and respect for them. It’s challenging to explain to native speakers that their colloquialisms, talking speed and everyday manipulation of language can make it ten times more difficult for a non-native speaker, so the most important skill I believe I’ve developed is clear communication: I’m careful not to overcomplicate how I express myself with native and non-native English speakers alike.
What advice would you give to someone looking to change careers, especially if they come from a non-traditional background like yours?
When it comes to skills, there are so many free or low-cost resources out there that you can take advantage of: I was particularly impressed by Ireland’s Springboard + scheme, which makes up-skilling with university courses either free or very low-cost, and I plan to apply for a course through them in the coming months. Unfortunately, it’s harder to break into a new field than it might have been previously, with many employers seeming to rely heavily on candidates having a formal qualification. I understand perhaps experience like mine is hard to quantify- I feel very fortunate that Exertis didn’t see this as a problem. However, graduate programmes and other similar programmes are a great way to consolidate your skills in the field you want to enter, with a big focus on your professional development while you gain hands-on experience. I’m grateful for everyone I’ve worked with in Exertis for their patience and commitment to helping me develop professionally, and particularly my manager, Christine Lynn, who has gone above and beyond to make sure I have every possible opportunity to learn from and contribute to the business in a meaningful way. Thank you for a great experience, Exertis!
Although Charlotte will be moving on to her next placement, we still have some more of her blogs to publish in the coming months, so keep an eye out for the next one!