What's your job about?
Benefit Cosmetics is a global beauty brand founded and headquartered in San Francisco, California selling at over 2,000 counters in more than 30 countries. It is the #1 Brow Brand Worldwide but also offers a wide range of quick beauty fixes like Brows, Tints, Mascaras, Primers, Foundations, etc.
Luckily, I was given the opportunity to work in a pink office set up wherein I can be both bold and girly at the same, whistle while I work it, and just grab life by the giggles. And as Benefit’s E-Commerce Assistant, I am tasked to handle all of Benefit’s Pure Play and Marketplace E-Commerce accounts. May it be from day-to-day operations to marketing, to creatives, as well as sales and promotions.
Given that E-Commerce has its own department, I report directly to our General Manager for planning and approvals. This has given me so much opportunity to grow since I had to learn customer behaviours of three different E-Commerce platforms or sites, know what works and what doesn’t, and at the same time think of new and creative ways to further promote the brand online.It’s fun and exciting at the same time since E-Commerce in the Philippines is rapidly growing and still has a lot of potential.
What’s your background?
I grew up in the Philippines — Graduated High School in Colegio San Agustin, Makati. Later on, I had the opportunity to take on an athletic scholarship at Enderun Colleges as a part of the Lady Titans’ Futsal Team. From there, I had my first internship at UNICOM Global (Los Angeles, California) for four months wherein I had the chance to learn about the world of IT and Software, which is very much related to our family business. I initially thought that I would end up in that industry since I received positive feedback from the company to the point that they would still reach out to me and ask for my decks to show as an example to future interns.
A year after, before my graduation, I took my second internship in Benefit. It was an eye-opening experience because it made me realize that it was the industry that I wanted to be in. It was your typical 'I just know' moment. During that time, I knew that they didn’t have any openings since tables in the office were filled and us interns would even share a table. But just a day after I ended my internship with the company, I got a message from the Marketing Manager asking if I was interested in applying for a position at Benefit. Of course, I said yes and was hired! I have been doing this for a year now and just last December, I was offered the position of Brand Assistant.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, I was offered a position that I had zero background in. E-Commerce is very easy to learn, but since it is fast-paced, you should be able to learn quickly and adapt well to different trends and customer behaviour. As to what my boss told me when I first started 'I need you to be a sponge and just absorb everything'.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest thing about my job is that I get to be myself in the office without the fear of being judged because I was blessed enough to be a part of a team that I can call my family. Other than that, I was also given the opportunity to live my America’s Next Top Model dreams and actually headed a shoot for a feel-good campaign to help Filipinas find their perfect foundation shade match online! And yes, at Benefit, we get free makeup! And of course, our brows are well taken care of.
What are the limitations of your job?
Things can get pretty stressful since I am handling multiple accounts. Sometimes, big campaigns would happen all at once, and each e-tailer should have their own unique activations which would require different assets, marketing/digital pushes, and curated promotions. Time management is key to get everything done in time. There are days as well wherein I would have to work late nights especially for big online campaigns like 11.11 and 12.12 wherein peak hours are at 12-2am!
Give 3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
1. Go out of your comfort zone! Because that’s when you get to try new things that you never thought you’d actually like. A good example would be, Benefit was my last choice for my internship and I wanted to miss the interview because I was waiting for my 'dream company'. Little did I know that I would fall in love with the brand and my job
2. Go with the flow! Sometimes unexpected things are also blessings
3. Go easy on yourself! Before others can appreciate you, you first need to see your worth and what you’re capable of.