IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Career

  • When you know, you know

    Media portrayals of some of the more recognizable jobs in the field of communications are glamorous and invigorating. Unfortunately, if in college you decide to concentrate in Public Relations in hopes of becoming the next Samantha Jones from Sex & the City, or focus on Advertising to be the next employee at Mad Men’s infamous Madison Avenue firm Sterling Cooper, you may be disappointed to find that in reality, these jobs are not so much fun. On top of being aesthetically pleasing and having an interesting and eventful life, you actually have to do a lot of work and you might not have so much free time. As cool and hip as these jobs appear on TV, they are still jobs, and they require you to work hard; bottom line: things aren’t always what they seem.  If this is the case, how are we really supposed to know what we want to do for the rest of our lives?  How are you to decide on what career you want to work towards while you’re in college without having the risk of hating it after graduation when it is too late to change?

    This is where internships come into play and why they are so valuable for college students.  Internships give students real-life experiences in an actual work environment, allowing them that first step when transitioning from the college world to the career world.  They allow students to feel as though they are an actual employee.  Internships can help you sift out what you do and don’t like in a career, and evaluating your experiences as an intern will be useful when trying to find a career that is right for you.

    If the career you are interning for just isn’t doing it for you, chances are you should rethink your plans for the future As valuable as learning from textbooks and lectures about a career is, you won’t really know what that career is like until you try it.  Most internships are able to work with a university and reward students with course credit for their time spent, and this means that companies are not obligated to actually pay students. While some are unpaid, there are also paid internships, but just like with volunteering, they can be rewarding.

    With an internship, you can meet some powerful people and easily get your foot in the door with many potential employers. What company would say “No” to a fresh-minded student who is willing to work for free and actually desires to succeed? And aside from their educational perks, internships are also a great choice because there never seems to be a lack of opportunities in finding an internship.  So what are you waiting for? Get ahead of the game, test the waters with an internship, and find the career that’s perfect for you!

    -LaPuasa, Dillard, Reindhardt

  • Career as a volunteer

    Job hunting can be a full-time job. With the current state of our economy, it has the potential to be the hardest and most frustrating experience we will ever be exposed to. One issue with the hunt for the perfect job is that the companies we dream of working for never seem to have any openings or we “just-miss” the deadline. It makes you wonder, “How can I get my foot-in to a company that may not have a job posting?” That’s easy — just volunteer! Participating in the simplest form and act of kindness can help you land that dream job (or at least get you in the door to the company) which you have been fantasizing about. Volunteering in your community can be rewarding for many reasons such as: you get to help others and also you are giving back to your community. While experiencing this personal growth gained by helping others, volunteering will also help with professional growth by gaining new experiences and meeting new people.

    College students and recent graduates know the importance of having an aspect of volunteering on their resume. This simple addition can be beneficial for anyone building a resume. For fresh job-seekers, volunteering can help round out your experience and show that you not only have built professional skills but interpersonal ones as well. It can also help fill a gap in your résumé if you’ve been out of a job for a while. This extra-added perspective will allow you leverage to market yourself as a committed citizen who took advantage of their time away from the professional-world to help others in your community.

    What can it do for you? Simple; it allows you to develop new skills or nurture existing ones.  When volunteering in your community you are forced to talk to others in that organization. This interaction shows others the skills you have or ones you wish to develop or improve upon.  Even if the skills you learn do not exactly transfer over to a potential job opportunity, it will show prospective employers that you took the time when you were in need to help others.  Anyone who is interested in taking charge of their career, whether currently employed or not, should volunteer.  It is the best-kept career development secret.  Not only is it a great way to network, it is a wonderful chance to learn how to motivate others in a positive way, become a leader, and to maintain job skills.

    The unemployment rate continues to grow and for those who of us awaiting a job offer, it can be quite unsettling. While waiting for your future , rather than pacing around your apartment, you can make the most of your time by helping others in your community There are numerous websites which can help you join forces with a group who needs your time to assist. Volunteermatch.com should be your first place to search for volunteer opportunities in your local community. You can type in your city or zip code and a generated list and map gives you details on current volunteer opportunities and how to get involved.  This website allows you free reign in picking and choosing your destiny while matching your skills with an organization.

    While volunteering, strike up conversations with others. If appropriate, give out your contact information or ask for theirs. Sure, it might take you out of your comfort zone, but you never know where it might lead. Volunteering will empower you and empower others. You get what you put in, so don’t give up hope if you are jobless — pick yourself and others up and volunteer!

    – Michela Noreski, Jordan Hill, Ashley Nelson

  • Connecting to Potential Jobs

    When it comes to the big job hunt, there are a plethora of considerations that come to mind. Seeking out career fairs, perfecting your resume, and getting the right professional look all seem to be high on the list. However, there’s one tool we sometimes neglect when it comes to seeking out jobs in our field, whether it be Marketing, Advertising, PR, or IMC: social networking. Sites such as LinkedIn provide a huge leg up for those looking for a job in our current market. You will be able to get your resume out to multiple different audiences with the click of your mouse, while also putting your resume out to employers who you may have initially overlooked.

    Not only is LinkedIn important for initially creating new job opportunities, it is also useful in growing and cultivating new connections and relationships. Networking is extremely important in the field of IMC and every connection you get could be a potential for a new opportunity. Active use of this resource shows those you have connected with, what you are up to, how you are looking to grow professionally, and if you are currently looking for employment options. With the current economic state, we have to exploit every avenue we can to ensure that we are able to find a job upon graduating.  While it is necessary that we have a strong resume and good interviewing skills, we also have to remember that our potential job opportunity could be found through LinkedIn.

