The Hippo Pod: Paula
In this podcast, Employer Brand and Employee Engagement Manager, Tannum, talks about Golden Hippo’s exciting and unique company culture with the people who know it best. This episode, we spoke with Paula, who has been at Golden Hippo for 4 years as a Senior Copywriter.
Here are some of the highlights of Tannum and Paula’s conversation:
How did you start your career at Golden Hippo? What did the trial process look like?
I come from a creative writing background. I studied English as an undergrad and got my MFA in Fiction. I’ve always been a writer, so after grad school, I was trying to figure out how to spend my days writing. Copywriting seemed like a natural next step. I'd always loved advertisements and had been interested in branding and marketing. I got started with a small advertising agency in Orange County. We had about 6 people there, but some pretty big clients. That’s really where I cut my teeth on copywriting. I got burnt out so quickly there, which can happen when you’re working with clients.
I was really looking for in-house marketing in my next role and more of a collaborative space. I treated applying for jobs as a 9-to-5 and messaged creative directors, just doing everything I could to stand out. Golden Hippo was one of the companies I applied to, and I had a feeling when reading the job posting because of the specificity of the requested sample. Something about it really stuck out to me.
I made it through the interview process and made it to the trial process, which is a 2-week, intensive training/pressure testing session. This is where the teams see where you are, and you can get a feel of what the day-to-day would look like. It’s also a test for you to see if you want to stay on. In many ways, it can be alienating. Once you’re in the trial, you’re in limbo - you don’t know if you will be getting the position or not. It’s really exciting because you’re learning a ton. Some copywriters fall into it, but if you come from a writing background, you have to unlearn some things. If you come in holding onto past ideas about what strong writing is, it will be a lot more challenging.
How would you describe the copywriting team culture to a candidate?
We have a huge team and such an incredible energy. We’ve been able to cultivate that with our remote workers as well. The most fun part about working on this team is that everyone is truly energized and enjoying what they do. Someone is always working on something awesome, and they’re excited to share their successes. It’s a really collaborative environment and the vibes are always high, even when it’s been a stressful day. The energy is palpable - we’re excited about the work. One fun thing we started was Aloha Fridays, which was born at a time when a lot of the team was pretty anxious. We all would wear Hawaiian print clothing on Fridays. We’d basically be in costume at our desks. We don’t do it as much anymore, but we still have a ton of fun team events.
What makes you excited to work every day, and how do you stay creative?
What makes me excited is game-ifying the experience. Because we have such clear revenue goals, everything we do drives that forward. If I can beat my last revenue record, that’s what drives me. Also, I work for a pet brand with incredible products, so it keeps me inspired. Also, the people that work here, the energy here, is totally unique. It’s really exciting.
What tips would you give applicants regarding their writing sample?
Write as clearly as possible. It’s such a basic tip, especially if you come from a creative background where you are trying to pack as much into each sentence as possible. What you really need to be is clear and persuasive. If you can explain something really well in a few punchy, short sentences, you will stand out. You can be entertaining and fun, but if I get turned around or lost within a sentence, it’s going to be challenging to get through the piece, which is something I had to learn.
If you’d like to listen to the full conversation, click here!