By Travis RamsdellNo matter what it is in life, whether it’s a future job, a new hobby, or just a way to present ourselves to others, the origin of it likely comes from being inspired. Whether this inspiration can be considered something minor or a life changing experience, it can have profound effects on our life and lead us to mirror it as closely as possible. Speaking from personal experience, while this can provide a solid road map as well as a glimpse into the future in regard to how it worked out for others, it creates difficulties when figuring out how to stand out from others and creating something that was never done before.  This topic as well as many others was discussed at the last PRSSA SoCal Coalition Meeting this past week, hosted generously by Biola University, in which three amazing guest speakers shared their experiences working in the PR industry and offering advice to those in attendance. Naomi Hyman, a marketing assistant at Capitol Records, Kara Makishi, an account executive at 6th Street PR, and Amanda Pappalardo, President of Biola’s PRSSA chapter who has also interned at NBC Universal and Fender, were the panelists at the meeting in which they discussed tips and tricks for those interested in branding for the entertainment industry. Those who came to listen were able to hear specific strategies related to branding for artists and companies in the entertainment industry as well as ways in which it could transfer over and help those who wished to develop their own personal brand as well.
From tactics to get our foot in the door and solidify our first opportunities in the industry, to different techniques that can help us maintain our creative energy in difficult times, everyone had the chance to relate to a piece of advice and leave the meeting to work towards something. One such topic that resonated in almost every question that was asked was whether or not we were moving in the right direction with landing an opportunity and it circled around to the main advice that was given: just be you. “There’s a reason that you’re in every room that you’re in,” Hyman revealed following a question for advice for those new to the branding world. “You have so much to give.” This advice connected with those who may have felt uneasy or unqualified, like myself, about the place that we’re in in the PR industry and always feeling that we have to do more in which Makishi chimed in, “Don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t get it. We are always learning and making goals that you can see yourself achieve really adds up.” Whether you are someone who has been interested in entertainment and branding for years or someone who is just looking for their opportunity in PR, one piece of advice that should always be held onto is to be yourself and that opportunity will come as Pappalardo stated, “There’s something about you that no one else has. Don’t be afraid as you never know when you’re going to get that yes.”
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By Vanessa Buck Influencer marketing has exploded within the last 10 years. Many companies use influencers to market their products or services. Most companies also have programs for college student ambassadors. Influencer marketing is a social media or word-of-mouth marketing that uses endorsements from influencers-individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche. Many companies utilize influencers because of the high amount of trust that social influencers have developed with their audience. As a college student, looking for brand ambassador positions is beneficial to marketing or public relations students to gain experience, learn through a hands-on experience and get paid. Here are some tips on how to get started as a campus brand ambassador, where to look/find these opportunities and how to use your social media skills to grow your personal brand as a college student.  According to Social Media Today, “77% of teens think that YouTubers are more reliable than celebrities and 88% of consumers trust online recommendations as much as face-to-face recommendations.” There are so many opportunities on social media and digital for influencer marketing. There are 2 billion users on Facebook, 1.5 billion users on YouTube, 700 million users on Instagram, 328 million users are Twitter and 255 million users on Snapchat. TikTok, the newest place for influencer marketing, currently has an average of 100 million daily users.  Tips for becoming a campus brand ambassador Most college students are Gen-Z and grew up in the age of social media. They are familiar with the ins and outs of social media and how to use the different capabilities of each platform. Some things students can do to find brand ambassador opportunities are: 1. Researching through social media. Search Instagram hashtags such as #CampusRep or #BrandAmbassador, or even #Ad or #Sponsored, and look through tagged posts of what content students have previously created for various brand programs. 2. Check the websites of your favorite brands or companies. See if they have a student ambassador program on your campus. Popular ambassador programs include VS Pink, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Bumble, 5 Hour Energy, LaCroix, HBO, Course Hero, Bear Paw, Amazon Prime and Dunkin Donuts. 3. Research and familiarize yourself with agencies. There are many agencies that specialize in connecting brands with student ambassadors to represent them, such as Intern Queen or Riddle & Bloom. Many programs will give their student ambassadors guidelines or briefs for what they are required to do each week. This can include a minimum number of posts on your social media feeds or stories each week. Incorporating the social media platform skills and familiarity that college students have today can benefit them when marketing themselves as they apply for these various student ambassador positions. Content creating, proficient editing and aesthetics are very beneficial for what these programs are looking for to promote their brand. Make the most of your social media and networking skills by applying for campus ambassador programs! Find opportunities in the influencer marketing industry as a college student and get paid to share content with your peers. Brands are looking for eager and motivated student ambassadors to represent their companies on their campuses and spread the word about their products/services. Stay on top of when program applications open, get involved on campus and get familiar with the company/brand you are applying for. Influencer marketing isn’t going away anytime soon and will most likely grow more and more popular into the future. Take advantage of opportunities now and gain experience for how to grow and become successful in this industry. Comment down below some brands you’re interested in becoming a campus brand ambassador for or have previously worked for as a brand ambassador! By Tifanny Rawls When it comes to presenting yourself as an ideal job candidate for potential employers, you are typically told to do so via professionalism: having outstanding resumes, wearing business clothes for interviews, being punctual to interviews, giving interviewers direct yet cordial greetings, maintaining eye contact with interviewers, answering questions fluidly and thoroughly, and parting from interviewers gratefully.
