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!
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how Jeff Carrigan divided us students up into two groups: the people graduating and the people that were not. I thought he had great tips for me and you, the students graduating in May. He really helped me see that standing out is very important and that a degree is not enough these days. You really need to excel NOW to excel in the future!
I really liked when Jeff explained the five C’s on how to stand out, I feel like these are all very important and that everyone needs to remember them to be the best they can be in a job or in other circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI had the opportunity to meet with Allison and she was super cool and helpful during my mock interview with her. She gave me the advice to lead with my best foot forward and keep my self in a positive light.
ReplyDeleteLove that you included a picture with your blog! I also agree with you on how much we will all take away from this event and use in our future interviews. I like the advice to be yourself and let your personality shine through! I was also told that employers look for confident, unique people, so I think it is important to be yourself and not try to put on any kind of show during an interview. What a great opportunity we were given to meet with these pros!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture you included as well! I am so thankful for this opportunity we were given - network, network, network is what they say - and we definitely got some great experience doing so!
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