Communications Forum and Networking Night February 9

Adidas, Hill Holliday, and Ogilvy & Mather among participating employers

Recruiters and marketing gurus from some of the region's top communications firms will come to Brandeis for the Hiatt Career Center's inaugural Communications Careers Forum and Networking Night on Wednesday, Feb. 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Sherman Hall, Hassenfeld Conference Center.

The event is in direct response to growing student interest in the field of marketing and communications.

Caroline O'Shea, assistant director of employer relations at the Hiatt Career Center, and the event coordinator, said that 25 organizations will be participating, ranging from Arnold Worldwide and TripAdvisor to the Children's Book Group at Houghton Mifflin.

"With so much energy and enthusiasm from students about this industry, I am confident this program will provide a unique opportunity for them to network with employers, students from local schools, and one another," said O'Shea.

Brandeis students have always had a keen interest in marketing and communications, with many alumni going on to lead successful careers in these industries. Marc Berliner '95, vice president at Cone, Inc., and Yong Sung '98, associate director of media at Ogilvy & Mather, will both return to campus for the event's expert panel discussion, which will be followed by a networking round table.

The panel will be moderated by International Business School Senior Lecturer Grace Zimmerman, who also teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing for the new business major at Brandeis. Zimmerman says that while Brandeis students are exposed to the complex challenges and opportunities facing marketers through these courses, marketing is also all around us.

"Students love marketing because it uniquely blends rigorous analysis of current issues with logical, practical and creative solutions," said Zimmerman. "We all participate in marketing every day as consumers and even as marketing co-creators with brands and vendors through our interactions on the Internet."

The Communications Forum will further expose students to the field while connecting one-on-one with industry professionals such as recruiters and practitioners to ask questions and learn about potential career paths. Students from area schools, including Wellesley, Tufts, and Boston College, are also invited to attend.

Lauren Tupper, training program manager at Adidas Group, said that she's looking forward to meeting students at the forum to build relationships with potential future employees.

"We are always looking for talented individuals with creativity, passion and drive to help us succeed in our goals," says Tupper. "It's a great opportunity when a university can partner with organizations and both can learn from one another."

Through their partnership with the Hiatt Career Center, Adidas Group, which manages the Reebok brand, has already hired business and economics major Karen Hu '12 as a communications intern for their FitKidz program.

"The Communications Forum is beneficial to students of any class year," explains Hu. "For juniors and seniors, now is a critical time to obtain internships that will help you stand out from the pool of applicants when competing for jobs after graduation. For freshmen and sophomores, the event is an opportunity to explore the different options you have for a future career in communications."

The Hiatt Career Center is expecting nearly 200 attendees at the highly anticipated event.  For registration information and to view a list of attending employers, please visit Hiatt's event page.