How I Kickstarted My Career: My H\FC Success Story

My name is Danielle Gootman, and I am a marketing major with a minor in public relations at The University of Tampa, graduating in May 2025. About two years ago, I was introduced to Home From College (H\FC) through a LinkedIn direct message from Julia Haber, the co-founder and CEO at H\FC, who shared an exciting opportunity for a project she was leading. That single message became the start of an incredible journey. Since then, I have had the privilege of participating in a diverse array of GIGs, including content creation, ambassador programs, UGC photography, marketing research, brand sampling, and more! Home From College has truly transformed my college experience, providing me with invaluable opportunities to learn, grow, and refine my skills while building meaningful connections.

This past semester, I was an ambassador for Monday Haircare, and it was an incredible experience. I applied for this GIG because I already loved using their products and was excited about the chance to create social media content. Additionally, I saw this as a great way to share samples with my sorority and other campus clubs on campus. I applied for this position through the H\FC website in July and heard back about a week later. By September, I attended a Zoom meeting to learn more about the campaign, and in early October, I received the products for sampling initiatives. Then, I started creating content and sampling the product throughout October.

As an ambassador, my responsibilities included distributing the product samples, creating two pieces of user-generated content (UGC), and sharing my experience. One asset was a video showcasing the distribution of the samples during my sorority chapter meeting. The second was a TikTok trend video creatively incorporating Monday Haircare while adhering to the brand’s guidelines from the campaign brief. Collaboration was an integral part of this GIG. I worked closely with Kendall and Noah from the H\FC team and Kate from the Monday Haircare team. Their support made the process seamless, from discussing creative ideas on Zoom meetings to finalizing and posting content.

This experience allowed me to enhance both hard and soft skills. On the technical side, I honed my content creation abilities, especially in filming, editing, and following brand-specific guidelines. I also learned how to align creative work with marketing strategies, such as using appropriate hashtags and tags to maximize engagement. On the soft skills side, I developed stronger time management and communication skills by coordinating with the H\FC and Monday Haircare teams while meeting deadlines for asset submissions. I particularly enjoyed engaging with members of my sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon, and gathering valuable feedback about the brand. This experience stands out as one of my favorite GIGs with H\FC. The smooth and efficient approval process on the H\FC platform made the entire experience seamless, and the positive feedback from my sorority further highlighted the success and impact of this campaign.