Leslie Fernandez

Hello.

I thought this "tell me something about yourself" part would be easier when written than a face-to-face interview. I'm quickly finding out it's not. So let me stick to the basics and the most generic answer I can think of.

I have 10+ years of experience writing stuff. I didn't start as a creative content writer because I prefer crafting help articles, user guides, and other technical-ish documents. I somehow got roped writing marketing materials, and I unexpectedly liked it. So, I've been a content writer for a digital marketing agency for the last three years. Our primary client was a software vendor, and most of the samples here on my folio belong to that vendor. I was placed under their Product Marketing team, and that's where most of my marketing experiences came from. So I'm no expert, but I understand the basics of it. Do I like it? Yes! Am I working on learning more? YES!

Anyway, I'm a little sad that our contract with that client ended. Now, we're working on several other client projects, and of course, I'm involved when there's a need for a copy (obviously). I heard that we also have more clients lined up.

So why am I looking for another opportunity?

I think I've learned everything I can with my current company, and I'm ready for another growth path. I'm very grateful to Exuberance; they really showed up, especially during this pandemic. They showed grit when other companies were letting go of their employees. It's a great company.

(It's not them. It's me. kidding!)

So here I am. Quickly creating this portfolio to make it seem like I'm a cool person (hey, I have my own domain name!). In reality, I'm not. My favorite pastime is staying indoors, even before the pandemic, and hanging out with family (even when they're sick of me and would pay to get me out of the house).

I'm an INTJ-T when I last took the test, rated 100% on Introversion. It said that I'm an Analyst and my strategy is Continuous Improvement. Not bad.

So, there.

Technical Support, KB Article Author, Team Lead

• I was a tech support for a financial software (QuickBooks) fresh out of college. That's the start of my tech writing journey. The leaders wanted support agents to write KB articles for the Help tool, and I said "Pick Me!," and they did.
• I was then the pioneer author for internal facing documents, which eventually turned to external-facing. And then the team grew; from me being a lone-ly author, the team expanded to almost 20 writers in six years. And I was the lead. I think people management was the most difficult thing I've done.
• As the lead, I was responsible for many things, and I was also part of production (I was the main editor of everyone's work).
• It took it's toll. I believe that when you are not passionate about something, you definitely should not gamble or "give it a try." I eventually left after making sure I put the right people to replace me. Last I heard, the team is still thriving, and I'm proud that I left them in a good place.

Analyst Relations Specialist

Remember about the software vendor that's an ex-client now? Well, they also made me a part of their Analyst Relations team. I was initially tasked to act, basically, like a virtual assistant. 

• Schedule briefing and inquiry calls with industry experts (analysts from Forrester and Gartner).
• Take care of the reports repository.
• Keep track of analyst publications and send the reports to the right C-person.
• Be part of the submission team during Magic Quadrant and Wave seasons.
• Reach out to clients to solicit reviews on digital market platforms like Capterra, G2, and Gartner Peer Insight.

Did I enjoy this stint? A resounding YES.