However, there is another type of presentation that is just as important but often neglected: personality. Revealing your character allows you to stand out among your competitors better than a piece of paper, polished outfit or practiced words would. Hiring managers come across hundreds, even thousands, of other candidates with the same standard qualities. You need to be special to capture their attention. The best way to do that is to simply be yourself by: 1. Creating a logo The epitome of a brand is its logo. When people look at them, they automatically know who it belongs to and what it means. Each one is unique, acting as an identifier for a single entity. Having your own logo will make it easier for your audience to recognize you. Use tools like Canva to help you personalize it with your favorite colors, fonts, animations, and designs to get noticed in the crowd. 2. Making a slogan Just as logos are a visual representation of a brand, slogans are the written representation. They tell your audience what you are about in a way that is catchy and meaningful. Flex your creativity by playing with length, word choice, imagery and symbolism to define yourself in the job market. Display your slogans on your platforms and any personalized merch. 3. Building a website Websites are an online home. They are the place where everyone goes to learn more about you on the Internet, the shelter of all your history and values. Having your own website invites your audience to discover where you come from—what you have done, what you want to achieve, why you do what you do and how, and other places you frequent. Site builders such as WordPress let you make yourself at home with aesthetics and features that feel true to you. 4. Having a social media presence Being on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube open your audience to the interesting side of you that documents fail to show. Companies already get a sense of your work persona from those, but they have no idea about the image you have in your personal life. Posting topics involving your hobbies, interests, friend, and family help humanize their perception of you and turn you into someone multidimensional, rather than remain just another name. 5. Doing cover letters Most employers require both resumes and cover letters for job seekers to be considered. Although, some of them are satisfied with a resume alone. While it is tempting to ditch cover letters when they are not necessary, doing them anyway can be the difference between getting and not getting an interview. Cover letters offer a glimpse into your personality. Writing about your personal experiences, accomplishments, setbacks and goals help show your audience you are a unique person with a unique journey, making a well-rounded profile. Prioritizing personality alongside professionalism is key to optimizing your chances at landing your perfect job. Try out these tips, and I guarantee you will get closer to that reality. After all, first impressions are the ones that last the longest. By Shelby Althoff When aiming for the utmost exposure on social media, it is crucial to take note of the peak times of activity on each platform. Social media content strategists, social media managers and many other professionals in the public relations field should know how to make the most of each post. There are so many places to post these days that it can be difficult to pinpoint when the right moment is for each platform. What makes it even more challenging is the transformation in engagement patterns COVID-19 caused. The infographic below contains a chart of the most recent best times and days to post on each of the most popular forms of social media. Read on to uncover the best posting schedule!  A study on social media analytics from Sprout Social revealed the best times were often mornings, especially if the target audience includes working professionals. Many of these individuals are on LinkedIn for their jobs. However, Influencer Marketing Hub covered TikTok analytics and described the busiest hours to be at night, considering the users are generally younger. TikTok is still a mystery when it comes to analytics. What we do know is that it is easy to go viral, so businesses can gain views easier there than any other platform. This information is just one of the many ways to maximize exposure. Keeping up with analytics can bring you one step closer to becoming a social media pro! In order to identify your own personalized best times to post, check out Google Analytics, Sprout Social, or any available in-app analytics! By Sophia IsmaIn March of 2020, the world decided to take a pause and keep us safe indoors. People started getting sick, some started to panic and some do not live with their loved ones. Work places and schools started to close and move to online. While online school and work has its have its pros, it also has its cons. The pros are you do not have to dress in a full, business or professional attire and you can work in a space that makes you feel comfortable, while still getting things done. A con, on the other hand, is when you are done with your work, what do you do? Stay in bed all day and blatantly stare at your phone, scrolling through social media or watch whatever is on Netflix or Disney+? Instead of acquiring those bad habits, here are five tips to keep you productive while isolating:
