What have been your major career milestones since we last featured you?
These would definitely be getting accepted at Blexr in a role which was not entirely new but still not very familiar, and subsequently getting promoted to Senior SEO Analyst within the year.
How has your learning journey continued?
At Blexr we promote a growth mind-set, a value I’ve always worked hard to live by. There’s always something new to learn, which is why I dedicate a good hour every day reading industry news, SEO experiments, while sometimes running my own. Knowledge is meant to be shared, which is why our team gets together once a week to discuss insights we’ve learnt during the week. We share book recommendations, visit conferences and do cross-team workshops. There is never a final destination for learning, so better make the ride worthwhile.
What is essential to survive & thrive in this industry?
Never take anything at face value. Dig deeper, get other people’s opinion. See how your competitors are doing. If you’ve had a bad quarter, but so did everyone else, then maybe you need to rethink the reasons why, as well as your strategy. When it comes to SEO in general, you never quite know what’s up with Google. You think you know, and sometimes, that’s all you have. That’s why reading about test cases is so important. You’re not alone battling the algorithm!
What are the challenges and rewards of your work?
The diversity in tasks makes the job incredibly interesting and rewarding. It has a bit to do with Blexr’s SEO strategy as well, which I’m super grateful for. I love helping out in any way I can and there’s this great learning culture at work. Seeing someone implement or use a report you’ve built or getting valuable insights from something you’ve taught them, they’re all sources of great satisfaction for all of us. On the flip side, the unpredictability of SEO can be challenging. You can lose half your traffic in a matter of hours, without any clear indication of what could have gone wrong. It can be a source of great stress too! Having a strong team is essential – we’re a team, both when we win and when we lose, which makes everything much more bearable.
Upskilling is crucial for career climbers – what’s your message to students who are eyeing a promotion in the months to come?
Never say no to learning opportunities, even if they’re daunting or they scare you. Actually, do them as often as you can! It’s like riding a bike, it’s wobbly and stressful at first but the more you do it, the more confident you get at it and the smoother you ride. When I had first met the ICE Malta Admissions team and they shared why digital skills are crucial, I knew I should trust their advice. After all, I had not graduated in that field and everything was rather foreign. Four years down the line, and I think it was one of the best decisions I could have taken. It opened up so many opportunities straightaway, it was fantastic! So definitely, never refuse the chance to learn, to be faced with new challenges, whatever these might be. And perhaps one more piece of advice, if you do get that promotion and you feel it’s not working out – it’s ok! A promotion is not the only thing out there for climbers. Become a specialist, become so good at what you do that people come to you for help or advice. There’s great satisfaction in that too.
