Written by Amanda Lam, assistant firm director for Allen Hall Public Relations
On Nov. 7, we had the pleasure of hearing from Meagan Kiene, Media Specialist at Ketchum. Meagan graduated from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication in 2014 and is an Allen Hall Public Relations alumna. Prior to Ketchum, she worked at Bread & Butter and FleishmanHillard.
Here are the top three takeaways from our time with Meagan:
Don’t be afraid to share your opinion.
During her first review at Ketchum, Meagan was told to not be afraid to speak up. As someone with a relatively quiet personality, understanding that she was an asset to her team made all the difference in her career. Once she started voicing her opinions at work, she felt more valued by her team.
When you are young, people can underestimate you, but learning to feel empowered at work is one thing young professionals must overcome in entry-level positions.
Networking is important.
If there is a professional that you admire, reach out to them on LinkedIn and ask for an informational interview. Meagan’s biggest advice for students networking is to be personable, and not just an applicant. This means creating genuine and meaningful correspondences with the people you meet and staying in touch. Many professionals, especially UO alumni, are willing to connect with students. If you do not know who to reach out to, ask your professors.
Don’t be stagnant in your career.
Within her three years at Ketchum, Meagan received four promotions. She attributes her success to her ability to build personal relationships with the people she works with. Asking questions also gave Meagan the opportunity to improve her performance in the office based on the feedback she received. For Meagan, her coworkers are like family to her. Some of them are even her best friends.
When you build those relationships with your coworkers, work is not so much a competition. At Ketchum, Meagan and her co-workers fall as a team AND succeed as a team.
To learn more about Ketchum visit, www.ketchum.com.
Follow Meagan on Twitter: @meagankiene.