1. Create a schedule for yourself.  Creating a schedule for yourself is the best tool to keep up with your days in quarantine and knowing what tasks you can or must do. Even if you do not have a planner you can create one on Google Calendar or a Word Document. Another way you can customize your schedule is on OneNote, especially if you have a 2-in-1 laptop or tablet. Take the weekends off but focus on Monday to Fridays. 2. Find a comfortable spot to work in. Whether you live by yourself or with others, it can be hard to focus on your online classes and meetings. Your bedroom may not be the best option to work from, especially on your bed or even if you have a desk. Make yourself comfortable in your formal dining area, for example, or if your home has an office area, work from there. When you do not have online meetings and want to listen to music while working, listen to Lo-Fi music, such as The Jazz Hop Café; available on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud. 3. Get your body moving! According to Medline Plus, one of the benefits of working out is that it improves your mental health, as well as increasing your critical thinking. “During exercise, your body releases chemicals that can improve your mood and make you feel more relaxed. This can help you deal with stress and reduce your risk of depression… Exercise stimulates your body to release proteins and other chemicals that improve the structure and function of your brain.” 4. Cook and/or clean around the house. If you have time on your hands and are tired of ordering the same food from Postmates, Grubhub or Uber Eats, learn how to cook your favorite meals. Find your favorite cooking tutorials on YouTube. Start small, buy one of your favorite frozen foods and make it in your microwave oven. Since we are in a pandemic and want to keep ourselves and our surroundings as clean as possible, always be sure to disinfect the areas around your house such as door knobs, remote controls, telephone, your phone and other electronic devices that you use every day. 5. Write your feelings out.  Journaling not only keeps you productive but it is also a self-care tip. During our time in quarantine, we may not be in the best mental or emotional state. From missing the people you love to the places you love to go, near or far, we yearn for that normalcy and connection. But it’s important have to stay safe where we are. It is OK to be in a negative state, but that does not mean you have to stay there. Even if you do not know what to write about, do a brain dump or search journal prompts that fit with the pandemic. The New York Times released an article on 12 Ideas for Writing Through the Pandemic With The New York Times as inspiration for journaling.
Simple but Effective. These tips may be simple but they are effective if you are looking for ways to stay productive. The pandemic may be the worst thing to happen in the new decade, and even though the world paused on us and life is too short, we’ve got to make the best out of our time. By Rocio ValdezIf you have a brand or just want to grow your personal social media following, having a robust social media presence is essential. However, being a successful content creator is complex and not as easy as just posting whatever and whenever. If you want to be successful on social media, it takes work to get there. You need to know how to create engaging content and grow your presence to allow your content to have a wide range of exposure. Whether you are a brand or want to boost your personal social media presence, here are nine ways to help you build your social media presence. 1. Identify your business or what type of content you want to focus on If you have a business, identify what types of content can promote the services you provide. If you want to be an influencer or a successful content creator identify what content you want to focus on. Ask yourself: What are you good at? What are you passionate about? Your answers will lead to tip number two. 2. Narrow your content Identifying what you are trying to promote from step number one will help you really narrow what type of content you should focus on. Create content that represents you or your business to attract better engagement from audiences that will be interested in knowing more about you or your business.  3. Figure out what social media platform(s) you should be on There are so many social media platforms to choose from: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, etc. First, research what channels your specific target audience is active on. Then think about what type of content you can create. Make sure to be realistic about how committed and invested you can be on whichever channel you choose. 4. Stay consistent This is the most important thing to do. It takes time and dedication to create a reliable presence. You have to stay consistent and be committed to posting content regularly in order to stay relevant. Make sure you have a schedule of content you want to create and post, or even schedule your posts in advance so they can automatically post. Post every day and have two or more posts per day on different channels. Really look into how many times a day is appropriate to post on the channel you are using. For example, on Instagram it’s best to post twice a day at most. But on Twitter, the more you post the better. Doing this will attract and keep your audience interested because they will know they have something to look forward to everyday. 5. Stay updated Always stay up to date on what is trending, what events are happening and any important dates coming up. This helps to create relevant content. You can also use what is trending in your hashtags and keywords to join the conversation with a larger audience.  Via Instagram @mmmmitchell6. Create visually appealing content Visuals are vital to online success. Good visuals are what determines if a person will click and like your posts. You can find editing applications to create great visuals or to make your photos better. Always try to post the best quality photos.  Via Instagram @nctphotographer7. Have a clean profile
