Powerhouse Networking!!!

Greetings everyone!

 I hope that this post finds everyone in great spirits. I want to tell you guys about this awesome opporunity I had on November 13th in Milwaukee! As a requirement for my PR Tactics class, I attended a "powerhouse networking" event at the Hudson Business Lounge in the Third Ward. During this event I had the opportunity to listen to a brief presentation by Jeff Carrigan of Big Shoes Network, participate in two mock interviews with established communications professionals and conduct my own informational interview in order to learn more about the communications field!

The presentation by Carrigan was very informative and gave me facts that I didn't know about the public relations field. Big Shoes Network is the largest communications job website in the area. But of the jobs that are posted on the site, 33% of them are entry level. These jobs include agency, non-profit, and corporate sectors of marketing, public relations and advertising. That statistic alone makes me very optimistic for my post-graduation job search.

My mock interviews were my favorite part of the event. I was interviewed by Jackie Hribar, Public Relations Account Executive for Celtic Inc. and Tim Olsen, Manager of Public Relations for Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin. Both interviews went very well as my interviewers had nothing but positive things to say to me. Most of the interview consisted of me explaining my prior Emerging Markets internship with the Brewers and how that experience is going to help me in my future career goals. Both professionals gave me their business cards with the hopes of assisting me in achieving more professionally.

Finally, my informational interview was very ironic. I got the chance to interview Kenna Dubrink, Assistant Marketing Manager for Marcus Hotels & Resorts. As we began to converse about her job duties and overall professional career, I began to see that a lot of the consumer marketing projects that she does is similar to projects I have done in the past. That fact alone made our session go by almost too fast, but still made it enjoyable. She also gave me her card and insisted that I stayed in contact so that she could keep me updated on some of her unique marketing ideas, which could benefit me in the future.

Given my work experience, this whole event was easy for me. There were no questions that caught me off guard and I felt relaxed, no matter who was sitting across from me. This experience will undoubtedly contribute greatly to my future professional development, and for that I am truly grateful. Anyways, have a good night and a safe weekend guys! -Rickey