A day in the life
Today we meet Zahra Shah, Social Media and Communications Officer at Action West London.
Hi Zahra, tell us about your role and how long have you been with the charity
I’m Zahra and I’m the Social Media Officer at AWL, I deliver all the Social Media and Communications for AWL and its projects Acton Market and The Reduce and Recycle hub. I’ve just celebrated my second year with the charity.
How did you get into your current role?
I’ve worked in Marketing and Communications for over 20 years for Charities, Local Councils and the Civil Service. Over the years as companies and organisations have changed how they commuicate, I’ve focussed more and more on social media. Therefore, coming to AWL to deliver Social Media was a natural progression for me.
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a Police Detective or TV Journalist!
What kind of education and/or training did your career require?
I’ve always studied media, completing GCSEs and A’levels in Media Studies, followed by a degree Media Arts. Later, I gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism. Throughout my working career, in order to progress, I have continued to increase my knowlege and to improve my skills through professional development. Completing further training in marketing, copywriting, website management and of course social media management trainings. Most recently I took part in the Media Trusts, Tik Tok Academy Training, to help me to improve my knowledge of this platform.
What is it like working for the Action West London charity?
AWL is my local charity and I’ve watched the charity develop over the last 25 years. Coming to work for a local charity doing local work is important to me. I find it deeply fulfilling to communicate the great work of the charity and its success stories.
What does a typical day look like for you from start to finish?
My WFH day starts at around 8am checking our social media channels to make sure that our scheduled posts have been shared on our platforms and to check engagement. I’ll then move onto emails and check my inbox. I work closely with the CEO, head of trustees and project managers, so I often find myself responding to their queries or suggestions about communications. As I look after the communication platforms for two of AWL projects as well as the main charity channels, on an average day I then begin creating content for either the charity or our circular economy project or our social enterprise market. I spend a lot of time on Canva and on video editing apps to create content.
Each month I plan the schedule of posts for the following month and I’ll work out what regular posts need to go out for monthly events or projects and I also research any special days we need to mark. I’ll write at least one blog each week and often turn my hand to graphic design to create posters and flyers for our projects.
Often, I will attend meetings with colleges to discuss communications requirements for projects and how I can help them with social media or general marketing.
If I’m onsite at our market or at other events I will do a variety of work including taking photos, shooting footage or interviews or managing external photographers or filmmakers.
What do you love the most about your job?
Being creative, bringing our brilliant work to life by using image, sound and video
Give us some useful links that have helped you with your professional development
Chartered Institute of Public Relations
If you could give someone career advice, what would it be?
Keep going until you get to where you want to be. Research what skills you need to progress and keep updating your skills with courses, that help you get there. Volunteer to gain skills in the areas you want to work in.