Now and Later #withUFPRSSA

Melissa Serotkin, a Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) Global recruiter, and Vanessa Wakeman, our CJC’s newest professional-in-residence, met #withUFPRSSA members on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Both Serotkin and Wakeman discussed professional development opportunities that can be completed now, and how these opportunities can play a big part in your career later in life.

Serotkin is the Human Resources manager at BCW Global’s Washington, D.C. office and is responsible for the onboarding of the U.S. internship program. BCW Global is one of the world’s only public relations agencies created to deliver integrated solutions across all sectors on a global scale. Their expertise includes corporate communications, thought leadership, public affairs and entertainment marketing.

Serotkin shared with members the 2020 Harold Intern Program at BCW Global. The program is open to rising seniors, 2019 graduates and current graduate students who possess strong research, written and verbal communications skills. The 10-week internship is offered in most of BCW’s U.S. offices, and lasts from June until mid-August. 

According to Serotkin, interns at BCW Global become integrated team members whose tasks include research, media monitoring, building media lists, taking notes in meetings and coordinating events. Between 80 and 90 percent of BCW’s Harold Interns go on to become full time employees at BCW Global. Applications for the 2020 Harold Intern Program can be found on https://bcw-global.com/ in early December.

Following Serotkin was professor Vanessa Wakeman. Wakeman has been recognized as a champion of public relations by PRWeek, and has been deemed one of the 50 game changers in public relations by PR News. She is also one of the few black women to have found and own a social change agency.

Wakeman emphasized that once out of college, your career journey is rarely linear. She reiterated this statement by sharing her personal career journey, and how she ended up as the founder and owner of her social change agency, The Wakeman Agency.

The jobs that she had leading up to her founding The Wakeman Agency all taught her things about herself. She learned which environment she preferred to work in, what kind of work she enjoyed doing, and where her strengths lied. While these jobs did not prove to be her dream job, she took what she learned and is now applying it to the work she is carrying out at The Wakeman Agency. 

“Give yourself permission to explore the journey, figure out what you love, and learn as you move forward,” Wakeman said.

Wakeman also stressed that we find our “zone of genius.” Wakeman defines one’s zone of genius as the space where your skills, your passions, and your interests align. According to Wakeman, once you understand your zone of genius, your work doesn’t feel like work. Instead, you are doing something that is an extension of you. 

We thank Melissa Serotkin and Vanessa Wakeman for sharing their knowledge on how to make the most of your career journey now and later.

Written by Paola Ojeda-Villegas