Jamila Campbell-Allen
Jamila (International Business 2017) is a Content Coordinator for International Editorial at LinkedIn.
Jamila's story
Jamila graduated with a BSc in International Business from the ÄûÃÊÊÓƵ Business School in 2022. During her time at Sussex she shared her love for food and travel under the handle @thebrunchcritic on Instagram and TikTok, creating recipe videos and restaurant guides and reviews. Her content creation skills helped her to land her role at LinkedIn in May 2022 where she works with a global team to curate, produce, and distribute engaging and informative content for LinkedIn’s members.
How did you land your current role at LinkedIn?
It's a bit of an odd story, as I discovered my current job as a result of getting turned down for another role. I was on LinkedIn looking for graduate roles, and I came across the Business Leadership Program (BLP), which is the LinkedIn graduate scheme. It is primarily sales based, which I wasn’t massively keen on, but I knew there would be an opportunity to move into marketing. I passed three stages but unfortunately, they didn't offer me the job.
A few months later I was on LinkedIn looking for work, when I saw a message from my recruitment contact. When you apply for a job on LinkedIn you get paired with an internal recruiter from the talent acquisition team, they go through the process with you and give you feedback. I messaged her back saying I was still looking for work. She told me they were still looking at roles for high performing candidates who hadn't been offered the BLP. They had a job opening in the Editorial team for LinkedIn and as I had created content, both in my previous roles and in my spare time, I could be a suitable candidate so would I like an interview?
What was the application process like?
- The initial stage was a phone call from the editorial team asking, ‘why do you think we do the work that we do?’.
- The second stage was to pitch a new LinkedIn list that we could launch on the platform.
- The final stage was an interview with the Senior Director of the team, who is now my manager. They asked me more in-depth questions about myself and the way I work.
How did you find the first few months of the role?
It was a new way of working for me, because when you're at university there is a lot of independent work, it’s good to be self-motivated but coming into this team was an interesting new dynamic to try and navigate. I’ve learnt the importance of communication within a team and how to work effectively with others, and it really builds your confidence.
When I first started it felt a little overwhelming, but the team are incredibly supportive. They reassured me that it takes at least six months to become familiar with the role. I’ve been with the company for a year now, so I finally feel like I know what’s going on.
What extra-curricular skills did you develop at Sussex, and how have these helped you?
Events management! I worked in various roles within the Careers, Employability and Entrepreneurship Centre and it helped me to develop event planning and logistics skills, which have come in handy for my current role.
Sometimes when you don't get a job it's not because you're not good enough, it's because you’re better suited to something else. If you stick at it, the right job will land at the right time.”
JAMILA CAMPBELL-ALLEN
As you know the job market is highly competitive, do you have any tips on becoming resilient?
- Applying for so many jobs and being rejected helps build your resilience. My current role was my 46th job application. It’s hard when you spend time on applications and go through the interview process only to get rejected, but what I think really helps is positive self-talk. I believe everything happens for a reason, sometimes when you don't get a job it's not because you're not good enough, it's because you’re better suited to something else. If you stick at it, the right job will land at the right time.
- It’s good to try and do something tangible with your interests too. During the pandemic, I decided to start a food Instagram page. I really like cooking and going out to eat so it was something I enjoyed doing. Creating content about food gave me a focus and allowed me to be creative. I also added my Instagram handle to my job applications which really did help me to stand out.
What do you enjoy cooking, and do you have a signature dish?
I love cooking spinach and ricotta cannelloni from scratch. It’s a pretty long process that requires patience. But it’s so worth it in the end.
What was your best memory at Sussex?
My best memory at Sussex has to be partying at the old East Slope Bar and getting food from the hatch after a night out – so many funny conversations happened while we waited.
Also cheering with the Sussex Swallows is a highlight – I met some of my closest friends there.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would say stick at it and have more confidence in your ability. Believing in yourself is so important. I used to stress myself out thinking I didn’t have anything to offer which is sad as I don’t think that now. I now know I have a lot to offer.
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