Career Vision

Welcome to my first blog!

This blog will not only consist of personal stories of my own professional pursuits, but also advice and ideas to think about for your own career advances.

First, let me start off by saying my name is Angelina Bossone, I am a college senior at University of New Hampshire (Durham) and will be graduating this May 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication: Business Application. I would like to pursue a career in advertising, marketing, promotions, or social media.

I currently have had experience with two internships and one job opportunity:

1. BookRenter Digial Media Internship

I applied for this position from a Facebook post they published on their wall. What started as a paid summer internship has lead to an ongoing paid position that I've now been holding since May 2012. I created my own Twitter and Pinterest handles (@BookRenterUNH) and have been managing them with daily posts (with experience with Involver and Wildfire social media marketing tools). I started filming, editing, and posting my own videos once a week (it is now once a month) to YouTube targeted towards college students on various topics ranging from freshman advice, tuition options, school goals, test taking, how to save money, and holiday celebrations. I write blogs once a month and in August I was given the opportunity to start managing their blog. I would edit everyone's blog posts, improve the search engine optimization (SEO), approve comments, search and credit images, post entries, and maintain a blog spreadsheet.  I have also dealt with customer service relations and advertised promotional campaigns and company contests through social media and campus fliers. I continue to grow with this company and have enjoyed every experience so far.

2. Health Education and Promotion Intern

I did this internship for my senior fall semester for four credits (240 hours). I was able to work alongside the Health Services Communications and Information Coordinator on promotional event campaigns (CashCourse, Student Health 101, World AIDS Day, University Day, and Plant the Promise). I used Drupal to help edit website content, constructed tweets to be posted through their Twitter page, and wrote an article for Student Health 101 Magazine (page 9). I also created social media images for Facebook and Twitter after researching information for body oddities and study tips, produced and published a Pagemodo banner for finals week, and developed PowerPoint slides for advertisements and health awareness on the televisions in waiting rooms. I also learned how to use Publisher and InDesign to create fliers, while also learning Sproutsocial posting and social media analytics (also observed through Facebook, Google, and YouTube). This experience has been lifechanging and has helped me learn how important internships are to help you gain skills you can't gain within a classroom that will forever prepare you for the working world.

3. Campus Special Promoter

This was a short part time paid position that lasted for the first two weeks of spring semester. A friend I knew from class is an Account Executive for Campus Special and was looking to hire a few students to help promote Campus Special and hand out coupon books from local businesses to students. I stood in various locations throughout campus and passed out these coupon books to many students and took daily pictures of students posing with these booklets. I also had to create a daily social media post via Twitter or Facebook to promote this campaign and encourage students to get their discounts!

4. Other

I've had other experiences along the way from being an Office Assistant at Family Research Lab (UNH) since fall 2010, to advertising committee, and May Day Carnival Planning. It is important to note that EACH experience you gain along the way counts for something. The more experience you get, the better off you will be - so GET INVOLVED. Also note that leadership roles are just as important to employers. Leadership roles I have fulfilled have included: Rising Scholar Leader, Certified Peer Educator, and Lambda Pi Eta Logistics Chair.

My dream job would help me be able to use these skills I have developed. I don't have an industry preference, but I do want to be able to help make a difference in whatever company I do get involved with.

Take the time to do internships, get part time positions that relate to your field, and get involved in organizations that can help you gain skills as well! Reflect on everything you have gained so far and things you want to gain experience on and then look to see where you can get these experiences! Figure out what your career vision is to help you fine tune the skills you will need for success!