Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Marketing graduate, Tonje Holm has given new meaning to taking her career global. Initially from Norway, she studied in Perth, took internships in New York and Dubai, built a thriving career in London and is now living in Africa.
Studying at UWA
One of the things I enjoyed the most about my degree was the practical experience. I always found it really interesting to learn through case studies – we would analyse the failures and successes, often these were examples from very famous brands.
I know a lot of people dislike group projects but I actually really enjoyed them because it forced us to form closer relationships with people we saw every day. I met such wonderful and interesting people, some of them I still keep in touch with today, despite us all being dispersed around the world.
Perth (and Western Australia in general) has some of the most beautiful beaches in the whole world. Who doesn’t love being near the coast? Plus, UWA has one of the most scenic campus locations in the state so that also contributes to a more enjoyable studying experience.
In my opinion, Perth has a great foodie culture (giving Melbourne a run for their money) – with really trendy, eco and health conscious cafés, restaurants and bars popping up all over the city.
Finding the right career path
When I completed my Bachelor degree I moved to New York for six months and did two marketing internships. I had never been to New York and did not know a single person so I was really outside my comfort zone, but I didn’t let this discourage me and in the end it was probably the best six months of my life.
The internships were a very important stepping stone for me because they helped me realise what I didn’t want to do. Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely enjoyed my internships, especially the people and the experiences I had – the coolest by far was attending events for New York Fashion Week and rubbing shoulders* with celebrities like Chrissy Tiegen and John Legend. *slight exaggeration – I got their drinks for them!
A couple of years later while studying my Master of Marketing degree at UWA, I interned in Dubai for three months. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dubai, although yet again I realised the media industry wasn’t for me. But I met lots of wonderful, interesting people and had some fantastic life experiences that I will treasure forever.
Not only did these internships and experiences guide me towards the right career path, it also led to a lot of personal growth, development of my emotional intelligence and street smarts.
Having internship experience on your resume is hugely beneficial, and it doesn’t matter that it’s not experience in that exact role, because you learn a lot simply from being in an office environment.
Getting my first job out of uni
Now knowing for sure what industry I wanted to get into, I made a list of the top three advertising agencies in Perth that I wanted to work with and spent time researching these companies and tailoring my resume accordingly.
I spoke to people I admired and trusted to get some career, resume and interview advice and made a changes and upgrades based on my newfound learnings. I went out and hand delivered my resume to these three companies. For my number one choice I even reached out to the CEO who kindly gave me contact details of the best person to speak to about an interview.
A couple of weeks after my interview, I had my first day of work at Meerkats the Brand Leadership Company as an Account Coordinator.
Building a career in London
After working two years at Meerkats, my partner and I moved to London in search of a new challenge and adventure. I was hired by a design agency called NB Studio; a small, but mighty agency, where I quickly climbed the ranks and was working on global, highly sought after, accounts. During my time at NB Studio we won numerous industry awards and were ranked in the top three agencies in London at the Brand Impact Awards.
I am very proud of how quickly my career progressed in London, in the space of 12 months I went from Account Manager (which was already a step up in responsibility for me) to Senior Account Manager.
For someone relatively junior and inexperienced, my role came with a huge amount of responsibility and people management. On top of my ‘normal’ workload, I was across all new business, and with the owners, I would meet with and present to the Senior leadership team of the companies/brands we were hoping to work with. That is something I am very proud of because in other agencies this is typically something the Account Director would be responsible for, however being a small agency it meant I was given the opportunity to extend into that role.
What's next?
My partner and I are currently living in Africa in a French speaking country where I plan to become an English teacher and work with the local community in whatever capacity I can to make a useful contribution. It’s been a massive change of pace and lifestyle.
So far, we are enjoying this new adventure we’re on.
