Recent Grad 101: Delaney Gordon '19
At the onset of 2020, Delaney Gordon had just graduated from Chatham and was beginning a rigorous job search. By March, just as the pandemic was beginning to impact the U.S., Delaney had secured a job in social media at National Geographic! We caught up with Delaney to learn more about what it is like to work at National Geographic, how she built such an impeccable resume in college, and her tips for creating a career that you love. Read on for more—
When did you graduate from Chatham and with what degree?
Delaney Gordon: I graduated in December 2019. I was a double major in psychology and criminology, and I also got a forensic social work certificate.
Tell us a little bit about what you did immediately following graduation.
DG: After graduation, I was immediately scouring the internet for jobs. It was a long process—I got a lot of rejections; I attended some some shady interviews, but [ultimately] there were definitely a lot of good opportunities. It was January 2020 when I started looking. Weirdly, it was good timing because it was right before COVID actually happened [in the US]. So it happened to work out.
Tell us about your current role at National Geographic and how you got it.
DG: I got my first interview with Nat Geo in February 2020. I originally applied for a contracted position that was supposed to be about three to six months with the possibility of full time eventually. I ended up going through a couple of interview processes. I got to come down to DC to visit the office. It must have been in March when I learned that I got the position. I work on Nat Geo's social media team. I help to coordinate social sponsorship campaigns across all of our social media platforms and I help run both organic and paid media.
What does your day-to-day work look like?
DG: It can vary every day, but we work across various teams, both domestic and internationally to help run social sponsorship campaigns. I personally help execute the campaigns, which means writing captions, helping to choose the photos, and helping to decide what the actual post is going to look like. Once those are executed, I help make sure they are running efficiently. I help track and compile analytics, monitor social feedback, and things like that.
We have brands that come to work with National Geographic, and we help to promote that brand on our platforms. We will create an article that is relevant to both of our brands and goes with our brand story, and then we end up promoting those posts across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, basically all social platforms.
What is the highlight of your work at National Geographic?
DG: Probably being able to experience all different parts of the industry. My job involves different teams at National Geographic, whether that be channels, podcasts, or editorial, there are a lot of different genres of work that I get to experience and inhabit at Nat Geo. I think being able to get all those different work experiences within one job has been really awesome.
“Psychology can really apply to many different career fields. That was one of the questions I was asked in my interview [at Nat Geo] was how psychology applies to social media. It really shows that no matter what degree you have, there are so many different opportunities and you never have to stay within one lane.”
How did Chatham impact your professional development?
DG: Chatham really encouraged internship and study abroad opportunities. I really credit a lot of my career path towards those. I did my independent study abroad in the summer. It was three months in 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, and I worked for a small social media startup. It was very similar to my position now where we work with different brands and help promote those brands across social. That's what sparked my love for social media. Considering that I was a psych major, I totally thought that my career was going to go down a different path, but this internship made me realize where my passions lie, and what my future career path was going to be. That particular experience really helped me develop my professional career and my goals overall.
What was the highlight of your time at Chatham?
Delaney and a dog named Tony that she met during her time in Greece
DG: Besides meeting some of my best friends, I would have to say probably my favorite experience was the research program that Chatham hosted through Greece. We had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in Greece in a research lab. We were able to design our own research projects and present those to the scientists that worked in that lab. I loved doing research there and having the opportunity to explore Greece from such a localized point of view—the local folks from the lab got to show us around. It was a totally unique experience and one that I will cherish forever.
Do you have any tips for building out your resume in college?
DG: I would say looking for opportunities, both on and off campus. Whether that be in research, through part time work in your field, or getting relevant certifications, the more you can show passion and initiative throughout your undergrad, the more impressive your resume will look.
Anything else?
DG: I would love to give a quick shout out to anyone who is currently attending Chatham to take a Nichole Bayliss class. Dr. Nichole Bayliss was my advisor at Chatham, and she helped me choose my major and plan my career path. I did research with her for a few years that I absolutely loved. I just want to give a shout out to her.
Special thanks to Delaney for giving us a glimpse inside her career at National Geographic. If you’re curious about exploring psychology programs at Chatham, click here.