Prep For Success

Hall of Fame always comes with an abundance of opportunities for students to reach out and network; and one of those opportunities is the HOF9 Career Networking Event. For any student who may be unaware of this event, companies ranging from Universal Orlando, WWE, Feld Entertainment, Digital Brew, CareerSource Central Florida, BOLD! Technologies, Fox Sports Florida, Hard Rock Live, and IBM come to Full Sail to network with students and alumni. Preparing for this event can be stressful as there are many different opportunities that can come from putting your all into this.

MCBS’s Portfolio classes planned a workshop for the Career Networking Event by doing three different things to help students prepare. We created informational interview questions, discussed tips on how to be professional, and planned ways to network and prepare for the Career Networking Event.

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"Strive to become a first-call resource for your clients and colleagues."

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The first big lesson was from Instructor René Otero, who has had dozens of jobs in the industry as a filmmaker. Students were taught about the importance of being respectful and polite as well as tips for really getting to figure out if the job was for you. "Strive to become a first-call resource for your clients and colleagues. What we call 'networking' is an active search for opportunities to build these first-call relationships. Once you establish a connection, nurture it until you are the first person they call when they need help in your area of expertise. The other side of the coin is to be careful not to leave such a poor impression that you become someone they never call or offer a referral to. My advice to students is to assume that anyone you encounter, whether it be fellow students, faculty or a client you work with as a volunteer, is an active link in your professional reputation. You can never know how exactly this will play out, but there is always a cause and effect relationship. Professionalism breeds this thing called 'luck' and opportunities to do quality work become more frequent," Otero said.

Placing a high amount of pressure on being professional is very reasonable. A person hiring can train you how to use a program, but they can’t train you how to be respectful. So it’s important to remain professional when at the event.

The next part of this workshop included students researching good questions to ask an employee that might be attending the Career Networking Event. By doing this, a student can get a good feeling about the company. But before you ask those questions, be sure to do some research, if a company is known for being a no-cubicle work environment make sure you create questions that go further in depth on that. Roxanne De Leon, instructor, helped students form these questions. “Your informational interview questions should be based on what is important for you to know about a company. This is a great way to get insightful details about a company you are interested in from an employee who works there.” De Leon said. There are a few places you can go to obtain some sample questions such as TheMuse.

The last part of the workshop consisted of creating something to gamify the experience for students that would still

encourage them to plan ahead. “Preparing for the Career Expo can help alleviate any anxiety or awkwardness you may feel approaching potential employers. Great connections can be made through conversations based on authentic interest and inquiry,” Emily Wray, instructor, said. So how does one create something that does just that? A scavenger hunt of course! This scavenger hunt is filled with ice breakers and ways to push yourself in the right direction if you are shy, or don’t know where to begin. From planning your outfit of the day (OOTD) to finding that career you’ve always wanted, this can be a great start to figuring out the who, what, and where of the Career Networking Event.

What companies are you excited to see? Let us know in the comments below! If you wish to participate in the scavenger hunt yourself, just download the template!