Try to have a theme on your profile. If you find it difficult to find a theme that represents you or your company, just work on the aesthetic of how your content is displayed. This can make your profile and content easier to follow and more appealing to your audience. 8.Engage with the audience Always dedicate time to interact and respond to your audience. Make time throughout the day for community engagement. This helps to create conversations with your audience and will help you know if your audience is enjoying your content and what content they would like to see more of. 9. Set your social media to public If you are trying to have an established social media presence, you definitely do not want to have any of your social media channels on private. Changing your settings to public will allow for many people to be able to view and share your content. There are a lot of social media creators out there already, but there is always room for more. Will your business or personal page be next? Follow these tips and track your social media insights to determine what works best for you. By Sofi MatzaganianAs social media becomes more and more a part of our daily routines, we tend to become compelled to share every aspect of our lives with our followers. In the age of the influencer, it is not uncommon to have a social media presence and market yourself via platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and, more recently, TikTok. Keeping your personal life and professional life separate is a good practice to adopt in life, especially on social media platforms. In this list you will find the do’s and don’ts of personal and private social medias.  1. Keep it separate
It may seem tedious, but making a separate profile on each platform for your personal posts and one for your professional posts is important. When potential employers are researching you, they do not need to see a video of what you got into last Saturday night. If you want to post these videos and pictures go ahead, just make sure that it is on your private account and not on your professional one. DO spend the time to make a separate profile for both areas of your life. DON’T post all aspects of your life on one profile. Keep it clean and professional for your potential and current employers. 2. Make that private account PRIVATE Your personal account should be set to private. Nobody should be able to see what you post unless they follow you. DO go into your channel settings and make sure everything is set to private on your personal channel. DON’T assume that because you click the general “private” button on your account it means that everything you put up on your channel will not be able to be seen by the public. 3. Only allow people you trust to follow your private account. Make sure to only let friends follow this private account. This does not include work friends. Keeping the personal side of your social media private gives you a place to post the crazy antics of your weekend, while still seeming clean and professional to people in your life who know you in a professional setting. DO have your work friends, employers and potential work-related connections follow your professional public accounts. DON’T let a couple work friends follow your personal account. Keep it to yourself and your close friends. 4. Only list your public accounts on your resume. Having both a professional and private social media gives you a place to be each side of yourself. On your resume, you don’t want to list the social platform where you also post bikini pictures and the row of tequila shots you did with your friends on Friday. As fun as those times are, there is a time and place to post them. When you are in a professional setting or an interview, having professional platforms to provide potential employers with is a good idea. DO list your professional social media pages on your resume. DON’T list your private social media on a resume or mention it in an interview. If you only have a personal page for one social media platform don’t even mention this platform. 5. Spend time cultivating a presence professionally. It is important to make your professional page as complete as your private account. Add links to your work, links to other social media platforms and proper contact information. This will give potential employers the opportunity to engage with you on a professional level. DO spend the time to complete your professional accounts as they are just as important as your personal ones. For more tips on how to do this check out this article from Harvard Business Review. DON’T add too many frills and such to your professional account. This is not the time and place. But feel free to do all of that on your private account. Creating and maintaining a professional social media account can not only help you with potential employers, but also establish you as an expert in your field. Remember to keep your professional channels PROFESSIONAL and private channels PRIVATE with these helpful tips. By Sabrina MessaoudiInfluencer marketing has completely changed the way we market our brands. It has allowed us to target specific audiences that are already interested in our service/product, making it faster, cheaper and more efficient than mainstream advertisements, like banners and billboards. Furthermore, the influencer-to-consumer interaction is more personal and trusted. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendation and 40% of consumers have bought something after seeing it on social media. However, finding the right influencer is crucial to achieving these goals. Here are five steps you can take to find the right influencer to work with.  1. Figure out your goal first When choosing the right influencer, you will be looking for someone that can help you reach your goal; so, it is crucial to know what that goal is. Examples of goals you could be trying to achieve are building brand awareness, getting more engagement, making more sales, building customer loyalty or creating brand identity. 