Izabella Bueno is a young Brazilian marketer that we admire very, very much. Her talent and passion for Marketing have taken her across the ocean, more specifically, to Australia – where she’s living and working now as a Digital Advertising Manager for Social Garden, a marketing automation firm specialized in high-value business to consumer markets, located in Melbourne.
Before Izabella decided to move to Australia, she had worked with digital advertising for 2 years. She’s found in Marketing, a true passion for seeking trends, even being behind the scenes, building the campaigns and optimizing strategies for her clients.
So we could hear from her and get extra special tips to inspire future work travellers, we got to ask Izabella some questions. Read on!
TB: How did you get this amazing job opportunity in Melbourne?
IB: “I was really happy in my job at Tripda, a ridesharing app in Brazil, where I learned almost everything that I know today. However, I had this curiosity like many to experience working in another country, especially one so beautiful as Australia. At that time, a colleague sent me a job position opened in Melbourne to work at Social Garden – a young and innovative digital marketing agency. I decided to give it a try and apply without any real expectations. They liked me, but, as a way to test my skills, they decided to put me on a probation period and give me some campaigns to manage. After 2 weeks, they offered me the job and the sponsorship.”
How was the process of moving to Australia?
IB: “The entire process of waiting for the visa was very difficult and tiring, because the deadline went from one month to five months, without any idea of when I was going to move. I started to work remotely from Brazil and this was another great experience that has taught me a lot on how to communicate with the team, share what I was doing, deal with the timezone and, most of all, to be patient.”
How long have you been there? So far, what has been your favorite thing through this challenge?
IB: “I’ve been in Melbourne for 5 months, working as a campaign manager. It has been a very rewarding experience to work with a great and skilled team in an energetic environment. I really like the development I’ve seen in my analytical skills and this is all thanks to the heavy data and strategical reports we have to deliver on monthly basis to our clients, in an easy way that they can understand.”
What is the biggest professional difference between working in the Brazilian market and the Australian one?
IB: “My biggest challenge as a foreign professional in Australia is to keep proving myself, specially on what concerns my communication skills. While working with such a talented team of professionals, whose first language is English, it’s even more challenging to sell your ideas and convince others in a different language. I also need to continuously research and dive myself into Australia’s market, in order to understand a different culture and the customer’s motivations to implement on my campaigns.”
What is the most precious tip you could give to someone that’s looking for an opportunity to work in Digital abroad, specially in Australia?
IB: “People sometimes get impressed with how lucky I was to get this sponsorship. But Australia is growing. There are many great opportunities – even more in digital – and companies are willing to sponsor people that embrace change and big challenges. My first advice is: if your dream is to have this experience in your area, go chase it and don’t get distracted by shortcuts. Some people are so desperate to move, that they think it would be easier to get the student visa and seek a job here. From what I’ve seen, this doesn’t happen – if you get this, that’s what I call luck.
My second advice is: first, improve your English, get some conversation classes until you feel confident for an interview. If you are already confident, start thinking of what you want to work with, what are your values and be realistic about what you have to offer (your skills, your knowledge, your background). I’ve always believed that it’s not about the quantity of jobs that you apply to that are going to increase your chances, but it’s that one or two that you applied that decided to give you a chance to introduce yourself. So, apply for those you really believe it’s for your capabilities. Sometimes, you can be already in a management position, but you will have to take a step back and start from the bottom. It’s not always easy to gain the trust of an international company to hire you as a manager, but once you are in, it can be easier to show your potential. Use Linkedin, Angel.co and other professional network platforms – they really work!”.
Did you feel inspired? Let us help you also to achieve your dream to work abroad. Get in touch or find out more about our international career plan.
