Did you ever think you could get a job in 140 characters? How about network with people all over the country, in different time zones, on your couch in your pajamas? Champlain College students say…why not?
Tonight I hosted the first ever Champlain College alumni and current student chat on twitter using the hashtag #ccalumchat. If you’ve never participated in a Twitter chat, I highly suggest trying one out.
It was something I had been thinking about for quite awhile as a recent post grad, working professional. I wanted a way to connect current students with alumni not only to have a resource to ask questions and advice, but also to network
First, there were introductions. Champlain Alumni included:
Nichole Magoon (@nicholemagoon), alum ’10, Marketing & Graphic Design Dbl major, Marketing Coordinator at MyWebGrocer, living in Winooski, VT.
Marissa Bentivoglio (@Mbenti), alum ’10, PR with HR concentration, research intern at a PR firm in Davis, CA
Ryan Fitzpatrick (@ryanfitz124) alum ’10, Hospitality and Resource Management major, General Manager at 156 Bistro in Burlington, VT
Jamie-Lynn Weeks (@AKJayElle) alum ’09, Paralegal Studies, currently Finance and Operations Coordinator on the Steve Howard for LT Gov. Campaign, Rutland, VT
Caila Burke (@Cailaburke) alum ’10, Marketing, working at Nike 6.0 doing retail brand marketing in Portland, OR
Casey Hopkins (@caseyhopkins) alum ’09 e-Business Management major with a focus on web development, currently does social media for Room 214 in Boulder, CO
Dan Plante (@Dan819), alum ’10, Marketing, SEO Analyst at Dealer.Com in Burlington, VT
Current Students included:
Natasha, (@Tasha_Rachel) class of 2014, Marketing
Sara (@Sara_Reidy) class of 2013, Marketing
Emma Bartholomay (@emmaquincy) class of 2014, Marketing
Geoff (@GeoffK88) class of 2011, Digital Film Making
Nick Foley (@nicko951) class of 2014, Marketing
Hans Bardenheuer (@HBardenheuer), class of 2012, Marketing
Leif Gurdin (@leif_gurdin), class of 2014, Marketing
And of course, some wonderful faculty!
Dr. Elaine Young (@ejyoung67), Assistant Dean of the Division of Business and Associate Professor of Marketing at Champlain College.
Q1: What’s one reason you chose Champlain? (affectionately known as #campchamp on Twitter)
Students both past and present cited Champlain’s picturesque location and college town setting, as well as Vermont’s natural wealth of outdoor activities such as snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing, etc… Some loved the feeling they got when they arrived on campus, the student and faculty attitude, and the nurturing environment. Others raved about the small class size, the ability to jump right into their majors with hands on experience, and their individual degree programs. I think one Hans said it best:
@HBardenheuer: I feel like that’s what it came down to for a lot of people
choosing #CampChamp… We just fell in love with the it!
Agreed. Personally, Champlain challenged me more than I ever thought I could be but rewarded me with life changing and valuable experiences that still resonate in my mind. Those experienced and opportunities gave me real-world experience and a solid global perspective.
Q2: What solutions/resources did you use/are you using to overcome obstacles when preparing for the workforce?
Alumni cited everything from professors to career services, and even though some current students have not reached this point in their educational career yet, they still kept a keen eye towards their future career development:
Professors: Utilize your professors. Not only are they a wealth of knowledge, but they have many professional connections and are a good source for networking.
Social Media: This was one of the hot topics, and quite a few cited social media as a valuable resource. Learn it & use it. Become familiar and knowledgeable about how it works, the benefits, how you can use it in your career development & how it can be applied in your own degree programs.
Some key takeaways:
Twitter CAN get you a job!
@caseyhopkins: Social media is the way to go. One of my job offers spawned solely from Twitter. It’s a great resource.
@MBenti: Network w/everyone you know!…Didn’t know anyone coming out to CA. Used Twitter.
(Note: Marissa also found a herself a job in CA using Twitter, you can read more about her experience in a post called “Your Insurance Agent Did What?” on her blog: http://bit.ly/bhUR4e)
Learn to leverage social media on a personal AND professional level.
Understand how to use your twitter to educate AND entertain. Be sure to tweet material that will be interesting, helpful and/or insightful to your followers but also let your voice/personality shine through.
Develop your voice.
Understand who your tweets represent and what voice/face you want. If you’re tweeting for personal use, be informative but include your personality. If it’s business, understand the level of professionalism your business has and develop Twitter standards that “speak” in a voice that will emulate that standard. Your voice can also depend on your audience. Using twitter for a B2B business will probably have different goals/objectives and reach a different audience than one for a B2C business.
Network: Network, network, network. Talk with everyone! You never know when one conversation is going to lead to a potential job or an internship. Freshman Leif Gurdin tweeted:
@leif_Guardin: I may only be a First year but I got all of my jobs at home by talking with local business owners.
Take advantage of the services and connections with career services.
Internships: Take advantage of internships. They provide great hands on, real world experience and will help you practice what you’re learning. Find internships in areas of interest; passion is a driving force.
Q3: How have you used career services to help in professional development? Suggestions for improvement?
Counseling: take advantage of drop-in sessions, or set up an appointment at career services, even if it is just to meet some of the counselors/advisors. Getting to know them early will make it easier to contact/meet with them later to get career advice. Plus, they’re just another great professional resource!
Critiques: Use your career services advisor as an editor. They’ll gladly review, edit, and critique your resume, cover letters, etc… to help you develop clear, consice, and tight professional documents. And, in an competitive job environment, your resume is your first (and sometimes ONLY) impression.
Practice: Cliché, but true: practice makes perfect. Practice your interviewing. It’s better to mess up or practice on career services then in a job or an internship interview. As my boss at MyWebGrocer says, “fail and fail faster.” The faster you try and fail, the faster you can improve.
Q4: What is one source (blog, chat, person on twitter) that you follow regularly for a) profession and/or b) fun?
Professional:
Individuals
Grace Boyle (@gracekboyle), Champlain alum & writer. Cited by two alum, @AKJayElle and @caseyhopkins as a “delightful and knowledgeable writer” and “so inspiring.” You can read Grace’s blog, “ Small Hands, Big Ideas” at http://smallhandsbigideas.com
David Spinks (@DavidSpinks), marketing and young professional issues. Runs a popular twitter chat called #u30pro that focuses on issues/topics for young professionals.
Marketing:
@mashable
www.adfreak.com
PR:
@PRSarahevans
Action Sports:
@yobeat
@twsnow
@groupy
@allisports
@snowboardermag
@radcollector
Hospitality:
www.hotelmarketing.com
Fun:
@GeoffK88: Kanye West
@caseyhopkins: @oatmeal
Q5: What is the biggest issue facing students and young professionals today?
Some of the biggest issues that were brought up were communication, experience, current knowledge, the economy, differentiating yourself in the job market and making your voice heard.
But, through this question and previous questions, students past and present have given good advice on how to overcome these challenges!
Stay current in industry news.
Network, network, network!
Be knowledgeable in your field so you can speak strongly and confidently.
Get experience.
Overall, the chat was quite successful and I think it was helpful to current and past students! It was an outlet for knowledge, resources, networking, and advice, as well as connecting with alumni across the country (and even in the same town!).
An organized transcript of tonight’s chat will be available via Google Docs Soon.
Thank you all! I look forward to seeing you at the next one.
Nichole
This was only the first of many #ccalumchats. How can it be improved? What would you like to see covered? I’d love to hear your feedback, comments, questions, and advice.
Feel free to leave a comment here, tweet me (@nicholemagoon) or email me at nicholemagoon[at]gmail[dot]com.
