How to land a great job in comms

Plus: Don't forget professor thank you notes!

Hey, Roadies! 

We hope you’re having a lovely spring morning. Do your best not to break into song. 

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Good Company: Creating a Comms Career 

Expand your roster of possible companies

If you majored in English, Media Studies, Communications, or a similar subject, you might not have the clearest vision for how your undergraduate skills will translate to the workplace. There aren’t many jobs that involve reading and discussing Anna Karenina – but there are many fields that reward strong written and verbal communication skills. Here are a few examples: 

  • Social media  

  • Public relations 

  • Marketing and advertising 

  • Human resources 

  • Journalism and media

None of these are exclusively writing roles, so it’s worth exploring exactly what they entail. Jobs in marketing and advertising, for example, often involve market research, analyzing audience data, and maintaining relationships with clients. In human resources, you’ll need strong interpersonal communication skills, not writing chops alone. 

Here’s what to do now

  • Use Google or perplexity.ai to explore jobs in the industries listed above. If anything you find matches up with your in-addition-to-writing skills, you’ve got a new potential career path.

Triv, Laugh, Love 

A trivia question, to keep you sharp

Can you guess which of these car companies was the largest in 2023 (as measured by global sales)?

  1. Volkswagen 

  2. Hyundai 

  3. Tesla 

  4. Toyota

Notes on Thank Yous 

We provide tips on how to show appreciation for those who help you out professionally

As the school year comes to a close, it’s time to add “professor thank-yous” to your to-do list. Don’t just thank your thesis advisor or your favorite professor (though you definitely should) – you never know which college contacts will come in handy down the road. And you don’t want to contact someone in a few months asking for help when you haven’t been in touch since you turned in your final. 

You can keep it simple – here’s a template for professor thank-yous, though you should make sure to personalize your note. 

Dear Prof. _____, 

Thank you so much for a wonderful semester! I especially enjoyed learning about _____, and really appreciated how you [~something you liked about the professor, like their patience or lecturing style~]. I hope to keep in touch! 

All best, 

[Your name]

Trivia Answer 

Toyota clinched the world’s biggest car company title in 2023, at 11.23 million units sold. 

(Btw, Toyota isn’t just Corollas and Camrys. It’s a huge conglomerate that owns Lexus and parts of Mazda, Suzuki, and Yamaha.)