Have you ever wondered what your friends actually do for work? We’re not talking about the description in their LinkedIn bio, but what they actually do in their 9-5. As part of our mission to bring you more girl boss content, we’re investigating job titles to get the low-down on exactly what they really entail. Curious to know what an account executive even means? Wondering what a VP in finance does in the afternoon? We’re creating more transparency around different jobs, and the salaries and duties that come with them, to help you figure out what you’re interested in. First up, read how a digital media buyer living in Santa Monica, CA spends her workday.
Age: 23
City: Santa Monica CA
Industry: Digital Media/Marketing
Job Title: Media Buyer
Years of experience: 1
Salary: 45k
What does your job title mean? What does your job entail?
I do social media marketing and search engine marketing at a marketing agency. We are a month to month marketing agency where a company can come to us for help on any channel they need (strategy, media buying, content/creative, email or influencer). We will then run their marketing efforts for that channel. We have 6 to upwards of 14 clients on our roster at a time.
I manage Facebook ads and Search/Google ads within the media buying channel. I assist in the development and execution of my clients marketing and campaign efforts. I’m also responsible for leading client communication, strategy, campaign evolution and data reporting on all of the ads I am running. Mainly, my goal is to earn profits while lowering costs per customer acquisition. I don’t really have a specific ‘job description’ as we are expected to do whatever our client asks, so I have learned everything from photoshop to coding. Wearing a lot of hats keeps me busy and I am always learning something new.
When do you wakeup?
I wake up around 8 and head to work for 9.
At 11am I am…
Doing client work or on a client call. I have weekly calls with all 11 clients every week. So that’s around 11 hours on the phone  a week – which is a lot. These calls usually focus on content brainstorming, recapping, and reporting data from the week.
What does lunch normally look like for you? Do you have a full lunch or are you lucky to grab a bar in between calls?
I eat at my desk. I bring lunch or grab something quick to bring back. We don’t really “get” a lunch break or have time for one.
At 1pm I am… 
Doing more client work.
At 5pm I am… 
Still working! Or wrapping things up.
How does a workday end for you? What time do you normally leave work?
Anywhere from 5:30-6:30. I usually wrap up emails, log project time in my time sheets, and also log things I did that day for my clients within a project management tool we have.
What do you do after work? An event? Dinner? More work?
I love to keep a good life work balance. I usually watch movies/Netflix on Mondays/Tuesdays but I’ll make a good dinner or go out to dinner with friends later in the week. I have wine Wednesday with my friends or on Thursday we’ll go to a comedy show, get drinks at a bar, or go out to sushi. I don’t think my day should just end when work ends.
What time do you go to bed? 
Around 12 maybe. Depends if I go out or what day of the week it is.