Alumna Advice Part II: Looking back

Continuing on with the Q&A, I asked CWU Alumna Gracie Manlow to reflect on her education at Central. In this next section she discusses what skills, experiences, and attributes are most important in the workplace and how her studies have benefitted her on the job.

How well did your college experience prepare you for this job? What skills did you learn from your education at Central that you use the most in your career? (Press releases, feature writing, publication design, newsletters, etc.)

Manlow: Honestly, it’s all incredibly important. Because my job is so versatile, I find myself referring back to my PR background constantly. My supervisor and I manage contracts and grants for human services projects in the entire county, so it is crucial that my writing and editing skills are refined and professional. If they aren’t, the department could lose funding that supports various programs and services.

In addition to writing abilities, publication design has been a real asset in my career. I am constantly creating publications for online or traditional distribution. I can still remember Toby Staab telling me, “People will spend less than three seconds deciding if they want to look at your poster/newsletter/etc. Always ensure the who, what , when, where, and why is eye catching.” I actually use this advice whenever I write an article or press release, too. If your audience becomes bored or disinterested in your product, you’ve missed the mark.

What abilities or personal qualities do you believe contribute most to success in this field/job?

Manlow: I think being personable, outgoing, and dedicated to the field are all great qualities a public relations professional should possess. Be sure to practice writing skills and always have a colleague check your work! It could save you from publishing a silly mistake.

Finally, I believe having a good attitude does wonders. I know it’s a bit of a cliche’ answer, but it’s absolutely true. I think I experienced a bit of ‘shock’ when I left college and didn’t find employment right away. I felt that I had ‘one up’ on everyone because I had a degree. But, aside from college work, I didn’t have much experience, so, of course finding a job was going to be a little difficult.

Once I was hired, I was doing work that I felt didn’t matter. For example, I could spend an afternoon stuffing binders for a staff retreat or doing minimal administrative tasks. But I did everything enthusiastically and worked hard to learn everything I could about nonprofits. It has definitely paid off. When I interviewed for my current job, I spoke confidently about my capabilities to write, deliver programs, create strategic plans, and anything else thrown at me. Plus, my current boss was one of my supervisors during my AmeriCorps term. She remembered working with me and the great work I produced. It would have been easy for me to refuse to do work, or quit a job that I felt was ‘beneath me’, however, I stuck it out, and it’s definitely paid off.

Which past jobs have been most helpful in getting you to this point in your career?

Manlow: All of my positions post graduation have provided some form of professional development which has been helpful. However, my participation in the Observer, Central Communication Agency, and my internship through CWU were also important in preparing me for a career. From the Observer, I gained interview, editing, and writing skills. I had never prepared a newspaper article before, so it was great to learn how to properly execute things in a classroom setting. Plus, it was pretty awesome to see my writing printed in the paper!

From CCA, I had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients in a team setting. Whether I was planning the annual Communication Banquet, or a fashion show for The Wildcat Shop, I enjoyed working in the midst of the busy event planning world. Which led me right into my internship of planning Central’s First Amendment Festival. With the guidance of Professor Cynthia Mitchell, I brainstormed and executed a variety of activities focused around the Constitutional First Amendment. Plus, this was my first time working on a project that was grant funded. This meant I was responsible for collecting data pre and post surveys, which showed an increased knowledge of the First Amendment. I believe that each of these specific job opportunities propelled my skill set for my professional life.

While this wasn’t a job per se, I worked closely with my adviser, Cesar Garcia, to create a resume. I designed a template from scratch, and met with Cesar several times to make edits and corrections. It was nice to have a mentor offer advice and critiques that were making a difference. I would encourage all students to find a mentor to shadow and ask questions.