The event started out with a short but sweet speech given by Jeff Carrigan, the founder and CMO of Big Shoes Midwest (BSM). Jeff spoke to us about the 5 C's of standing out when looking for a job/internship. The 5 C's included: competence, connections, character, chemistry, and c-suite (thinking like the CEO).
After Jeff Carrigan's speech, students linked up with a professional for round one of the mock interviews. My first interview was with Kristin Khail, a financial analyst for MillerCoors. I'll admit that I was a little nervous, but Kristin was very friendly and assured me that my interview skills were not bad. She advised me to get involved on campus as much as I can before graduation to add a leadership position to my resume. After good reviews from the first interview, my nerves had eased up and the second interview wasn't nearly as intimidating. My second mock interview was with Kari Atkinson, content strategy manager at Johnson Controls. Kari asked me questions about projects that I was proud of, and was happy to hear that I have efficient skills in programs such as InDesign. All in all, mock interviewing was definitely a confidence booster, and made me excited for the real thing!
The last portion of the night was an informational interview. I conducted my informational interview with Patty Bloom, reputation management assistant account executive at Charleston|Orwig. Patty let me pick her brain of the in's and out's of her professional life. I learned so much from her: the most important skills for her job, what a typical day is like, what parts of her job she finds most satisfying, and how most people enter her profession. Charleston|Orwig sounds like an amazing company to work for, and she even urged me to apply for an internship position for the summer!
Overall, the event at the Hudson Business Lounge was a success. I was happy to be a part of it. Big thanks to those who organized the event, and the professionals who took time to help students practice and improve their skills!
Practice does make perfect! :) The interviewing process we had that night was very good practice to help us after college. I enjoyed this event very much!
ReplyDeleteI really like your title! I agree that the event was a success. Patty Bloom sounds like she really enjoys her job and her company sounds very interesting!
ReplyDeleteSydney,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I thought the event was a great experience as well! The professionals I met with also suggested that I get involved with as much as I can whether it be on campus or through internships, experience is so important. I think all of the knowledge experience we do gain from these events, classes, and internship opportunities will help us out a lot as we start applying for jobs in this field.
- Andrew
Your title is perfect for explaining this event! Practice really does make perfect. I was nervous for this event just because I did not know what to expect. Then I realized that this is just to help me improve and nothing bad can come from this! I felt as though I really did improve and received some great feedback to help me excel in the future.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog and I love your title! I totally agree that mock interviewing was a confidence booster and made me excited for the real thing. I feel like I will be a lot less nervous now during the real interviews knowing the advice I received from professionals. There was so much to take away from this and I think it was great that we all got to be apart of it.
ReplyDeleteI must agree, I think this event was a huge confidence booster for many of us. I like how you were able to tie in that you should become a bit more involved because I believe I'm in the same boat as you. It's also important that they told you to look into finding a leadership role because I think that's very important when applying for a job and a good thing to add to any resume.
ReplyDeleteI would of love to switch places with you and talk to Kristin Khail the financial analyst for MillerCoors. I work at the Minhas Brewery in Monroe WI and keep up with other breweries in the area. I would have had so many questions to see where I could go in the beer industry.
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