Meet Paula Carreirão, Content Marketing Specialist at Asksuite. Paula stepped up as a leader for WHTT Brazil chapter.
What are your superpoweres?
I guess one of my superpowers is my ability to dive deep in any professional project I have combined with the “boldness” of doing new things that are often really scary to me.
I think that explains a lot about my unconventional personal and professional journey: Bachelor degree in Psychology, lived in 2 countries and 3 cities, worked in the hotel industry from being a front agent to hotel manager, and later change to Marketing in a Hotel Tech company, working in International Content Marketing… I’m intense and always focused on learning more.
A fun superpower is my ability to burst out laughing at the silliest things, no matter if it’s a meeting, friends reunion, or even alone, all by myself. This superpower is well known by the people that work close to me. It’s uncontrollable!
Another strength of mine is my ability to connect knowledge, which helps me tremendously every time I changed my career path. I strongly believe that we never start from zero. It’s always possible to benefit from previous job experiences, even when the connections are not that obvious. Since I live by the motto “better change than to settle for less”, this superpower is quite handy!
How do your strengths play into the work you do?
Working in Marketing requires much more than just being creative, as most people think. For your message to resonate with your target audience, you will have to learn a lot about the people you are trying to connect with and the topic you are talking about.
Since I can connect knowledge quite well, I use a lot of my background as a Psychologist and as a hotelier when I create my content. In International Marketing, I always think about my experiences abroad to try to aware of differences in cultures when communicating. I also do tons of research, deep ones, about what is going on in the hotel industry and in Marketing.
In addition, to stand out as a Content Creator, you’ll always have to be alert of what kind of content is working, testing, trying new ways and formats. My restless soul appreciates that.
Also, what most people don’t know (even I didn’t in the beginning) is that creating content is an act of bravery. You are constantly putting yourself out there. You might think that you can hide behind your texts, but that’s not true. Especially because people connect better when you are genuine and true.
Imagine your best hospitality / hotel experience – what does it look like?
Being from Rio de Janeiro and having sun, water, and beautiful beaches in my heart, I guess an amazing experience for me is to relax in a very cozy bungalow in front of the sea, on a very exclusive beach.
It doesn’t have to be fancy, but with personal touches and facilities to explore the best of the place can offer. I like services to be more personal, talk to the friendly staff, and get surrounded by breathtaking scenarios.
What brings you the greatest joy at work?
My main motivation is the feedback I get. Getting a comment on the blog or a message keeps me going. It shows me I’m on the right path and is an amazing feeling when someone tells you that you helped them to face a challenge or to think about a specif topic.
Even the negatives feedback is good. I know it sounds like “the right thing to say”, but they are. They show me that the people took their time to read, listen or watch the content, which ultimately means that I was right about the topic, but maybe failed in execution. It’s a start, right?
Besides that, working in Marketing allows me to get in touch and collaborate with many people from hotel tech companies or in the hospitality industry in general. I love that part: that my job goes beyond me, the content and screen.
Bringing results to the team is also a big motivation. I always celebrate small victories. It can be a number, a contact I made, the progress in some soft skills. They are my daily motivation so I try to keep an eye on them.
My advice for women in hospitality and travel-tech:
I realized over the years that we, women, tend to underestimate our skills. We often think that we won’t try to get that position because we don’t have X or Y yet. We think we need to be perfect to go for what we want.
But second-guessing can be paralyzing and I believe that things only happen if we are in motion. Maybe that job you want to apply for, but think you are not qualified, is your perfect match. Don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t underestimate your value. Try. You will never know otherwise.
Also, don’t think you are too old for anything on your professional path. I changed my career in my 30s and then again at 38 years old. It’s not easy, but not impossible.
However, I don’t mean throwing everything you have to simply go after your dreams. I’m bold but not naive. So, evaluate your current situation and if you are not happy about it, start planning how to get where you want.
Boosting the confidence we need requires a good dose of self-awareness. Knowing yourself, strengths, likes/dislikes, and blind spots are the best weapons one can have to face any challenge.
Connect with Paula Carreirão and other members on our WHTT Community Group on LinkedIn!
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