#stratcomm

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#stratcomm (at Rumah Jagaan & Rawatan Orang Tua Al-Ikhlas)

[jschoolbuzz-blog]

StratComm Career Fair: Our Margaret Duffy Interview

Last week, we published a blog post that questioned why it's a good idea to exclude 60 percent of the Missouri School of Journalism from the StratComm Career Fair. Some of you did not like that!

We don't care much for the false ideal of objectivity, so we opted to go a different route: reported commentary. We aired our opinion, and gave StratComm a space to air theirs.

That's why we will reprint in full the email interview we had last week with Strategic Communication Faculty Chair Margaret Duffy.

This will be fun!

My questions are in bold, followed by Duffy's responses:

Why is the Career Fair only open to Strategic Communication students?

Four years ago, we made the decision to conduct our own Strategic Communication Career Fair because we felt that the existing Journalism career fair did not meet the unique needs, capabilities and interests of Strategic Communication students. We conducted research with recruiters in advertising, marketing, public relations and related fields to find out what they were looking for and what skills and experience they preferred. Our curriculum, of course, reflects those industry interests including working with real clients in marketing communication and advertising campaigns.

The Strategic Communication Career Fair is conducted by and for Strategic Communication students. We receive no resources, monetary or otherwise, from the School of Journalism. It is a huge investment in time and effort on the part of our students.

How was the decision made to restrict the Career Fair to only Strategic Communication students?

Recruiters come to campus because they have hired  Missouri Strategic Communication students and have had success with them because of the specific training and experiences they receive in our emphasis area.  Recruiters are looking for juniors for internships and seniors for permanent jobs. They specifically wish to speak with and interview individuals with the best preparation for the available jobs.  Students in other majors generally do not have the coursework, research background or experience that these recruiters are looking for.

Moreover, strategic communication students now make up over 40% of the total J-School undergraduate enrollment so from the standpoint of sheer numbers, further expansion of the career fair to individuals unprepared for the industry is not feasible.

The other majors, of course, have excellent preparation and coursework for careers  as reporters, magazine writers and designers, broadcasters, editors and online journalists.

Why not make any exceptions to the StratComm only policy, since the new interest areas are meant to encourage students to take more classes across the sequences?

We strongly believe that the prerequisites and requirements in our emphasis area are crucial to students’ success.

If students from other emphasis areas are interested in conducting their own career fairs that highlight their unique preparation and capabilities, we would be glad to advise and give suggestions about planning and logistics.

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Original Article

[jschoolbuzz-blog]

Why The StratComm Career Fair is Only For StratCommers

Word on the street is that some non-StratComm students in the Missouri School of Journalism are unhappy about the upcoming Strategic Communication Career Fair, which is “restricted to Strategic Communication students already admitted into their sequence.” I had never considered that other students would want to attend, but even so, I stand behind the decision to keep them off the guest list.

While it’s tempting to make my case by proving that StratComm > all other sequences, the reason I support this restriction comes down to one thing: experience.

Recruiters are coming to the career fair to meet with aspiring PR and advertising professionals who were trained and educated in the Missouri School of Journalism Strategic Communication program. They are looking for copywriters, account managers, media planners, art directors and public relations specialists.

Based on the current structure of the journalism program, students in other sequences haven’t had the opportunity to learn about these career paths in the classroom. So until this system changes, if you don’t choose StratComm as your sequence, you’re pretty much out of luck.

A University of Missouri School of Journalism degree guarantees knowledge about all types of journalism careers, but in no way prepares students to excel at all journalism careers. No StratComm student would be qualified to get a job in broadcast, so it’s safe to say that the same applies for non-StratComm students and advertising jobs.  I don’t doubt that with education and experience any J-Schooler could succeed in Strategic Communication, but right now, recruiters are looking for the students with the most experience.

As with any career, Strategic Communication jobs are limited. Hundreds of seniors are already fighting it out for a small number of available positions. I fully anticipate having to stand in line to chat with the most desirable recruiters, who will likely have little free time in their single seven-hour day at Mizzou. The decision to exclude students from other sequences will do wonders to eliminate chaos and absolute insanity at the career fair that is expected to have over 300 Strategic Communication students in attendance, according to the Mojo-Ad website.

I’ll concede that I can see the unfairness through the eyes of journalism seniors who are now second-guessing their chosen sequence and career path.

However, this is a perfect time to teach a lesson to you, young j-schoolers. If you think advertising, PR, or marketing may be your life passion, don’t be discouraged by StratComm’s seemingly poor reputation. Embrace what you love and you’ll find yourself surrounded by dozens of others who share your enthusiasm for creative advertising campaigns, social media, and viral marketing. You will likely be snubbed by all other journalism students who think you don’t belong, but don’t worry. One day when you’re a senior looking for your first job, you can laugh in the face of those who put you down, because you’ll be the only one who can attend the Strategic Communication Career Fair.

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Original Article