Alumni Engagement

"Choose a positive thought." - Some great advice from building art in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward.

On Wednesday evening, I was one of almost 90 UW-Whitewater students who had the privilege of meeting with three of 45 working PR professionals. This event took place at the Hudson Business Lounge, a very cool shared office and workspace lounge located in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward. The setting was conducive to networking with the professionals who so generously donated their time to help out UW-W students.

The night was kicked off by a presentation from Jeff Carrigan of Big Shoes Network. Jeff gave us several statistics about the public relations field based on information from his niche online job posting service. According to Jeff:

• Postings on Big Shoes Network are up by 9% from last year
• Entry-level positions make up 33% of the postings on the site
• Jobs are composed of about 45% agency positions, 45% corporate positions, and the remaining jobs are in non-profits or other positions

Jeff also mentioned that employers post about 30 internships per month, with April and May being the two biggest months for internships in anticipation of the summer months. Of the internships on Big Shoes Network, 70% of them are paid. Jeff stressed how important internships are to potential employers - the more experience, the better!

Jeff also presented to us five "C's" to focus on to stand out to future employers. These C's included Competence, Connections, Character, Chemistry, and C-suite. Jeff stressed that the more you know about the company you're interviewing with, the better. He also impressed upon us the importance of good questions, making solid connections in the industry, being honest, finding a company where you feel you belong, and thinking like a CEO.

After Jeff's very informative presentation, students then broke up into one-on-one speed interviews with PR professionals. The first professional I was able to speak with was Emily Bultman of Wisconsin Dental Association, and then I also met with Justin Smith of Trefoil Group. Both of these young professionals were extremely helpful and willing to talk with me and give me great tips for moving on in the professional world. It was really a pleasure to network with these enthusiastic individuals who wanted to help me succeed.

Finally, we wrapped up the night with a mock informational interview with a final working professional. For this session, I was paired up with Timothy Olsen of St. Joseph's Hospital, part of Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin. Mr. Olsen was extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer all the questions I presented him with.

Overall, the Alumni Engagement was a great learning and networking experience. I'm so thankful for all of the professionals who took the time to give such valuable advice to UW-Whitewater students!