From January 18 until May 2019, I worked in the marketing department of Salesworks Korea. Salesworks, which was founded in 1987 in Australia, currently has more than 850 office branches worldwide. Saleswork’s “support” division has worked with NGO clients for the past 7 years. Presently, we are the sole marketing company partnered with UNHCR.

As a newbie in the company, I went through a training program which included a lot of memorizing, presenting, and adapting. However, I was able to adapt well because my seniors and supervisors helped me throughout the journey. We were trained to carry out research on the UN Refugee Agency. I also got to learn more about the operations and systems of different NGOs. We made brochures, pamphlets, and educational PPTs to distribute through various organizations.

Each month, we focused on specific campaigns to promote. One of the most important was the 1 Family campaign that increased the consciousness of international protection which is one of the crucial values of UNHCR. I attended daily meetings with the department head and discussed disaster relief situations that are ongoing in the world today. We invited speakers from different all around the world to share their experiences on refugee support.

My experience working in the company was very rewarding due to the fact that I got to be widely involved in the operations myself. I got to meet with many directors of social welfare associations in Korea. Moreover, it also made me realize the essence of being an instrument of transformation. I was able to help families from Lebanon, Sudan, and Syria. We focussed on the protection of stateless people, returnees, asylum seekers and many more.

Furthermore, once a week we volunteered to take part in fundraising drives that were directly sent to communities in Syria. Through our help, they were able to build refugee tents, wells, and provide educational supplies to children below the age of 12.

I was able to acquire skills such as using F2F (face to face) marketing channels to talk directly to clients. I learned more about the professionals in the humanitarian sector and their methods of providing people with the proper care they need. I received the Green Leader Award for being one of the most outstanding persons in terms of performance and presentation output among newcomers.

Overall, this work experience was truly unforgettable. It made me realize the various career paths that I might choose from in the near future. I was able to meet a diverse group of people who shared the same passion. I loved how I got to be involved personally with refugees, sending donations and getting trained by people who are the first responders in emergency operations.