Jordan's Blog
On Wednesday November 13th, I attended a very insightful public relations event with other UW-Whitewater public relations students at the Hudson Business Lounge in Milwaukee. This event was an opportunity for students to practice their networking and interviewing skills. About 45 public relations professionals attended the event to give advice and information to 90 students. It was a very inspiring event that gave the students an insight into the public relations field.
The event opened with the CMO and founder of Big Shoes Midwest, Jeff Carrigan. Jeff included the 5C's in his speech about what it takes to stand out in the professional world when seeking a job. The 5C's he discussed were chemistry, character, c-suite which is thinking like a CEO, competence, and connections.
When Jeff Carrigan's speech concluded, Ann Knabe announced that it was time for the students and professionals to connect and begin the interviewing process. The students were to connect with three public relations professionals. The first two professionals we met with interviewed the students and the third professional was interviewed by the students. The first professional I connected with was Justin Eric Smith who is an account executive at the Trefoil Group located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company is designed to help with marketing communication strategies such as digital marketing, branding and positioning, and creating websites. I was a little nervous at first because, but Justin was very easy to talk with and made me feel very comfortable. I spoke with Justin about internships and his answer surprised me. He said that it is important to have an internship, however, companies look at the experiences from jobs and involvement in campus organizations even more. That was very surprising to hear because at Whitewater, the professors really drill into the students about internships. Justin said that my experience as a waitress is going to look great on a resume because it shows the number of skills I have acquired, such as multitasking and forming relationships with the customer. The second professional I connected with was Emily Bultman who is a communications coordinator and managing editor at Wisconsin Dental Association. The association represents 80% of all dentists and promoting professional excellence. Emily was very enthusiastic about her job and it was so easy to fall into conversation with her and I could have talked to her all night! When I sent her a followup email, she responded very quickly and provided me with information to stay connected with her.
My final interview was with Abigail Naumann who is a senior social editor and strategist. I really enjoyed interviewing Abi because she was so passionate about her job and was very nice. One of my questions I asked her was how she felt going to work everyday and her response was "I smile every time I walk in the office doors." That was so important to me because my biggest fear is settling for a job that I never wanted but it paid the bills. My interview went so well with Abi that she invited me out for coffee and lunch! Overall this event was very successful because I have made new connections with professionals and learned so much. Thank you to Ann Knabe for organizing the event!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
PR Speaker: Steve Staedler
My outlook on the public relations field just continuous to brighten and blossom thanks to the guest speakers that Ann Knabe brings to our class. I really enjoy how the guest speakers give us hope that we will have futures after college! When I tell people I am a public relations major, I usually get a lot of confused looks and get asked what am I going to be able to do with a major like that?? These guest speakers help calm me down a bit and give me hope of success when I graduate!
The speaker that came in today was Steve Staedler who graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 1998 with a BA in Mass Communications. Steve worked as a reporter for the company Community Newspapers Inc and worked with Public Affairs in the US Air Force Reserve. Steve is currently working for the company LePoidevin Marketing as a senior account executive. LePoidevin Marketing runs on a business to business strategy, which is a transaction completed between businesses, such as a wholesaler and a manufacturer. The focus of LePoidevin Marketing is to establish why they are a unique company and how to help businesses achieve their goals. The company also writes up print copies, online advertisements, and white paper. A white paper is report or a guide that helps the reader make a decision or solve a problem effectively.
LePoidevin Marketing has a very helpful tool they use to help businesses called Cision. Cision is an online source that helps businesses communicate and provide information efficiently and accurately. Cision provides contact information for businesses to receive as fast as five minutes. According to Ann Knabe, public relations professionals used to have to look up the contacts and information in a huge book, or have to email hundreds of contacts that took too long and backed up the computer systems. Cision is a great use of technology that has saved companies tons of money. Steve also talked about Google Alert, which is an online profile that can keep the user in contact with companies and businesses. Google Alert provides the subscriber with updates on a specific company so the user is always up to date on the company's or organization's changes. I did not know about Google Alert and I already subscribed to a number of film studios to be informed of. I think this is a great tool because you can stay connected with a company that you have interest in and gain more connections. Overall, Steve Staedler provided our class with very valuable information of what a day in the life of a public relations professional has to do!
Friday, September 20, 2013
My Blog Post
My Blog Post
A Bright Future Ahead
College is a bubble that we all get a chance to hide
in for four or so years, away from the real world and cramming as much
knowledge as possible into our brains. It’s a huge step from college
student to full time adult, with all the responsibilities that go with
it. So it takes off a little pressure when an alumnus comes to speak
about life after college and how to get on a good track from the start.
Our speaker was Amy Paul who is a public relations major and dedicated to
success. Her story of a stressed college student to a successful business
woman let out a little sigh of relief to all of us scared out our minds about
stepping out of our bubble and into the very real world.
Amy
Paull was a student at UW-Whitewater and was there
for six years trying to decide on a major that fit her. That was
something that I can relate to because I changed my major multiple times and
will be graduating later than four years. Amy gave me hope that there are
jobs and positions she held and I found her current position at Ascedia the
most interesting because the company works with digital marketing and website
design. She also designed the website
for the Milwaukee Admirals! I’m very
interested in digital marketing and it is something I would like to work with.
Amy gave a lot of advice that will help me become
successful in the field of public relations, but the two points she stressed
was networking as much as possible and how important internships are. Her advice to our class was to network through
all channels of communication as possible, whether through social media,
emailing, or face-to-face conversations.
Amy discussed that internships are the stepping stones to getting a successful
public relations job and I was surprised when she said that you can create a
personal internship. I always assumed
that companies that gave internships had strict guidelines as to what they wanted
from the intern and were not very flexible.
Overall, Amy gave me a very positive outlook on the opportunities public
relations has to offer in the real world!
Monday, September 9, 2013
PR Student
Hello! My name is
Jordan Halkoski and I am a senior at UW-Whitewater. I am a Public
Relations major and an Arts Management minor. I switched to public
relations last semester and have enjoyed it immensely so far! I do not
have much experience in public relations, but my job as a receptionist at the
Touch of Sun tanning salon in Whitewater has improved my skills of
communicating with clients and customers https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Touch-of-Sun/111131133502. I
also work as a waitress at a restaurant in Delevan called The Duck Inn http://duckinndelavan.com/. Working as a waitress has
definitely enhanced my multitasking skills and has given me experience to
handle tense situations with customers. When I am not working or
switching majors, I spend time running and doing Jillian
Michaels workout videos (yes, she is even intimidating on
the DVD!) I also love spending time reading and watching
movies. Out of all the movies I’ve watched, I love independent
films the most because they are often very different from trending movies
such as action blockbusters and Hollywood romances. They are usually unique and peculiar which
appeals to me because I view myself that way too! When I graduate from Whitewater, I want
use my public relations major by moving to California and becoming
involved in the film industry, whether becoming part of an agency, promoting
films, or writing scripts or themes. My dream job would be working for the
Academy Awards for any position whether planning the production of the
show, from what theme will take place, to the host. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/. OF COURSE I’d LOVE to
see how big I can make it in Tinsel town, but I have such a creative
side that I have channeled through my public relations major; and combining
that with my love for films I feel I have real potential to get that dream job!
I am excited to continue my studies at Whitewater and very excited to start my public relations career!
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