Julien Schleret

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

I work at Facebook as a Product Marketer for Facebook Groups. I used to work on Google's Social Media strategy

How did you start building your network?

As simple as talking to people, I tried maximizing the number of people I talked to, went to networking events and uses my circle to get to meet new people

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I was lucky to be honest, I wanted to work in an international company in a place where I would learn a lot and be able to discover the world, I think Google has enabled that, I didn't know at all I would work there!

What is the one piece of career advice you wish someone gave you when you were younger?

Go discover the world! I wish I had traveled earlier and learned more languages. I didn't have much money but even without money, learning a language, discovering a culture is sooo easy especially with the Internet, what are you waiting for?

What is it like when your job gets tough?

It's a tough question, there are different way my job gets tough. It's tough when I want to work on strategic and important things but I need to spend time on the little details, it gets tough when I have a big presentation and I need to speak to a lot of senior people. I can be stressed but I have gotten better at handling this and challenges motivate me so I usually strive when I get challenged!

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

I learned Spanish with a book and I used a lot of online courses to learn new things (how to be a better presenter, how to be more productive, how to be a good manager etc.) I think there are ton of resources at your fingertips you just have to know where to find them and get stuff done instead of procrastinating!

What is the most useful piece of career advice you got as a student, and who gave it to you?

You are the only one responsible for your career. It was a teacher at my business school. I think that when he told me this I was shocked because I was seeking career advice and he told me straight up that I had a lot of ideas and I had a good CV now it was my turn to put in the work and find what I wanted to do. I think it's a big lesson, you can get all the advice that there is in the work but if you don't put in the work nothing will happen!

Did anyone ever oppose your career plans when you were young or push you in a direction you did not want to go?

It was not a direct opposition but my mum wasn't a big fan of me working abroad. Even today, I have left my home country (France) for over 7 years but she still tells me she wants me back, she's happy for me but I know that she misses me and it's tough, being so far from my family is not easy but it's a choice I made and I'm ok with it, I'm sure I'll go back one day but I want to do so many things before!