3 Application tips from 3 School of Communications alumni
This week I attended Elon University’s School of Communications Alumni Homecoming event. It was a casual event where current students could ask alumni about internships, orgs and professional development and any questions they have about the workforce. I spoke with some alumni and despite none of them working in roles directly related to my Visual Communication major, I received some great career advice from them based on their own experience in the communication field.
The first alumna I spoke with was Caroline Grell, a Program Manager of the Product Development Program at Capital One. When I asked what kinds of materials applicants should prepare from a recruiter's perspective, Ms. Grell answered that application materials such as a resume, portfolio, websites, etc should be catered towards the industry the applicant is applying for. She gave the example that resumes could be traditional, have QR codes, more design elements, or even a photo of the person, but the applicant should consider what elements would be best for the role they are seeking.
Becky Lane, the SVP Marketing Development Manager at Bank of America, gave sound advice for building my personal brand. Ms. Lane suggested that I find three honest and trusted people and individually ask them: “What are three things you would say about me if I wasn't in the room?” She noted that It's difficult to find honest people and sometimes hard to hear what they will say, but it's important to know how others perceive me so I can recognise my strengths and weaknesses.
The last alumna I spoke with was Halle Brennan, a Sales Associate Manager at Amazon Ads. She advised that when I interview for a role, I should be prepared to speak about and elaborate on my passions, interests and hopes for the future. Recruiters want to know who's applying and a prepared applicant will have a higher chance of getting the role.
This event was insightful and I look forward to putting the advice I received into practice.