2. Figure out your influencer campaign Once you have your goal figured out, you should start brainstorming about the type of campaign you want to run. Will you be offering the influencer a free product/service in exchange for posts? Are you setting up a discount code for them to promote? Or are you looking for a brand ambassador? Whichever marketing strategy you pick, make sure to have your plan ready before you start reaching out. This will give you the opportunity to reach out to the influencer with a concrete plan, so they know what is expected, as well as allow you to find the right influencer for that specific type of campaign. 3. Find influencers who share your audience When you have your campaign strategy planned out, you can start looking for influencers to reach out to. The first thing to look out for is an influencer that shares your audience or is in the same industry as your company. An influencer can have a large following count, but it will make a campaign impractical if these followers are not interested in your products. 4. Research the influencer’s KPI's Once you have narrowed down influencers in your industry, you may start considering ranking factors, such as follower count, engagement rates, quality of content, the depth of niche coverage and other KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). Finding out these statistics will give you a better idea of how much ROI (return- on -investment) this influencer could possibly bring you and help you determine the right price to pay the influencer. 5. Research the influencer’s likeability Businesses can piggy back off the trust influencers have already built with their audience. For that reason, it is important to research the influencer’s likeability. An influencer who has built a positive reputation, will do the same for your brand. Moreover, an influencer can have lots of engagement and a big reach, but have a negative reputation. A negative reputation can affect your company when choosing to work with certain influencers. As mentioned before, the key to achieving your goals is finding an influencer that is the right fit for your brand. However, the research does not stop there. Once you start collaborating with an influencer, make sure to track your results as well. Lastly, consider building a relationship with the influencer for any future campaigns and to build your network. By Paula KileyThe public relations and journalism industries are competitive and aggressive. Throw a pandemic on top of that, and the job prospects look bleak. What’s a young professional to do?  Freelancing is not only a way to open a door to a full-time copywriting job, but a great way to build a robust work portfolio you can carry throughout your career. A 2019 Freelancing in America study conducted by Edelman Intelligence found that there are 57 million Americans in the freelance economy, up from 53 million in 2014. But the door into freelancing is heavy and oftentimes hard to get past, especially as a young professional entering the industry. Knowing how to write a well-written pitch is a key skillset to get into the room where it happens.
What does it mean to pitch a story? The anatomy of a pitch. For freelance journalists, producing an engaging pitch is crucial and the path to getting assignments at media outlets. In public relations, media pitches are often the core of a press strategy. Shorter and more informational than press releases, media pitches suggest a story idea that a journalist could write. Whether you’re in journalism or public relations, a successful pitch has the following elements:
Follow these tips and you’ll be writing pitches that won’t end up in editors’ trash bins. 1. Do your research, check the clips. The easiest mistake to make when pitching a story is not doing your proper research beforehand. When pitching a story, you want to sound like you have a solid understanding of the publication you’re pitching to and the content they produce. There’s nothing more embarrassing than pitching a story that was just published yesterday. Before reaching out to a media outlet, study their website from front to back. Here are some questions you want to have answered at the end of your query:
2. Write your pitch concisely, but be clear about your story and structure. There’s an important distinction to make about an idea and a story. Most stories that end up in the pitch graveyard are merely ideas. What does that mean? Telling an editor that you want to write about Kobe Bryant is an idea. Now, if you tell an editor that you want to write about how Kobe Bryant’s passing has inspired several artists to paint murals across Los Angeles, you have a story on your hands. Your pitch should be concise, but it shouldn’t leave an editor wondering what your completed story will look like. Another component of a full and complete story pitch is your methodology. Who will you be talking to? Is this a Q&A or a vignette piece? NPR’s Northeast bureau chief Andrea de Leon says that a pet peeve of hers is a pitch that begins something like, “I’d like to find out if…” If you’re pitching a story with the intention to write it, describing your methodology shows an editor that you have done extensive research for your story and have a plan of action. If you’re pitching a story for your client, 1-2 sentences describing methodology tells an editor that you’re serious about the pitch and that the story has potential. They can’t turn it down if you’ve already done most of the heavy lifting. 3. Link to writing samples and contact information The end of your pitch should link back to writing samples or clips. This demonstrates your experience and gives the editor a clear idea of your writing skill. After all, a good story means nothing if it isn’t written well. If you’re pitching a story without the intention to write it, attaching useful links for the editor to get more information will only further elevate your pitch. If you’re pitching a walk-a-thon your client is hosting, it wouldn’t hurt to link back to stories about previous years’ walk-a-thons or even a blog post on your own website. But most importantly, sign off your pitch with contact information. Make it easy for an editor to reach out to you for further questions. Signing off with a phone number and LinkedIn profile is the cherry on top to a successful pitch. 