The Hudson Business
Lounge is a trendy networking and work destination located in Downtown
Milwaukee’s Third Ward. It was the
location for a powerhouse networking event designed to help UW-Whitewater PR students experience mock
interviews and give informational interviews to young professionals. In my opinion, PR Career Development Night
was a great success. This is only the
second networking event I have ever been to and it left me itching to attend
another one very soon. The first part of the night included a 15 minute speech from Big Shoes Network founder, Jeff Carrigan. Carrigan answered two questions: What should I do after graduation? And how can I stand out? The answers to these questions are very helpful to students like me who are graduating this coming spring. I must take advantage of the job opportunities available now, like internships and I must follow the five C’s on how to stand out: competence, connections, character, chemistry, and c-suite.
The second part of the evening included two mock interviews conducted
by skilled PR professionals. I found
this to be extremely helpful. I was interviewed
by Heidi
Murphy, CEO of the public relations consulting firm Opal, and Kirsten Kozik,
Sales and Marketing Administrator for Anguil. I have not had a large number of interviews
in my lifetime but they gave me advice that I will be sure to take into account
for the next interview I face. The most
important bit of advice that I was given was to be myself and let my
personality shine through. Interviews
can be nerve-racking but it was great hearing that I will be successful in
interviews if I stay true to who I am.
I also had the opportunity to give an informational
interview to one of the young professionals.
I interviewed Allison
Kubacki, Account Coordinator for Lightburn
Digital Agency in Milwaukee. Allison
gave me great feedback on the professional world, including what a typical day
is like, what part of her job is most satisfying, and the type of experience I
should have for entering this work field.
I know the information that I learned through my interview with Allison
will play a role in upcoming job decisions I will soon be making.
Overall, this was a great night for UW-Whitewater students
to network and it has made me excited for future networking events I may come
across!
