By: DANIELA PEREZ LEAL / STAFF REPORTER
With the winter coming up, and students seeing the end of the semester approaching, the LIU Marketing Society hosted its first networking mixer of the year.
On Monday, Nov. 14, the LIU Business School opened its doors to welcome students, professors, and companies to meet and mingle together.
“I am very proud of the Marketing Society for successfully putting together a networking event on campus,” said Nicholene Silipino, president of the Marketing Society.
This initiative represented an opportunity for students to be involved in an on-campus activity that brought them face-to-face with the professional environment.
The goal of the mixer was to allow students to inquire about internships and job opportunities and use their communication and interpersonal skills, Silipino explained.
Attending the event were six recognized companies, including Fox News Media, The Wall Street Journal, Google, Owl Advance, We Network Services LLC, and Tessier Property Group.
The students had the opportunity to talk with the representatives or founders of these six companies and learn about the internship opportunities that they offer. Also, representatives were able to provide valuable information to students about the application process for each internship position.
Throughout the evening, attendees could enjoy coffee, tea, and some fresh snacks. In addition, students had the chance to walk around the companies' stands and talk and ask questions to the company representatives.
“It was great to be able to connect face-to-face with professionals again, rather than virtually. I believe students benefited from the conversations they had with companies’ reps,” Silipino said.
Two presentations were also given by two professionals, which gave students the opportunity to gain further insight from two people that are currently succeeding in their professional careers.
The first presentation was hosted by Michael Chin, former editor-in-chief of Seawanhaka, who obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the George Polk School of Communications at LIU and currently is an assignment editor at Fox News.
During the presentation, Chin shared with the students some of his experiences before and after graduation, as well as some of the challenges he faced during the process of getting his job.
“I am very happy to be back at LIU sharing my experience with all of you,” Chin said.
Wayne Lawson, from the company Top 40 Lifestyle, also presented and explained to the students how his company works and showed some of the company’s clients.
The presentations were an opportunity for the students to learn about different real-life experiences, motivating them to set achievable professional goals and take the first steps to apply for an internship.
“Presentations offered a knowledgeable perspective on professional work experience. Students got to hear the struggles and successes that come with one’s career. It is a long process, and everyone must put a lot of effort to achieve their career goals, like Michael and Wayne,” Silipino said.
For students looking to get a professional headshot for their LinkedIn profile, the Marketing Society had invited photographer and LIU student Shea Robards. Robards also acted as the event photographer throughout the evening.
Additionally, adjunct professor Kenneth Ellis of the LIU Business school conducted mock interviews in his office, to introduce students to what it can be like in a job interview, in preparation for when students apply for internships.
“The mock interviews done by Professor Ellis were very beneficial for the students. They got to practice interview questions and get feedback on how to improve when the interview really matters. Practicing your interview skills is an important part of your career search,” Silipino said.
Immersing students in an activity like this allows them to practice a potentially stressful situation in a more relaxed environment and alerts them to their strengths and weaknesses in an interview setting.
Once again, the LIU Marketing Society showed its commitment to the students on the Brooklyn campus, by hosting an activity that gave the LIU community an opportunity to continue to grow their skills and prepare for life after college.