4. Follow-up. We’ve all been there. You just sent a top-tier pitch and you’re buzzing with excitement for your amazing story. But one day goes by, then three, then a week. How could they ignore it? It’s important to note that editors don’t spend the entire day approving and rejecting pitches. It’s not uncommon for an editor to have 200 new emails by lunchtime. Give the editor some time to sift through their emails and prioritize your pitch accordingly. Meanwhile, spend some time crafting the perfect follow-up email. One week is a good span of time to wait before giving your pitch a little nudge. Like your original pitch, your follow-up should be concise. Get in and out. Remind the editor what your story was and add some interesting information you may have left out from the original pitch. Perhaps attach another useful link or bring up another source. Bottom line, a follow-up is just as crucial as the pitch itself. Don’t skip this step. Writing pitches can be scary, but it shouldn’t stop you from putting yourself and your ideas out there. At the end of the day, the most important thing is to keep going. Like anything in life, you’ll get better at writing effective pitches with practice and repetition. Want to get more practice pitching ideas? Pitch your blog ideas to PRSSA. Email your pitch to prssalb@gmail.com to get started. By Rocio ValdezAce that interview: CHIPOTLE recruiters Brittany Dunlevie and Jennifer Merz joined PRSSA-LB to offer tips and tricks to land and ace an interview. They discussed every aspect of the interview process during the workshop that took place on Oct. 21, 2020.  PRSSA-LB offered their members a hiring and recruitment workshop featuring CHIPOTLE on the evening of October 21, 2020. Guest speakers Brittany Dunlevie, corporate recruiter and Jennifer Merz, corporate talent recruiter manager offered tips on how apply for a job and do well on interviews. Dunlevie and Merz started with a quick introduction on what they do and explained they acquire talent to work at CHIPOTLE, which makes them the first stop when people apply and interview for a job. “We do not want to teach you how to interview well, how to say the right things or what things to say, we would rather you leave this conversation and feel like you are empowered to be yourself in an interview so that way the job you get feels like the right fit for you,” said Merz. She emphasized that it is normal to get nervous when having an interview and suggested to just “get over yourself.” “Just focus on your message and your message in an interview will be your story and your experience, all the skills and things that got you to this conversation” said Merz. “Also focus on your audience, focus on the person or people you are talking to and make it about what you are imparting to them.” “You need to be yourself because that is who is going to show up to the office every single day, stay true to you,” Dunlevie said. They proceeded with giving tips on how to perfect a resume:
When job hunting they suggested to be thoughtful, “what we mean by that is please do not apply to every single job at a company, the recruiters will actually see how many jobs you’ve applied for,” Dunlevie said. “Just be thoughtful and think about your background and what you are passionate about.” She also encouraged to apply to positions even if you do not have specific experience. Another suggestion when job hunting was to do research on the company and the people on the company. “One thing that always stands out for us is people that send us messages through LinkedIn,” Merz said. When reaching out to people on LinkedIn, “Don’t make the person you are reaching out to do the work,” Merz said. She emphasized it is very important to provide specific information, “you got to help people help you.” They explained that utilizing network platforms is also essential when job hunting like LinkedIn, alumni programs and parents or friends networks. They also offered tips and tricks for the interview process, starting with scheduling the interview, “if the recruiter or hiring manager is asking for the best time for an interview give sometimes, it is good to give them parameters,” Merz said. If it is a phone interview they suggested to craft your own story and consider your location and having a good volume and being in a space that is not distracting. During a Zoom/virtual interview they explained it is very important to still dress professionally and if possible in dress code. Being aware of your surrounding is also key, “think about what they are going to be seeing because it can be very distracting to them if there is a lot happening,” Dunlevie said. Testing and practicing beforehand is also essential, “practice makes perfect, you do not want to fudge the interview,” she said. If hired they provided tips to integrate remotely and be successful:
One good question Merz suggested to make at the end of an interview is, “What advice do you have for me?.” “An advice is very personal and it makes the recruiter or interviewer feel like they are helping you,” she said. To close off the workshop they each shared a piece of advice they would give to their college self. “Not being afraid to ask questions and not being afraid of not knowing. Nobody expects you to know everything, just ask,” Merz said. “It’s okay to feel lost and confused for a while and it’s okay to not find every job rewarding and satisfying because not everybody’s career path is linear. Just enjoy the journey and don’t compare yourself to other people. It’s important to be patient with yourself and be yourself,” Dunlevie said. |
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