PR Development Night

On Wednesday, November 13, my fellow PR majors and I took a trip to downtown Milwaukee to partake in the UW-Whitewater PR development event. The event was at the Hudson Business Lounge in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward. The Hudson Business Lounge is a super trendy place, unlike any that I have been before. The event started at 6:00 p.m. and I wasn't quite sure what to thank. I was a little nervous all day because I was going to be one-on-one with professionals in the field that I would like to pursue myself.

The event kicked off with Jeff Carrigan ,the founder Big Shoes Network, saying a few words about applying for jobs. Big  Shoes Network is a website that provides job and internship opportunities to college graduates. The site primarily posts jobs in the fields of public relations, advertising, and marketing. They also stay pretty local providing jobs in Wisconsin and Illinois. It really is a great and helpful site for students entering the work force. 

Carrigan only had fifteen minutes to speak so he focused on what should students should do when applying for jobs. Carrigan provided great advice and gave us 5 C's to remember. These C's are competence,connections, character, chemistry, and c-suite. All of the C's came with great information and I know feel a little bit better about the interview process. Carrigan told great personal stories, and I know feel that I have a better edge on knowing what to do.

The next part of the event was the speed interview. Forty-five professionals came to the event. The majority of the professionals were in the field of public relations, so it was great to see what they expect of the students who are the future of public relations. Another perk to these professionals were that they were Whitewater alumni. War Hawks have to stay together! So of course they want to do whatever they can do see the younger  classes succeed. 

My fist interview was with Jenna Dubrick. Jenna works in the field of hospitality for the Marcus Hotels, specializing in events and social media.  She was very welcoming and easy to talk to. Our interview went pretty well, she just told me to work on emphasizing my strengths and highlight my unique skills.  Dubrick was really helpful with everything and she gave me great insights on another career opportunity that I have not thought that much about. 

My next interview was with Karren Jeske from Standard Process. Jeske is a communication manager at Standard Process. Jeske's interview did not go as smoothly as my first with Dubrick. It was not bad at all, but she asked a couple hard questions and then I got a little nervous. She did give me great feedback though and gave me great advice on how to fix the problems that I struggled with. 

My last interview was with Steve Staedler. If you follow my blog or are in my PR Tactics II class this name might sound a bit familiar. Staedler is a senior account executive in public relations at LePoidevin Marketing. This interview was suppose to my informational interview in which I asked Staedler questions about his job and in the industry. It did not turn out that way, but he gave me great advice on what I can do to make my writing better, and on how to improve different outlets that I am pursuing. He made the "interview" environment more relaxed, and it was much easier for me to ask him questions about the field.

The PR Development event was a huge success and I am very glad I got the opportunity to attend.  Having an interview is at times a nerve racking process and I feel that all of the professionals made it a joyful experience. I learned a lot about myself and what I need to improve to be more successful in the field of public relations. 

Here are some of my classmates enjoying the event!