Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

The Importance of Linkedin for Students

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LinkedIn Logo
Originally uploaded by mariosundar

If there is any marvel of the 21st century to be noted in the history books, it would be the emergence of the social network. As an eager Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) once said, “by giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.” (1) This statement could not be any truer. Social networks have expanded throughout many outlets of the world and have provided many services that have enhanced the communication process drastically. In recent years, social networks have also been developing professional careers too. That is exactly why Linkedin, the professional social networking website, has become so important for students all around the nation.

Linkedin is more than just a website where you can post your resume. In your Linkedin Basic (and free) Account, you can truly be in full control of the network that is you. You could expand on your resume by marking specific accomplishments that couldn’t fit on the CV. You could provide links to other professional blogs, websites, portfolios, or whatever else you may have to show your entire professional profile. You could connect to peers and colleagues from your past, and utilize those connections to enhance the job searching process. You could even ask for recommendations from your colleagues to show what you have done and show how you have affected the people around you while doing it.

One of the more important features (at least in this writer’s eyes) of Linkedin is the ability to join groups. At first, I completely overlooked this feature of LinkedIn. However, my curiosity got the best of me when I joined a Linkedin Sports Marketing group last year, and I haven’t stopped joining groups since. This is an incredibly vital feature that has led me to more connections than I could make otherwise.

One great way to make connections is to join the LinkedIn Group Penn State Career Connection (which can be found here). In this group, there are tons of PSU alumni who are posting job openings in their companies all the time. Students can use that portal to promote themselves in the job hunt too, and alumni can reach out to them from there. The College of the Liberal Arts has also recently started its own LinkedIn group, which students and alumni are encouraged to join for networking purposes.

Students can benefit in many different ways from utilizing this website correctly. They could even land their next job because of it. Linkedin is one of the more important websites of the 21st century, and will definitely affect the job landscape in the future.

(1) http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_zuckerberg.html

Working with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Daniel Tosh

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A lot of people have asked me about my internship this summer, and what it was like to work with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Daniel Tosh, the town of South Park, a few crazy Workaholics and a certain “warlock” who shall not be named. My response, which I declare without a moment’s hesitation each time, is that it was an absolute blast. I had the best summer of my life, and one of the biggest reasons why I had such a great experience was because of my position as the Comedy Central/Spike TV Digital Integrated Marketing Intern.

I came into this internship with a wealth of knowledge about Event Marketing/Advertising thanks to the Student Programming Association. In this organization (which you should join), I learned what it was like to deal directly with clients/talent, manage the logistics and budget planning of an event and provide a hospitable and fun environment for large scale audiences/talent. More important than anything else however, this organization taught me how fun Marketing was for me. I created advertisements including posters, postcards, fliers, digital still images and videos for our organization’s events, and was involved with a massive street team promoting the events for our students. I learned about what is aesthetically pleasing to the eye on an advertisement, heightening my creative and design skills. I also learned what people identified with on these advertisements, and learned how to spread information quickly via our social networks and street teams.

I also came into this internship with a skill set that I can attribute to my Economics degree. My Econometrics courses gave me a bit of insight about the world of competitive analysis, which was very important in my internship. In competitive analysis, any number or statistic that you can find can help you analyze your competition. In these courses, I developed my skills in interpreting these numbers and learned how these interpretations can lead to results. More importantly, I learned how simple competitive analysis can lead to a monumental change in even the largest business plans. This quantitative skill set is universally accepted and welcomed in the business world, and helped me to succeed in my internship.

Despite all of this knowledge, my internship began with a challenge. The challenge was that I had no idea how big the marketing/advertising field really was. There were so many aspects to the process that I just never knew before entering. At first I was overwhelmed, but soon realized that the internship is a learning process. I realized that I didn’t necessarily have to enter this experience with all of the answers, but I needed to know how to ask the right questions. It also became apparent that I had so many resources to utilize and many people who were so willing to help me.

With that knowledge and motivation, I really began to shine. I created many marketing packages tailored to specific clients and firms and truly dived deep into the Digital Integrated Marketing process. I also created competitive analysis decks highlighting what our competition was doing wrong and right, giving us insight on what we are doing wrong and right as well. I learned how stressful communication between multiple parties can be, and how several parties can conflict with others’ interests so easily. 

I also learned that marketing is a huge collaborative process and that our team really brings it all together (and does a fantastic job at doing that). As our VP of Digital Integrated Marketing once said, Integrated Marketing is the Jason Bateman of the Marketing/Advertising Field. Of Course, this was referring to the show Arrested Development, and referred specifically to the fact that Jason Bateman is the glue that brings the rest of the characters together. Integrated Marketing is the glue that brings it all together as well.

Looking back, I feel that there was a significant difference between my internship and others that I have heard of from friends in the past. I wasn’t the intern delivering coffee, but I was delivering marketing packages going straight to well-known and respected companies. I wasn’t the inadequate and unused intern, but I was giving it my all and allowed to express my creativity throughout many different projects and outlets. I was not treated unfairly, but treated like an equal among the team. I worked my hardest, and it most certainly paid off. 

Now, whenever I look at any website, the first thing that catches my eye is the advertisements on the web page. I see the hard work and dedication that comes with filling the space of a 300×250 Premium Rectangle. I reflect upon how many hours of work it takes to place a promotional tout or another editorial promotion for a specific sponsorship. I love seeing the finished product and love that there is such a complicated art to something that once seemed so simple to me.  

This internship opened my eyes to many things, and opened up a path for me to continue building my career. I am very grateful for everything the team at MTV Networks has given me this summer, and am very excited for the future of this field.

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