EPeeps Cara Sheehan | International Marketing Specialist

Hi everyone! My name is Cara, and I’m the Marketing Specialist for our International Team! I was born in Carlton, Melbourne, to two Kiwi parents. We moved around quite a lot for my dad’s work, which meant me living in 3 different cities by the age of 4. We moved back to New Zealand, and finally settled in Martinborough, a tiny little wine village an hour north of Wellington, where I started primary school. I then moved to the other side of the country from my parents (love you guys x) at the start of 2018 to study Marketing & Entrepreneurship at the University of Otago.

I’ve been at EP for about a year now, starting off as an intern before landing a permanent position once I finished uni! I now live in Auckland, where I spend most of my time at the beach, going out with friends, and pursuing freelance graphic design! 

What does a typical day look like for you in your role?

This is tricky as my job is incredibly varied! With the international team being responsible for many different countries/regions, we have our plates full of a lot of different tasks, catering to a wide variety of markets. 

At the moment I’m splitting my time between working from home and our shared office in Takapuna, but for the most part, I will try to start my day with a coffee and if I’m being good, a run along one of Auckland’s beautiful beaches! 

My workday usually starts with catching up on emails and messages that have come through overnight (the joy of a team working across a variety of time zones!) and then jumping into meetings or getting started on my to-do list, which usually involves 

developing brand imagery, web pages and email campaigns, as well as supporting our International Marketing Lead, Juliet to execute marketing campaigns and events.

What has been your biggest challenge? 

Personally, I would say being diagnosed with endometriosis. The journey to being diagnosed in the first place was a challenge in itself, as it takes on average 5-10 years for a diagnosis and my experience was no exception! But also, being diagnosed at 17 with a chronic pain condition without a cure certainly took a bit of a knock! Luckily I have an incredible support system who advocated for me and eventually I received the treatment I needed. If I have one piece of advice for anyone struggling with the condition – listen to your body and make yourself heard, your feelings and struggles are SO valid! 

Professionally however, I would say my biggest challenge has been overcoming imposter syndrome! I think especially as a young woman in the tech industry it can be hard to feel as though you will be taken seriously, or that you will belong. However, working for a company that continuously strives to break gender bias, as well as having a boss who consciously makes an effort to make it known that your opinions and knowledge are valuable, make all the difference! 

What’s one thing that surprised you when you began working at Education Perfect?

Starting as an intern, I thought I would feel as though I was at the ‘bottom of the food chain’. But almost immediately, I was being asked for my support, knowledge and ideas on situations. Right from the very start I was made to feel like a valued member of the team. 

The barista style espresso machine in the office was a nice surprise too!

 Why become an EPeep?

Not only is it a really exciting and social place to work, but EP also puts a strong emphasis on the development of you as a person, both professionally and personally. They provide training and support for all of us to grow and develop. They also prioritise employee wellbeing. While it’s an incredibly fast-paced and busy place to work, there are structures in place to ensure you can take care of yourself too.

Also it’s incredibly flexible! I have moved twice since starting at EP, and it hasn’t been an issue at all. This flexibility also means I have the opportunity to travel and keep working in my same job very easily, which as a young person is incredibly valuable to me and not something you can easily find with other companies!

Why do you love working at EP?

I love how forward-thinking the company is. I think from the top-down, everyone is genuinely striving to improve the industry, and do things no one else is doing yet. It’s such an exciting space to work in!