    – Lauren Phelps, Alaethea Hensley, Jessica Kingman


  • Finding IMC related career openings

    Thanks to unlimited online resources, job hunting in 2011 is far more different than what it used to be.   Some people have career ideas in mind, and some people are unsure about what is out there.  For the people who are unsure, we have some advice to help you figure out what careers are available and suited to your skills and talents.  For those who are interested in an IMC related career, advertising and PR firms are great places to start looking for openings.  Even if you don’t know which job is best for you, look at all the openings and read the descriptions, then you will be able to start matching your abilities and interests to the postings.  Eventually, it will become easier to identify job titles that you may be qualified for since most of the companies are set up similarly.

    If you still don’t know where to start, there are many publications, like AdWeek and PRWeek that contain news about communication related companies.
    Both publications have yearly awards that they give to exceptional firms, so if you want to research cutting edge and innovative companies, you should conduct a Google search, like “PRWeek awards 2010.”  Information about the award recipients will become available which is a great way to figure out the names of different firms, and to see what they do well.

    Many PR and advertising companies are owned by a few larger corporations that specialize in communication.  The three that we have noticed are Omnicom, WPP and Interpublic.  Each corporation owns multiple advertising and PR agencies and their websites provide links to the agencies.  When you visit the agencies’ websites, you can find more information about their clients and what they do.  Most agencies’ websites have a careers link as well, where you can start your job research.  Some agencies, like Burson-Marsteller, have a “careers path” section, explaining the levels of employment and how to apply for a position.  The next step is making sure you have a stellar resume and attention grabbing cover letter that displays talents and skills similar to those found in the posting to which you are applying.  Go to a career center for help so that you can have a better chance of landing your dream job or internship.  The UNCW Career Center is located in the University Union Room 2035 and is open Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm.  There will also be a resume coach assisting with tips on resume format and content in Randall Library Lobby on October 13 from 10am-3pm.  Good luck!

    -Stephanie Bakolia, Claire Outlaw, David Glaubach

  • The Real Cost of Advertising

    Our economic troubles are hurting deeper than the punch from the gas pump, bruise from increased tuition costs, and stabs from the job market. These economically challenging times are also abusing the fundamental business principles that companies have relied on for years. In particular, these bad financial times are changing the way advertisements are valued.

    Many companies assume that when they are affected by hard economic times, it is best to pull the plug on various advertisement campaigns as a way to cut marketing costs. However, this kind of penny-pinching seems to only make the struggling financial situation worse. According to a study prepared for American Business Media by Yankelovich Partners and Harris Interactive, businesses who continue to run ads have a significant competitive advantage over those who choose to cut back.

    Simply: there is a value to spending money on advertisements, regardless of economic struggles.

    Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest” has never been so true in today’s economic downfall. Companies cannot risk pulling their advertising from the marketplace if they want to remain in the thoughts and minds of consumers. If only the fit survive, then a company should use aggressive advertisements and marketing strategies as a way to not only reach their audience, but to intimidate the competition. The continuation of building clientele through running advertisements establishes an image of loyalty, faith, and stability a company has in their product or service to the consumer. If the advertisements get pulled, then so will the opportunity to reassure to consumers that the company is prospering despite the economic hardships.

    If a company is facing the decision to pull advertisements as an attempt to adhere to budget cuts, it would be wise to think beyond the element of monetary cost. Because the cost of losing attention could be larger than the amount of money you may be saving without advertisements.

    -Oliver Evans, Sally Shupe, Jared Sales

  • The Need for Nielsen

    Imagine being chosen at random to watch hours of television and get paid to rate the shows you watch.  Believe it or not, this is exactly how television shows get their ratings.  The Nielsen Company is the leading consumer research group that collects demographic as well as  media consumption data that produce television ratings- hence the name “Nielsen Ratings”.  Nielsen randomly surveys millions of households nationwide to find trends among viewers based on what they are watching.
    Ratings may not seem that important to you as the viewer, but to the companies that wish to market their brand, these ratings determine when and where they invest their money.  For instance, say you work for a brand whose target market is young adults; where are you going to place your commercial? Are you going to have it air during the premiere of NBC’s provocative new drama The Playboy Club or the season premiere of FOX’s “High-School-Musical-esque” show Glee? This should be a no-brainer, but for  shows that are in the same genre and marketing the same audience, firms depend on these ratings and the demographic data from “Nielsen families” to assist in making these types of marketing decisions.
    So thanks to you, Nielsen Company, for only airing what we want, when we want it.

  • But first, here is an ad from our sponsor.

    Did you find yourself inconveniently plopped in the library studying for an exam during last night’s season premiere of Glee? DVR malfunction? No worries, Fox has you covered. With our schedules growing busier and busier all the time, network TV has to find a way for their programming to reach us. And they have found the solution. By having episodes for free on their website, networks, such as Fox, are able to get their programming to you at your convenience.  This means that you are able to sit and watch the program you missed without any distractions, at the time you want, with no commercials… right? Unfortunately, convenience comes with its price.

    When watching your favorite shows online, commercials are forced upon you at least 2 to 3 times per hour.  This is quite different from the early days of online video where one 20 second ad would play during the course of an hour program. Now, your show is interrupted several times with no means of changing the channel or fast-forwarding. This may be seen as an inconvenience by the viewer, but this is a marketing dream. Not only can you show ads which must be viewed in order to continue on with your program, but it also provides the viewer with clickable links to find out more information about the product or service. It goes beyond anything a TV commercial can do.  Having commercials online, as well as on TV, doubles the network’s advertising dollar. With the ease that episodes can be placed online, this can definitely be seen as quite a bargain.  As always, convenience comes with a price. In this case, frequent commercial interruption is the price we pay for being able to watch our episode of Glee on our computers while we do our laundry today.

    – Lauren Phelps, Jessica Kingman, Alaethea Hensley