Alumni
Hourglass Cosmetics Hires Janessa Jones After Internship
During Alumna Janessa Jones’ third year at FIDM, her merchandising class hosted a guest speaker from Hourglass Cosmetics, headquartered in Los Angeles. Janessa soon secured an internship at the high end beauty brand and when she graduated they hired her as their Social Media Coordinator. Janessa earned her A.A. in Beauty Industry Merchandising and Marketing in 2016 and her B.A. in Professional Studies with a Specialization in Beauty Industry in 2018. We caught up with her to find out more.
Tell us a little about yourself: I started at FIDM in 2014, straight out of high school to pursue a marketing career. During that time, I had been working as an in-store Visual Merchandiser at Tilly’s and a freelance makeup artist with MAC Cosmetics. Since I am from the San Francisco Bay Area, I started at the FIDM SF campus and moved to Los Angeles to finish the program in 2015. In LA, I began working as a makeup artist at Sephora and fell even deeper into the beauty industry. Later in my college career, I began an internship at a startup skincare company, where I worked very closely with the founder and soon became their Digital Marketing Specialist. After I left that position, I was able to get an internship at Hourglass Cosmetics. I completed my B.A. degree in March 2018 and started working full-time as their Social Media Coordinator.
Tell us about your path to Hourglass: It’s a long story but my first experience with the brand was actually through Sephora. As a shopper and soon after, as an employee. After I graduated with my A.A. degree, I moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area and transferred to work at a Sephora store there. I was always stationed to be the Color Consultant at the luxury brands such as Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Hourglass, YSL, Dior, etc. I fell even more in love with all the brands but the one I always gravitated clients toward was Hourglass. The innovation, packaging, and how flawless the products looked on all the different clients I performed makeovers on, is truly what got me hooked.
After summer was over, I moved back to LA for my 3rd year at FIDM. One of my merchandising instructors invited the Director of Visual Merchandising from Hourglass to be a guest speaker in my class. I knew I had to introduce myself, ask to add him on LinkedIn, and do all the networking tips that FIDM taught me. So, I did! There weren’t any internships fit for me there at the time but after a few months, I connected with anybody and everybody at Hourglass whose jobs were related to Marketing, Content, and Social Media. I ended up connecting with another FIDM Alumna and she was so sweet about connecting with me. She passed my resume to HR and let me know she was open to giving any advice I needed even though there weren’t any internship opportunities open. Funny enough, a few days later, I was hunting for a job on all the sites you can think of and I saw “NEW! Social Media Intern – Hourglass.” I applied online instantly and interviewed that week. When I got home from meeting with the Social Media Manager, they called to tell me I got the internship.
My internship was about six months long which ended up being perfect timing because it aligned with my graduation date. My manager taught me so much about social media and digital marketing during my time as an intern, that they offered me a full-time position as the Social Media Coordinator the week of graduation.
I now manage the main social media channels at Hourglass and work closely with the Content/Creative team, Brand Strategy team, and of course, the Digital Marketing department. Our team is still somewhat small and everyone in marketing wears many hats so my day-to-day tasks vary. I mainly focus on our overall social media strategy and building out the social timelines for new product launches by creating monthly content calendars. I also am responsible for social analytics (specifically Instagram), community management, as well as creating and executing social activations such as giveaways.
How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? I choose FIDM because I knew what they offered was going to help me get my dream job and I knew I wouldn’t be wasting my time. FIDM, specifically the instructors, prepared me to be strategic, be able to adapt when changes are made, and most importantly, how to think outside the box and keep my creativity going. I would even say that FIDM pushed me to me more social and comfortable with networking. Yes, FIDM taught me how to write creative briefs and create a business plan from start to finish but the personal skills I gained from attending is really what has amplified the technical skills I learned in all my courses.
Why is now a good time to pursue a career in the beauty industry? The industry is growing and evolving every day. Beauty is interesting because I’ve always believed it acts as a catalyst for social change. You can find so many companies that really go beyond the products to make an impact. If you are an activist of inclusivity, environmental health, veganism, or cruelty free products, you will definitely find a company where that subject you are passionate about is instilled in their ethos and overall mission.
Any advice for current FIDM Students? My advice for current FIDM Students is to make sure that anything you do, it should excite you so that it comes naturally to give your job 100% effort. In life in general, if you feel like you’re not excited about doing something, why are you doing it? You should tap into your passions, tap into who you are as a person and let that show through your projects, your work and in the relationships you build. I believe that that is truly the defining factor in how you are able to grow. Once you feel like you aren’t giving it you’re all, make a change, get motivated and get creative again.
What is your biggest goal right now? My biggest goal right now is to grow into a higher position at Hourglass. I’m constantly learning and expanding my knowledge as a digital marketer, which is really exciting. I also have a goal to work on my own personal brand in the media space. I live in the beauty world from the time I wake up to the moment I fall asleep but I also love music, art, and film. I’m really just looking forward to having a personal creative outlet again—whatever that ends up being.
Categories: Beauty Marketing & Product Development Alumni
