Have you ever scrolled past copywriting roles at big-name companies, feeling like they’re out of your league? “There’s no WAY they’d consider hiring someone like me!” Many of us have doubted whether those big, corporate giants would ever give us a shot. But today, we’re about to share a story that proves those internal doubts wrong…
When Comprehensive Copywriting Academy student Shelby landed an interview at a big corporation, she certainly thought it was one of those “’too good to be true” scenarios. Little did she know, her unique approach would be key to standing out from the crowd and securing the position! Tune in to discover the two key ingredients that helped Shelby land the job of her dreams.
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Prefer to watch the episode? Hit play below (plus, hit “cc” to toggle on closed captioning)!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[03:03] CCA student Shelby had always wanted to be a writer but didn’t know where to go after graduating with a degree in journalism. When the pandemic hit, she began researching copywriting and managed to land a copywriting internship before discovering the CCA.
[4:58] After working through the CCA, Shelby took a bit of a backseat for a few months, before landing an entry level job in corporate communications and social media, followed by a role as a marketing assistant—both of which allowed her to build up her experience and her portfolio.
[6:51] Shelby was laid off from her job as a marketing assistant and started applying to roles on Indeed and LinkedIn. At the interview for her current role, she brought her printed portfolio and asked for spec work, standing out and securing the job!
[8:16] Shelby never thought she’d land a job with such a big corporation. But it’s a reminder that we never know what opportunities will come up and what we’ll learn from them!
[9:10] Despite changing careers, Shelby was still able to use her previous experience in the restaurant industry to help her land the job as a junior copywriter.
[10:07] There have been lots of opportunities to work on different and exciting projects, including writing a new slogan for a hotel!
[11:20] Shelby enjoys how collaborative this role is and that she gets to work with lots of different people, from designers to brand managers.
[12:02] When you’re intimidated about a new job, it’s easy to just focus on yourself, and forget that all of the other people in the office want you to do well. Shelby would advise someone to go into it with a willingness to ask questions and be open to learning.
[14:10] Sometimes, working for big corporations can be advantageous because they often have a better understanding of your role and don’t expect you to do work that is outside of your realm of expertise.
[15:28] One of the great things about copywriting is how flexible it can be. Shelby didn’t have to throw her career in the restaurant industry out the window and jump into copywriting. She could build things up gradually until she felt ready to let it go.
[16:23] Shelby landed one of her freelance clients as she got the job as a junior copywriter. It’s fun working on something a bit different to her day-to-day work and has allowed her to add SEO to her skill set!
[17:45] The big goal for Shelby is still to be a freelancer so that she has more control over her income and schedule. Pitching is at the heart of freelance success.
[19:15] If you feel like you’re a creative person, and you like to write, Shelby advises signing up for the CCA. Don’t feel like you have to know everything to begin—just start pitching because you’ll learn so much on the job.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“I kind of feel like getting the job was the hardest part and once you get there, people are going to be nice and help you and help you learn. You just have to ask a lot of questions and I’m really lucky, the place I work at, everyone is just really nice and really helpful. No one’s intimidating, everyone is just really nice and really educated, so I guess everyone you’re working with, they’re just people. You just have to put yourself out there.” – Shelby
“One of my first big projects was a rebrand for a hotel in the Hamptons and they actually picked up one my slogans and they might use it for the number one slogan, so that was pretty cool. That was my first project.” – Shelby
“I know people get really scared about working for big corporations, but it’s actually been way less scary to work for them than say a small business owner because when I walk into the corporation, they already have the tone guide, they have the process, they have everything and I just have to do my little job and just complete it. But the small business that I worked for, they wanted me to know everything, know how to do social media, know how to do PR, administrative assistant, all these kinds of things so it can actually be easier to get your foot in the door at a bigger corporation because there’s more structure.” – Shelby
“I wish this had been a class in my college, I’m like, ‘Where has this been all my life?!’ My life would have been so much easier! So yeah, definitely sign up for the CCA and then don’t feel like you have to know everything to get started. And just start pitching. You’ll learn on the job, you can’t know everything before you do your first job so just get started.” – Shelby
Mentioned on this Episode
Related Links
- Can Copywriting Be a Side Hustle?
- 1 Year to a Senior Copywriter Promotion – Kelsey’s Story
- Why Freelance Copywriters Should Still Apply to Full-Time Jobs
- How To Prepare for a Copywriting Interview
- Ace These Copywriting Interview Questions to Land the Job
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Last Updated on April 23, 2025
