A Simple Event Leads to a Networking Opportunity

On Saturday, Oct. 4, myself and two other Journalism and Broadcasting Ambassadors worked a recruiting event called "The OSU Experience." This event is design to showcase all of the colleges and departments at Oklahoma State University to prospective students and parents. 

Several prospective students were interested in journalism and broadcasting, which oddly enough a majority of the students whom we spoke with were from Texas and not Oklahoma. Though there were a few Oklahoma natives who stopped by our table to hear the countless opportunities about the School of Journalism and Broadcasting, especially our new sports media degree option. But native Texans ruled the showcase. 

While speaking with a prospective student and her parents for about 10 minutes, we soon realized we were from the same city and I attended the high school of a prospective student's mother, Trinity High School. 

The prospective student's father later asked me what my major was and what I plan to do, which I answered. Two seconds later he pulls out his business card and it reads "Jeff K..... Musical Director/Game Host of the Dallas Stars Hockey Team." I was in awe. Seriously. 

But it gets better. 

He flips over the card and gives me the direct contact information for the director of communications for the Dallas Stars and told me to contact him and say "Jeff referred me to you." 

This experience goes to show the power of networking and not knowing who could possibly give you the break you've been wanting. Never in a million years would I have guessed working a recruiting event on a game day, that I would run into someone who worked for the Dallas Stars. 

My advice to future public relations professionals, including myself, is to speak with everyone you come into contact with at networking or recruiting functions because you never who that person might know. 

As the old saying goes, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." 

Until next time, 

GPaul