Below is a guest post from our Career Reboot Winner Elisa Freese.

When I set foot into the DeVries office on the morning of the Career Reboot, I knew I was in for a long yet informative and exciting day and I was not disappointed. Having had my share of career setbacks, I went into the Career Reboot day as a sponge looking to soak up any and all information I heard.

Here’s just a small picture of what I learned during my Career Reboot:

·     Interviewing – Make sure to go into an interview prepared.

This seems pretty obvious, but for someone who hasn’t interviewed in a while it was refreshing to hear what a public relations firm looked for in an interviewee. Do your homework on the organization you’re interviewing with and exude confidence, not cockiness.  Also, make sure you have questions to ask the interviewer – show your interest!

·    Presentation Skills – Get rid of nervousness before a presentation by reflecting on a previous successful moment in your career.

As someone who tends to get nervous before presentations, I immediately asked for any tips to combat nervousness. What I learned was to just think back on a previous moment when you were successful. Once you get that image in your mind, take a deep breath and you’ll be more relaxed.

·   Your Signature – Think about what you want to be known for: both personally and professionally.

It was intriguing to sit down and just think of what I want to be known for in the future. Create a pie chart/list of all your attributes to paint a complete picture of yourself as a person and a professional. This can help mold your path in life.

·     Social Media – Maintain a presence on social media; it will get your name out there if done well.

As a member of the first college freshman class to enjoy Facebook in 2004, I’m a pretty big fan of social media and social networking sites. Social media can be helpful to not only maintain personal relationships, but also create and maintain professional relationships. Use your social media knowledge to network with like-minded individuals and show your passion for your field.

·     Networking – Do it!

There are plenty of people out there that want to help you, so why not take advantage of it? Make an effort to attend networking events because you never know who you’ll meet. I found out about the Career Reboot through someone I met at a networking event. She sent me a tweet because she thought I would be interested.  Awesome right? So a big thank you goes to Valerie Simon for referring me to the contest.

A HUGE thank you goes to everyone at DeVries who took the time out of their day to help a future PR professional reboot her career. This was an amazing opportunity and one that came at the perfect time. I will definitely reflect back on this day as I start my journey toward my PR career. THANK YOU!

Elisa Freese is an NYU Graduate Student and future PR rockstar. You can also finder her writing regularly at Examiner.com.

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