Last week, all Scarlet Guard members had the opportunity to not only listen in on the Alumni Masters Week Success Panel, but also network and interact more intimately with the masters at luncheons in the Wick Alumni Center.
In the past, I had never been particularly excited about Alumni Masters Week because there hadn't been a master who really matched my interests and career goals since I came to UNL. I always attended the Success Panel to take advantage of the masters' more generic wisdom, but secretly dreaded luncheons because I feared I wouldn't know what to talk to the master I sat with about.
This year, things were different. Angie Klein, VP of Marketing and Sales for Verizon in Manhattan and College of Journalism and Mass Communications alumna, was a master. I had heard Angie talk to my JOMC 101 class when I was an underclassmen, and was excited to hear from her again. Not only was she just a generally impressive human being, but I knew that she would have information that was relevant to me and my future career.
I spoke with Angie briefly following Wednesday's Success Panel and again at Thursday evening's Medallion Dinner, but it wasn't until the Friday luncheon that I got some real, personal, and effective advice from Angie.
Earlier that week, I had been going through the interview process for three different advertising internships. I had multiple offers on the table, but was struggling with making a decision and picking which one would be the best fit for me. Immediately following the luncheon with Angie, I was scheduled to meet with one of the agencies that had offered me a position. It was at the agency that was my top choice for experience, but there was a question of pay which had me doubting if it was the right fit.
I explained to Angie what position I was in and voiced my concerns. When I made a point of how I was nervous to potentially negotiate pay, I was surprised to see Angie laughing a little.
"You know why you're nervous about that right? It's because your a girl, and it's been engrained in you that if you are telling someone how good you are, you're hurting someone else's feelings. As someone who has interviewed thousands of people and who has negotiated pay with people many times, I'll tell you that not once, not once, has a man come into my office, asked for more money, and felt bad about it."
It wasn't new news that women are so often paid less than their male counterparts, but I was surprised at the fact that it was something I didn't even realize was affecting my confidence in asking for pay that I deserved.
After the luncheon, I went to the agency. After my meeting there (including a chat with one of the agency owners), I left not only with my top choice internship, but a pay I felt I deserved, and gratitude towards Angie for giving me a pep-talk that made me confident enough to make it happen.
Having the chance to hear from prestigious alumni is great, but feeling comfortable enough to milk the opportunity for all it's worth and to initiate authentic interactions with alumni is one of the more rewarding aspects of being a part of Scarlet Guard.
What part of Alumni Masters Week did you find most helpful?
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