Level Up Your Skillset with Anum Hussain
Level Up Your Skillset with Anum Hussain, Below the Fold Co-Founder, Podcast Producer, Speaker Coach, and Freelancer
Here at MWP, we’re gearing up for a slowly but surely opening job market. Whether you’re ready to take on a first job, change paths, or improve at your current job, this month we’re dedicated to sharing resources on leveling up your skillset to achieve your goals. Now, a new norm is emerging among many professionals: taking on multiple roles at once. But how do you do it all, and do it all well, for that matter?
Today, we’re talking with Anum Hussain, the CEO and co-founder of her start-up, Below the Fold, a free newsletter service that curates the evocative, important news stories that often go hidden under all the breaking news. She is also the producer of her podcast, Desi Standard Time, speaker coach for Shine Bootcamp, and a freelancer. Anum shares how she became the founder of a Forbes- and Business Insider-recognized start-up while balancing her other careers, and gives tips on how other MWPs can grow in their own (possibly multiple) careers.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW ANUM HUSSAIN @ANUMAUNTY ON INSTAGRAM TO FOLLOW ALL HER AMAZING PROJECTS. YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUT THE BELOW THE FOLD NEWSLETTER AT WWW.BELOWTHEBOLD.NEWS AND @BELOWTHEFOLDNEWS ON INSTAGRAM.
May 11, 2021
1. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Anum Hussain, I started my career studying journalism at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. I worked at the Boston Globe for a bit before I pivoted to a career in marketing at Boston-based HubSpot. There, I really learned how much I loved technology optimization, and catering your story to your audience. While getting my MBA at MIT, I thought through marrying my two backgrounds together and graduated into having my own media start-up, Below the Fold.
2. You’ve worked your way up in your career. What skills were vital in your success and how do you continue to build your skills?
The most important skills I learned were all the little things that matter day to day. When you think about your career, you think of a big goal you’re working towards, like becoming an astronaut, a data analyst, etc. For me, what’s benefitted most are all the little things you need to do every day: How do you craft an amazing email, how do you get ideas across concisely, how do you get someone to trust what you bring to the table? Those skills transfer everywhere. As my career has changed, it’s those simple, basic, foundational tricks that help me stand out.
I’ve also definitely been in a position where I don’t really know all the things I need to know. For example, I used to be a social media marketer but even now, I feel like I don’t know what it takes to be successful on social media. As you get further into your career, you have the benefit of learning from people who have more expertise in that field. Now, I’m learning from my team, interns, and others who support me.
There’s also many resources now on Instagram, such as Muslim Women Professionals of course. It’s so easy to forget what we already learned but having those constant reminders means improving and relearning “old” lessons as well.
3. How do you manage to wear multiple hats and still thrive in each role?
To thrive in these roles, I set very clear boundaries. For example, for my freelance work, I make it very clear to all of my clients that, before we engage in any contract, my start-up is my number one priority. Therefore, I can’t have a super quick turnaround time. And if that’s not going to work, it’s totally fine. I just make sure I don’t sign up for anything that has rapid deadlines. I think it’s also important to know when to say no; I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s important to realize what your boundaries are.
I think it’s important to note I don’t plan on working multiple jobs forever. While my start-up is still growing, it’s not necessarily the financial vehicle I need it to be to support me alone. Ideally, I wouldn’t have to do freelance work and my start-up would be self-sustaining. At the end of the day, having a happy, healthy life is way more important than saying you’re working on 10 different projects -- there’s no need to over glorify doing lots and lots of work.
4. What platforms and tools have you helped you refine your skillset?
Well, I was lucky to have awesome managers I learned so much from. But I also took some General Assembly weekend workshops that were great for learning data analytics, but now there’s so many groups that hold courses like that. Ultimately, I think it’s important to learn how to pitch yourself. I just finished a round of interviewing, and it was surprising how many simple mistakes candidates made, from 3-page resumes to lack of information in emails.
Candidates like these seem to expect me to do all the work in finding out why they should work at our organization, and while I went out of my way to figure that out, most companies would not put that effort in. So whether it’s early or later in your career, it’s always best to humble yourself, to rather over communicate information, and show why someone should engage with you.
5. What tips would you give to MWPs who are thinking of making career changes?
One is to go through trial and error and two is to learn how to transfer your skills. For trial and error, I did so many internships in college. With them, I even pivoted between which area of journalism I wanted to study. It took lots of hands-on experience to figure out if the area I was in would be what I’m happy with long-term.
In my growth-stage startup job, I constantly volunteered to take on projects outside my department. That allowed me to navigate within different fields in the company. Even big companies now let you spend 10% of your time on another project outside your department. You can communicate to your boss saying, “I love my current responsibilities, but I would love to spend 10% of my time on another project with another team, what are my options?”
That brings me to two, which is that every job has skills that are transferable -- even if positions are wildly different. Women are first to look at a job description and think, “Well I haven’t 90% of what’s here,” and don’t apply. In reality, you probably have, just in a different capacity. Being able to look at your skillset and then communicate your talents effectively is super important.
6. What has it been like being the only Muslim woman, where do you find your confidence?
I’ve definitely have been the only Muslim woman in different organizations, in business school I was the only one in my class. I think early on in my career, in some ways, it actually benefited me to be the minority because everyone was focused on learning from me. And my best mentors at the time where my white, cis-male. They not only supported me, but they just had access to so much (unfortunately, that is the reality). I got to learn from people from very different backgrounds than me, and that was great.
But as I got older, especially in business school when I was the only one, that’s when it felt more lonely. But as you get further in your career, that’s when leadership has cliques, who they’re most comfortable with, what kinds of people are at the top, etc. I will say I do my best in doing my part to create a safe space I, and many other MWPs, could need.
At HubSpot, I volunteered to host an iftar for the Muslim community in Boston. When I was in business school, a lot of conversation in our South Asian business club was centered on Indian identity. So everyone called our cultural function the Indian Cultural Function, and we only celebrated Indian cultural events. So I started a campaign to reeducate on the different countries in South Asia, getting everyone to call it the South Asian Cultural Function again, with the help of representatives from each South Asian country (i.e. Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.) It’s important that, rather than complain that you aren’t being represented in the way you want, you at first try your best to make things better where you can through discourse and dialogue.
