Elena Allison

Elena is an alumnus of Questrom’s BSBA program. See how Questrom prepared her for her career as a Community Marketing Manager at Hue Beauty Inc.

Background

Q: What program did you graduate from, and in which year? 

A: Questrom School of Business BSBA, Class of 2021, Concentrations in Marketing and Retail Design

Q: What city/state are you currently in?

A: Atlanta, Georgia 

Q: What is your current company and  job title/role?

A: Community Marketing Manager, Hue Beauty Inc. 

Q: What was your first job out of your degree, and what strategies helped you land it? 

A: Immediately after graduating from BU, I started a position in content marketing at a Boston-based tech startup, working primarily on creating SEO-driven blog content. My entry was an “intern to hire” situation, which definitely gave me leverage over other candidates. 

Q: Did you always know you wanted to go into [industry/field], or did your plans evolve over time? 

A: While I’ve always been interested in digital marketing, content creation, and social media, truthfully, my foray into the tech industry was not on my career bingo card. However, through that experience, I improved my technical literacy and understanding of frontend web development—a skill that has given me a competitive advantage and served me well in other areas of life as well. Though I’m very appreciative of my time in that industry, I felt it was not the long-term position for me.

Q: Have there been any unexpected detours in your career? If so, how did you navigate them, and how did you time at Questrom help guide your decision making?

A: Outside of work, I prioritized my hobbies and creative interests, including fashion, photography, and beauty—eventually getting a part-time job at a photography studio and starting my own business freelancing as a fashion stylist. This not only helped me avoid and mitigate feelings of burnout, but it also helped me grow my network outside of my traditional 9-to-5 job. For most of my life, I was told that security and stability could only come from traditional employment—however, that was proven false when I was unexpectedly laid off from my full-time job in July of 2023, and I learned that no industry, company, or role is safe from macroeconomic factors.

During this time, I often thought back to a seminar class I took as part of The Questrom Honors Program. The theme of the class was failure. Students were instructed to create a resume of past failures and unpack the impact of these losses on aspects like self-worth, motivation, and identity. With those learnings in mind, I truly understood that oftentimes, rejection is not a matter of intelligence, work ethic, or even personality—it is simply a matter of fit.

Your career is a jungle gym, not a ladder. And when one door closes, another inevitably opens. After being let go from my role, I was quickly able to land a new job—one that was much more in alignment with my long-term career goals—as a result of years of hard work and networking.

Hue Beauty Inc. is a startup based out of Harvard Business School that provides shoppable video technology and sources authentic, user-generated video reviews for beauty and fashion brands. Through my creative network, I initially was introduced to Hue as a content creator, before joining the Hue team and eventually growing into my current role. As Hue’s Community Manager, I oversee operations for all of the content generated through our program, acting as a liaison between our community of everyday beauty enthusiasts and major brands like Tatcha, Revolve, and Credo.

I’m now very proud to say that I’ve established a well-rounded career that not only leverages my interests and skill sets, but one that I also find to be personally fulfilling and meaningful. I’m grateful to have found a role where both my Questrom degree and my personal interests make me an invaluable asset to my team, and one where I use both the analytical and creative parts of my brain on a daily basis. 

Final Advice for Soon-to-Graduate & Recent Graduates

Q: What parting advice do you have for current students and recent graduates of Questrom?

A: My advice to current students and new graduates: pursue your interests unapologetically. Nothing is a waste of time if it brings you joy. Be unafraid to step outside of the box. Take classes outside of your major, volunteer, make something even if you worry that others might find it cringe-worthy. In today’s day and age, no role is too niche, and your career is really what you make it. Don’t feel confined to the job postings you see on LinkedIn or Handshake. You never know where one conversation could lead you.