Even with a full load of UC Santa Barbara classes and campus involvements, on a typical day social media influencer Harneet Dhillon posts on multiple platforms — uploading TikTok advice videos for college students, writing LinkedIn blog posts to connect with beauty industry professionals, and posting on YouTube and Instagram as well.

“I’m my own manager. I’m my own team. So if there’s ever a day where I don't feel like doing something, I won't do it,” said Dhillon. “But usually I try to post every day.”

On top of being a fourth-year Communication and Psychological and Brain Sciences double-major, Dhillon’s social media work is a full-time job. Recently, she’s also been uploading content to Lemon8, a new social media app that was released in 2020. The marketing and business skills she’s learned in Communication courses have not only helped her gain insight into her career, but have also been useful to her as a social media content creator.

Harneet Dhillon, a fourth-year UC Santa Barbara Communication and Psychological Brain Sciences student, is a social media influencer and soon-to-be performance marketing coordinator at Kendo Brands.

With her business-oriented skillset and high achiever mentality, Dhillon applies the knowledge she’s gained from courses in her major to real-life experience. But, if there is one resource that Dhillon values the most from her time at UCSB, it is the Communication Mentoring Program, a digital resource where Communication students can receive guidance and career advice from UCSB alumni. Dhillon says that having a one-on-one connection with mentors can help you realize your bad study and work habits, and identifying these is the first step to a successful career in communication.

“I took part in [the Mentoring Program] sophomore year and that helped me out because at that time I was juggling a lot, and my mentor helped me prioritize what I should be focusing on.”

About to graduate, Dhillon prioritized finding her career path. After applying to 150 jobs and 40 internships, she accepted a job offer as a performance marketing coordinator with a high-end makeup skincare brand. “Under Kendo Brands, there’s Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, KVD Beauty, and two or three other makeup skincare brands, so it’s going to be exciting.”

Dhillon participated in the Dream for Change project during her mentorship with Dior.

Dhillon advises fellow UCSB students who would like to pursue a similar career path, that it’s critical to know yourself and your habits. “[When] it comes to social media you have to be consistent. Set something that's realistic for yourself. There are so many people out there giving advice but at the end of the day, … you know yourself the best.”

Dhillon also stressed the importance of networking with UCSB alumni. There are many ways to go about this, including on-campus events like Communication Career Day or online sessions with the Department of Communication’s alumni council virtual career series. Dhillon has taken advantage of both these events as well as scheduling coffee chats with alumni to have one-on-one discussions.

“Networking is huge with alumni,” she said. “I've probably done over 100 coffee chats with people who are alumni or people who've worked at my dream company.” When it comes to establishing what you want for your career, it’s never too early to start, she said.

Emilie Harris is a third-year communication major. She wrote this piece for her Digital Journalism course.