Organizations hiring recent IDCC Majors include Accelerated Marketing Partners, CBS Boston, Deloitte Consulting, e-Dialogue, Freecause, idiomation, InLineAdz, Late July Organic Snacks, MFS Investment Management, Liberty Mutual, Mass Mutual, MPG, NameMedia, Osram Sylvania, Parametric Technology Corporation, Prosek Partners communications, Racepoint Group Public Relations, Reebok International, Schwartz MSL Public Relations, Travelers, Ve Interactive.
Information design, also called Usability or User Experience (UX), is regularly identified as one of the top professions for the coming decade. There’s high demand for people who write clearly, and can design vivid, imaginative social media and Internet experiences for target audiences. Growth is especially strong in high-tech, healthcare, government, finance and e-commerce. An ability to design information also can lead to careers creating online help systems, user guides, online demos, marketing and PR, and user interfaces for software and web sites.
The information revolution is triggering a rapid expansion in public relations. PR experts persuade, network and strategize on behalf of an organization’s products, reputation or issues. It’s a multibillion-dollar global profession that rewards teamwork, people skills and creativity, and is practiced by business and non-profits alike. As a PR practitioner, you’ll help launch new products, design events, leverage digital and traditional media, create news, and network with people at all levels. You’ll work in an agency on client teams, or join an organization’s in-house operation.
Web design teams include writers, graphic artists, computer programmers, HTML experts, database designers, information architects, usability designers, quality controllers, network specialists and system administrators. You’ll develop vivid user experiences in static and dynamic virtual environments, and in a growing business.
Being a communications professional today means developing a wide array of skills to thrive. Creating compelling content for the media and consumers is a key to success. Many corporate PR teams are still focused on pitching journalists and analysts in the hope they can convince these guardians at the gate that they're worthy of attention or coverage. I believe that type of thinking limits a company's potential reach and influence.
The next necessary skill? Understanding SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Every piece of material you create from press releases to a blog post impacts where you're found in search results and "Search" is a place consumers go to discover new companies.
All communications professionals need to understand the power of social media. Social media changed the game and no longer lets companies control the message. Social media allows you to join in conversation with consumers, bringing an authentic voice to your company. Creating dialogue like this should be embraced and welcomed.
In closing, I will say that if you don't evolve the new skills sets in PR, you risk becoming a dinosaur. When I meet people who don't understand that, I don't hire them.
Upon graduating from Bentley, I took a position with Prosek Partners. We're an international PR agency that specializes in providing a full range of communications solutions for financial services and professional services companies.
Never expecting to enter the world of finance – even tangentially – I was excited, but nervous as I set out to start my post-Bentley life. But what I quickly found was what most Bentley alumni find… I was ready and prepared to begin writing my next chapter.
Now, as an Associate Vice President at Prosek I'm responsible for building and protecting the brand equity of my global clients that span both the financial services and insurance sectors. But in addition to helping my clients tell their stories, I’ve taken on additional responsibilities at Prosek, including the development and promotion of our internship program, serving as editor for our corporate blog, Unboxed Thoughts (www.unboxedthoughts.com), and acting as a career mentor and manager to a number of our newer staff members.
While my responsibilities are varied and demanding, I could not be more fortunate to have found so much passion and opportunity in my first job. From honing my skills as a public relations professional to growing as a leader and mentor, Prosek has continued to challenge me. And I can say this, I would not have been ready to meet this challenge without my Bentley education. Whether I’m pitching the media, writing an article for a client, delivering a strategy recommendation or mentoring an intern, the skills I’m using are rooted in Bentley. The university and the IDCC program, specifically, gave me the skills and leadership foundation I needed to be successful and I continue to be thankful to the dedicated faculty, informed and passionate mentors and rigorous, real-world based curriculum that prepared me for my career. In short, I could not think of a stronger program to build the next generation of great communications professionals.
“What’s I
DCC?” Actually, that’s the question that you want to hear. That’s your opening: at the interview, anywhere you are talking to someone, you want them to ask: what is IDCC?
And then you pitch it to them. Personally, I went onto the Information Design track. I planned to work in the IT sector of the business world, and I used that question to show that I have a business background as well as a technology background.
So there you go – that’s your pitch. Anyone in any interview can see how you can apply your Major and concentration to their position. It’s a fantastic way to showcase you. It’s a great opportunity.
