We recently connected with Melissa McIntosh and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, thanks for joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

This question tends to get me every time because when I look back on the journey, it humbles me to know the many paths and obstacles it took to get to where I am today. For some who know, I currently work in the healthcare field. After a year of non-stop networking and putting my resume in many hands, I had finally landed my first job in my field. It was an exciting experience at the time. I remember getting the phone call from the recruiter asking me to come in for an interview. They fell in love with my work ethic instantly and I scored the second round interview right on the spot. Next thing I knew, I got the call two days later that I got the job and off I was to my very first job in the healthcare field. Bittersweet.

Like they always say, the first job in any field may not always be the prettiest. You may have some good days and you may have some bad days. In my case, I was working in healthcare so I was always prepared for the good and the bad. My first job was an office assistant job, where I did simple tasks such as answering phones, covering front desk, checking patients in and out and then handling paperwork through our third party service making sure that the clinicians received what they needed on time. It sounded like an easy job, but some days it got challenging. I would sometimes walk in to work wondering how the day would go. There were days when I’d be on my feet all day running back and forth trying to make ends meet with patients and their physicians. Other days, I’d have my hands full scanning in paperwork and covering front desk when needed. Answering the phone was the hard part because we all know that when a patient is not feeling well, it could really make or break the way the convo will go. I’ve experienced a little bit of it all to the point where I sometimes would get overwhelmed or stressed out but the one thing I remembered to keep in mind was to always stay positive and keep my head up because if it was my family on the other end of the phone, I would want them treated with the best quality of customer service possible.

My first job in my field tested me at times but the most important and rewarding lesson I learned from that job in my professional career is to stop, take a deep breath and think positively because it really makes an impact on not only how your day will go, but how your mind will process through the day. We don’t often think about it, but the way you allow your mind to process really plays a part in how you allow your day to go. At that job at the time, I learned to have so much patience, even though I came equipped from my very first job in my late teens. I learned to put myself in other’s shoes so that I, too, cannot be selfish with the way I think knowing that someone may have just walked out the office with some unexpected news or a diagnosis they did not see coming. Healthcare has taught me to re-think a lot of things in life. Fast forward to my current job now, I see myself utilizing a lot of what I learned and applying it to my daily tasks. I look back on my first job in my field and am very thankful for the experiences I’ve gained there. I persisted and didn’t give up. I took negatives and turned them into positives, but most of all, I left an impact that I can only hope those I’ve had the pleasure of working with can learn a lesson or two from.

Melissa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

To introduce myself, I am a part time content creator and a full-time healthcare professional. I started doing content creating back in 2018, when at the time, I didn’t know it had a name haha. The interest sparked during the spring semester of my senior year in college where I was casually scrolling on Instagram one day and saw a lot of natural hair influencers posting really cool videos of their hair styles, routines and regimens. I knew then, I wanted to do that. I started off doing natural hair and then my interest grew to fashion to eventually lifestyle. Within time, I found myself scoring brand ambassadorships and from there, my mini career in social media started soaring. It became a passion and to this day, is my outlet from reality when I just want to get lost from the craziness in the world and just come up with cool videos that others would enjoy. I turned my platforms into a positive space where people can get a sense of inspiration from my content whether it be about fashion, lifestyle or natural hair. And to date, I have successfully worked with a few natural hair brands as well as a fashion brand and it has been quite a fun experience working behind the scenes with such awesome brands.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Other than training/knowledge, I think having a sense of open-mindedness will get you very far for succeeding in your field. Many times, people do not like to expand their experience on things nor try new things and I feel like it hurts their brand more than help them. I say that because life is ever-changing. We live in a world where technology has multiplied by 100 and everything is now available at the touch of a fingertip. Today’s generation has it so easy because everything is modernized to make life more easier than hard. If I didn’t take the risks with trying new things, I’m almost certain my brand would fail. When it comes to being a creative, I want to make sure that I’m open to every experience possible that I can learn from and even better my own craft from. Open-mindedness has gotten me very far not only in my professional life but my social life as well. Be open to exploring new places, trying new things and meeting new people. The best networking and opportunities come from the things we are often scared or anxious to try. Take a leap of faith and go into it with an open mind. I guarantee you will thank yourself later.

Any advice for managing a team?

I’ve had several leadership experiences where I’ve had to manage a team and maintain high morale through it all. The best advice I can give is to have a sense of level-headedness when it comes to managing others. Try to keep everyone motivated but don’t micro-manage. Let your team know that you trust them to get the work done and if they ever need something that you are always there as a resource. I find that when we give team members space, they perform a lot better. I also like to encourage my team and let them know that they’re doing a great job because with no village, there is no success. At the end of the day, everyone has their own personal issues that they’re dealing with so I prefer to be kind to others and let them know that we’re in this together and that they’re not alone.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @itwinley_
• Youtube: @itwinley_
• Other: Youtube Website Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNH-XD8Irn4zVMuEOX39mMA/featured

Image Credits
@nesta_da_great @tjdrops @akatwinn_