‘Learned how to ignore them’: 23-year-old digital creator on how she deals with trolls

Apeejay School of Management (ASM) alumna Sreya Biswas is not just a relationship manager at HDFC Bank but also a digital content creator with 100k followers on Instagram. While being aware of the opportunities in the latter, she wishes to make a career in the corporate world instead. In an interview, Sreya, who pursued a post-diploma degree in marketing and human resource (HR), talks about how she balances her commitments in both fields. Edited excerpts:

Can you tell us why you opted for marketing and HR for your MBA?

In the second year of our course, we had to opt for two specialisations out of four and I chose Marketing and HR. Throughout my course, marketing was what interested me the most. Naturally, it was my first option. As for HR, I realised the subject, along with marketing, would give me wholesome exposure and prepare me for the future.

How did ASM prepare you for your professional career?

My college started in the middle of the Covid-19 lockdown. We had online classes during the first year. I had some apprehensions initially, but I went on to enjoy the classes thoroughly. The faculty was very good and supported me. We were assigned mentors at the very beginning who guided us every step of the way. I would reach out to my professors even after classes in case I faced any problems. Although we had only met virtually, I felt very connected to them. It was only after reaching the second year that I could meet my professors in person at the college campus. Meanwhile, I also got a lot of exposure through co-curricular activities.

You bagged your job at HDFC through campus placements. How did your mentor at ASM prepare you for it?

We used to have a session with the mentor every week. He prepared us for every new hurdle or opportunity that we might come across in the future. He also did mock interviews and a number of other activities to get us ready for our respective professional journeys.

People tend to feel overwhelmed in job interviews. How did you manage to overcome nervousness and crack your interview?

I believe in staying calm and just being yourself. I cracked my very first job interview because I was confident and calm. You may not have the answer to every question asked in an interview. In such cases, it is always better to clearly state that to an interviewer instead of fumbling. It is important to have a good conversation with the interviewer and tell them about your strengths and weaknesses. You just have to be calm, confident, and fit for the job role.

This is your first job. How is the experience?

I was very well prepared for my professional journey. I am less than a month old in my current company, so I am working and learning simultaneously. I am very excited to see where this road will take me!

You are also a digital content creator. Tell us more.

I have been doing it for four years now. I have 100k followers on Instagram. I do collaborations with brands, mostly makeup and skincare. As far as balancing this with my job is concerned, I manage to work on content creation on the weekends.

When I started, I never thought I would be fortunate enough to get to work with a lot of brands and earn money. Eventually, I started getting emails and calls from various brands and realised the potential of influencer marketing. Even though I am grateful, I was clear right from the beginning that I did not want to pursue digital content creation as a full-fledged career.

How do you plan brand content?

It depends upon the brand. Sometimes, the brands demand a specific kind of content based on their product. But there are also those who leave it to your discretion.

Does it ever get difficult to reach a consensus on the creative aspects?

Not really. There is not much disagreement, not to mention I keep myself flexible and open to ideas. Having said that, I make sure the content that is created is engaging and different from others in order to grab people’s attention.

Do you have trolls dropping comments on your videos? How do you cope with them?

Yes! People with fake accounts and trolls drop such comments often to make me look bad or diss my work. I would feel very upset initially but over time, I learned how to ignore them. It makes no sense to be affected by those who do not even know you personally. I decided consciously to only value the opinion of those who really matter to me like my family and close friends.