PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTCOM 103 – October Meeting

Where we are now• First Prof Dev meeting introduced you to the Comm major

• First Prof Dev paper asked you to think about your:

• Talents

• Interests

• Skills

• Abilities

Can you recall what you wrote?

Intersection• Today, we explore...

Your talents, interests, skills, and abilities

The needs of employers in the Communication Industry

Here’s the potential career for you.

Alumni Comm Professionals• Get to know the alumni who found this intersection.

Examine their key skills & careers.

Shane Evans ’08• Digital Media Manager at

Seattle Sounders FC

• Skills• Writing for the web

• live tweeting

• public relations

• website management

• social media

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shanemevans

Apply it to you• What interests you about this job?

• What similar skills do you have?

• What skills & knowledge do you still need to acquire?

Amanda Finnegan ’08• Washington Post homepage editor

• Skills• reporting

• writing

• editing

• web production

• HTML

• project management

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/amanda-finnegan/7/68/915

Apply it to you• What interests you about this job?

• What similar skills do you have?

• What skills & knowledge do you still need to acquire?

Tonya Murphy• Greater Media | WPEN 97.5 The Fanatic

• Skills• Advertising sales,

• Marketing strategy

• Digital media

• Integrated marketing communication

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tonyamurphy

Apply it to you• What interests you about this job?

• What similar skills do you have?

• What skills & knowledge do you still need to acquire?

Melissa Steven ‘07• Web producer, Catholic Relief Services

• Skills• write

• edit

• blog

• social media

• research

• marketing

• press releases

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melissas

Justin Sillner ‘12• Multimedia content producer

for Philly.com

• Skills• SEO

• editorial planning

• Edit, write and publish breaking news on all digital platforms

• grow website’s traffic

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/justin-sillner/18/258/41a

Krysten Gentile ’04• Manages the SAP Community

Network, or SCN—the company’s own Facebook

• Skills• write well

• organized

• customer service skills

LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/pub/krysten-gentile/8/554/599

Andy Zipfel ’84• Senior Director, USA TODAY Sports

Media Group

• Skills• Digital Media Marketing

• Sales

• Business Development

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/azipfel

Joe Cahill ’11• Trip Experience Specialist at

Airbnb.com

• Skills• Social media

• Customer service

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/joseph-cahill/14/828/933

Arielle Friscia’11• Associate Producer @ CBS 3 &

The CW Philly

• Skills• Reporting

• Video production,

• Editing

• Video editing

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ariellefriscia/

Jessie Holeva ‘09 • Freelance Fashion Journalist

• Skills• entrepreneur

• Writing, editing, blogging social media

• on-air talent

• radio

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessieholeva

Katherine La Hart ‘07• Sr. Marketing Consultant at MetLife

• Skills• writing

• editing

• project management

• Advertising

• marketing communication

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katherinelahart

Donna Capone• Associate Manager Production

Operations at ESPN

• Skills• Production Management

• Field Producing

• Broadcast Engineering

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/donna-capone/26/365/a43

Greg Matarazzo ‘09• Campaign Manager at

The Wall Street Journal

• Skills• digital media

• advertising

• cross-platform digital campaigns, including video, mobile, and tablets

• social media marketing

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/gregory-matarazzo/12/647/34

Discussion Activity• Look back at your notes for each person.

• At your table, discuss the people whose jobs you were most interested in. Describe why these jobs are of interest to you.

• Explain what skills you have that would serve you well in that role.

• Identify and talk about the skills and knowledge you still need to acquire. How might you go about acquiring them?

Recap• Key Skills

• Ability to write for the web

• Forming communities online

• Problem solving

• Client relationship management (internal & external)

• Working on project teams

• And more…

Recap• Employer Needs

• Writing cross-platform

• Customer service mindset

• Leadership of projects and people

• Increasing the profitability of the company

• Staying current with trends in the industry, profession

• Adaptability to change, especially technology change

• Continuous and self-directed learners

• Diagnosing problems & opportunities; recommending solutions

• A person who is a good “fit” with the company culture

Compose an e-mail• The alumni are your networking connections for career

advice and job opportunities.

• Assignment:

• Compose an e-mail to the person whose job interested you the most.

• Explain who you are. Explain why you’re writing (to express interest in them and the responsibilities of the role).

• Pose at least two questions about their job that you would like them to answer. (What will you ask?)

• Conclude by asking them what career advice they can give you as a first-year student.

Next Steps• Set up a LinkedIn account

• Connect to Dr. Jerry Zurek (www.linkedin.com/in/jerryzur)

• Search for the one alum who interested you the most

• Send this person the e-mail you composed here

• Get their feedback and reflect on their response

• Submit the e-mail and the alum’s reflection as your second paper for Prof Dev

• …look for revised paper instructions on the Prof Dev site.