Alumni share advice, career stories at inaugural Career Day
The Media School’s first Career Day featured more than 20 alumni sharing their expertise and about 200 students packing into workshop rooms eager to hear it.
The inaugural event Feb. 19 at the Indiana Memorial Union included five discussion panels, each focusing on a different professional area; informational interviews; reel critiques; and a networking reception at the end of the day.
“Career Day was an overwhelming success,” said Amy Cornell, the school’s director of student services. “We had standing room only for most panels, and insightful, engaging discussions from our alumni and students. There was a general feeling that The Media School had hit the ground running with our first media career event. We are already looking forward to planning for next year.”
At the discussion panels, professionals talked about their careers, on topics including how they landed their jobs and what their workdays are like, and left time for students’ questions.
“As a senior who’s still applying for jobs and is unsure of what my path is going to be after graduation, I really appreciated the opportunity to do some more networking and hear from some alumni about what their experiences were like when they were in my position just a couple of years ago,” said senior Alyssa Schor.
The sports media panel kicked off the day, with alumni who work in print, broadcast, film and multimedia discussing their careers.
Mid-morning activities included one-on-one informational interviews with alumni, who talked about their organizations and jobs. Career specialists advise setting up informational interviews as a way to decide if the company may be a good fit as well as to network with professionals.
Some students who had submitted their broadcast reels in advance met with alumni for critiques. The professionals then suggested ways students could improve their work to impress prospective employers.
Afternoon sessions included four options: public relations/marketing/advertising; television/film/production; news reporting/editing; and entrepreneurs/freelance.
In the PR/marketing/advertising panel, alumni discussed how they select new employees, especially those right out of college.
“I want your internships to be relevant, and the reason is that if you’re saying you want a position in advertising and public relations, there are far too many people who are interested in those careers because they sound like fun or they’re somehow ‘sexy,’” said Tom Hirons, BA’75, president and CEO of Hirons Advertising and Public Relations in Indianapolis. “A relevant internship gives me a higher level of confidence that you know what you’re getting into.”
Alumni often spoke of the challenges of breaking into careers. In the television/film/production panel, panelists encouraged students entering the job market to take any position at an organization they really want to be part of and to learn all they can once they get there.
For example, Bart Fox graduated in 1990, the heart of a recession. He knew he wanted to work in production and heard that ESPN was nearby covering a golf tournament. He signed on to work as a cable puller during the tournament. That eventually led to other things, including jobs as assistant producer, associate producer and producer.
“I had no clue about how to do those jobs way back then, but I said yes when I was asked if I wanted to be a cable puller,” said Fox, who went on to become a TV producer of live sports, working mostly for ESPN. “If have a good head on your shoulders and you are driven, someone will notice and will give you your next opportunity.”
In the news panel discussion, alumni ranged from those just starting their careers to those who have many years – and several job descriptions – under their belts. Thom Patterson, BA’87, started out as a freelancer, then worked for CNN, where he now develops and creates digital content for projects covering aviation, aerospace, transportation and technology. Jessica Contrera, BAJ’15, is a reporter at The Washington Post, where she took on an internship right after graduating.
Deanna Allbrittin, BAJ’ 13, now anchor and reporter for WFIE in Evansville, said the road from new graduate to satisfying career is paved with competition, and it demands passion as well as talent.
“If you don’t juggle, there is someone who can juggle better,” she said of the nature of the first job.
Concentrate on efficiency, multitasking and developing good time-management skills, she said, and don’t turn down any request. In fact, newbies should suggest more tasks for themselves than they are assigned.
“Make yourself useful in ways that no one can say no to,” Allbrittin said. “You have to show that you’re useful.”
Allison Chaplin and Emma Grubman contributed to this story.
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