An opportunity to learn from the next generation
Posted by Marc Vasquez on Nov. 7, 2011 / Subscribe 0
What a fantastic weekend. Sure, we gained an extra hour of sleep as we usher in yet another fall season, and many in the Kansas City area felt the residual effects of an earthquake originating in Oklahoma, but it all started off with a great Friday.
Last Friday, students from more than 10 universities in the Midwest descended upon the downtown public library to learn vital skills from professionals in the real world at the 2011 Kansas City Public Relations Student Society of America Day.
The co-chairs Megan Dwyer and Ashley Hanson (both of Fleishman-Hillard) and their team did a great job researching the needs of student PR pros-in-training and put together a day filled with networking, two different PR pro panels who took questions, resume reviews, a career fair, agency tours and a fantastic keynote speaker in SVP of the Digital division of Fleishman-Hillard, Spike Jones.
One of the key points that kept coming up was how many opportunities students have in this day of technology and social media. It also gave birth to the understanding that simply having a degree, decent GPA and an internship won’t cut it. The economy has put employers in a position to be picky on applicants.
Jon Ratlilff, current president of the Kansas City PRSA chapter, had a great observation, “We’re looking for a reason to take your resume out of consideration. Don’t give us that reason.”
I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of students who visited our grey healthcare group table at the career fair and I could see that eagerness. Sure, some of them were actively looking for an internship and others were hoping to be considered for an entry-level career opportunity, but there were a few who asked great questions and already have a great head on their shoulders. I could tell that for those few who seem prepared, every ounce of fear of the future was matched by two ounces of determination. I couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
I found myself thinking back to how unprepared I was when I first entered the workforce. This was cemented by a question asked in the PR Senior Pros panel, “If you could go back to college, what do you wish you knew then that you know now?” For me that list is extremely long.
Thankfully, I’ve had a wide variety of individuals who have helped me along the way. I was lucky to have an internship that believed in me, a first job that taught me what I don’t want to do for the rest of my life and a former manager who turned out to be one of the greatest mentors I’ve ever known. Sure, some people do it the hard way (that’s my hand in the air).
These students are on the right track to doing it right from the start.
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