What Do You Actually Do At Work? A Career Guide For Teenagers

To give teenagers a real-world glimpse into different industries, seven professionals, including a CMO and a CEO, have shared what they actually do in their day. From communicating and guiding in real estate to overseeing projects and exploring technologies, these insights provide a valuable peek into the daily life of various careers.

• Communicating and Guiding in Real Estate
• Networking and Negotiating as a Talent Agent
• Solving the SEO Puzzle
• Understanding Needs and Finding Talent
• Creating in Affiliate Marketing
• Coding as a Software Developer
• Overseeing Projects and Exploring Technologies

Communicating and Guiding in Real Estate

My day begins with reviewing emails and messages from clients and team members. This is crucial for staying updated on any new developments, inquiries, or concerns that may require immediate attention. Communication is a fundamental part of my job, as it ensures that everyone is on the same page and that clients receive the best possible service.

Next, I often spend a good portion of my day meeting with clients. These meetings can take place in person, over the phone, or via video calls, depending on the client's preference and the current circumstances. During these interactions, I listen to their needs, preferences, and financial goals, and then provide them with guidance and information about the real estate market in Montreal. I help them explore potential properties, negotiate deals, and navigate the intricacies of the buying or selling process.

Samantha Odo, Real Estate Sales Representative and Montreal Division Manager, Precondo

Networking and Negotiating as a Talent Agent

As a talent agent for actors, you never work the same day twice. One day, your clients may work on a feature film; another day, they may work on a commercial or theater production. 

Daily tasks include contract negotiations, sourcing work, pitching, career guidance, reading scripts, scheduling, and making and taking calls. You'll also need to meet tight deadlines, use technology, and manage marketing and social media.

You will work long hours, and you will need patience and persistence. A lot of the work a talent agent does involves relationship-building and networking with a vast range of production companies, casting directors, and producers. Therefore, you need to excel in communication and thrive in working with a diverse range of people.

A talent agent's job is commission-based, and you can expect to earn around 15-20% per contract a client secures. If they don't earn, you don't either, so it's essential to develop a critical eye and interviewing skills to ensure you recruit the right actors.

Emily Maguire, Managing Director, Reflections Career Coaching

Solving the SEO Puzzle

As an SEO specialist, my everyday tasks revolve around improving websites so they rank higher on search engines like Google. Think of the internet as a giant library, and Google as the librarian. 

My job is to ensure that Google can easily find and understand what's on each webpage of the site I'm working on, to increase its chances of being suggested when someone makes a relevant search. I do this by researching optimal keywords, optimizing web page content, and building high-quality links, all while keeping up with Google's ever-changing algorithms.

It's like solving a puzzle to get a website to the top of the search results, and it's a lot of fun if you're into problem-solving and digital marketing!

Kseniia Mykolaienko, CMO, Parentaler

Understanding Needs and Finding Talent

The first task is working to understand a company's hiring needs. This involves a deep dive into a company's data to see what they're lacking or why they're struggling with retention rates. Often, this work is done closely with a hiring manager. Together, we develop a strategy to build and improve their team.

The second task is finding and reaching out to appropriate candidates. This typically involves scouring my network for top talent, talking to sources, or chasing leads. It requires personality and perseverance, and a knack for infiltrating places like employee Slack channels or subreddits.

I usually round the day out by prepping applicants for the interview process and possibly following up on recent placements.

Linn Atiyeh, CEO, Bemana

Creating in Affiliate Marketing

As an owner of an affiliate-marketing/display-ad business, the majority of time is spent researching new topics for the blog, working closely with writers to create said content, and promoting this content through social media channels and outreach campaigns. 

Working directly with brands to promote products through reviews and display advertising increases commissions through higher conversions. 

The affiliate/display-ad industry is constantly evolving, which makes it exciting, especially with the increasing use of AI to perfect the process. For a teen looking to get started, starting a WordPress blog and finding a specific niche of interest to write about is suggested. There is still demand for written content and/or newsletters, even among a younger audience—so finding your voice as a writer and publishing content is the first step in starting your own business.

Kristine Thorndyke, Founder, Test Prep Nerds

Coding as a Software Developer

I work in the tech industry as a software developer. My day usually starts with a cup of coffee and a quick meeting with my team. We talk about what we did yesterday, what we're planning to do today, and if there's anything blocking our work.

After that, I usually spend some time writing code. This could be for a new feature we're adding to our product, or fixing a bug that's been found. I don't just type away randomly, though; I have to think about the best way to solve the problem I'm working on. It's kind of like a puzzle.

Throughout the day, I might also have meetings with other teams. For example, if we're working on a new feature, I might need to talk to the design team about how it should look, or the marketing team about how we're going to tell our customers about it.

I also spend some time testing my code to make sure it works as expected, and reviewing code that my teammates have written.

Lukasz Zelezny, SEO Consultant, SEO Consultant London

Overseeing Projects and Exploring Technologies

My day typically starts with a team meeting where we discuss our goals for the day and the week. We then break into smaller groups to work on specific projects. My role is typically to oversee the projects and make sure that everything is running smoothly. 

I also spend a lot of time researching new technologies and ways to improve our products. This involves a lot of reading and experimenting with new tools. Once a project is complete, I also spend time marketing the product and getting it out to the public. This involves writing blog posts, creating social media content, and doing interviews.

Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Paraphrase Tool