The November 13th event at the Hudson Business Lounge was such a learning experience! We were subjected to an interview-like situation, and then we were able to pick the brains of other PR professionals. I sat down with Cassandra Sura from Rush University Medical Center, Kristin Khail from MillerCoors, and Matthew Wisla, Senior Communications Executive. Each professional I sat down with had amazing words of wisdom for me, which served to be very valuable for the present and future. Informational Interviews were new to me, but I would definitely be interested in participating in them again. I was able to ask questions I would not normally be able to ask, such as the downfalls of their job. These interviews made the job seem much more 'real' and not as much as a fantasy for me anymore. It really got me thinking about what my path in the PR world will look like.
At the beginning of the program, the president of Big Shoes Network came and spoke to us students about tips for interviewing, as well as what to look for when we are job searching. One thing that was really stressed was to make sure we like our job. Some of the examples of past clients of his he gave us were quite interesting, proving that money does not buy happiness.
I have always been pretty confident in interviews, so these were no different. They asked the typical status-quo interview questions. However, I was asked by Matthew Wisla, "Why do you want to go into this profession?" As simple as this question may sound, I was stuck. Why do I want to be a PR professional? I love the major so far, and I love how hands on it is. However, I had never really thought what it is about this major that keeps me pursuing it. I am going to stick with my major and my dreams for my PR career, but I need to think about exactly why it is I chose this path.
The mock interviews certainly got me thinking about all aspects of my college and professional career. I hope to someday be sitting on the opposite side of the table interviewing students like myself, but for now I need to be worried about graduation and internships before I start dreaming big!
