Alumni Perspective: Taking a Different Route

Stefani Jenness ’10 was recently hired as a sales associate for Alpha Broadcasting, a company that operates six radio stations in the Portland area. Although excited to be starting a career, this job opportunity came nearly one year after graduation. Stefani graduated from the UO with a BA in Journalism and Communication (with a focus in public relations), a minor in business, a Semester at Sea study abroad experience and an internship at the UO Career Center in Portland under her belt.

Prior to graduation, she had already conducted several informational interviews to gain knowledge about the public relations industry and to establish contacts. After spending two months traveling Europe, Stefani returned to the states with a job as a marketing assistant for a small architecture and marketing firm. Although she gained valuable experience, she was ready for something more hands-on that also had the potential for career growth.

Last month Stefani attended the UO Alumni Women’s Roundtable: Women in Careers event, which was hosted by the Alumni Career Services program at UO Career Center in Portland. During the reception portion of the event, she took a moment to connect with one of the panelists, Amy Leimbach ’90 (Journalism), Director of Sales at Alpha Broadcasting. Stefani said she was not necessarily looking for a job, but simply wanted to know more about what Amy does. After hearing more about the company and that Alpha had openings for its sales associate program, the two exchanged contact information and were in contact the following day. Stefani went through the interview process and was offered the position, which she happily accepted. “I had never even thought about radio or sales at that point but [after] keeping an open mind and doing a little research, it seemed like a natural fit for both my skills and personality,” said Stefani.

Now Stefani has an ever-changing schedule that allows her to pitch ideas, meet with clients, create and implement advertising campaigns and listen to live music from a variety of artists who visit the studio.

“I can’t express my gratitude enough towards the Career Center in Portland,” Stefani said. She took full advantage of what the Career Center had to offer including shaping her resume and cover letters, fine tuning her interviewing and networking skills and establishing contacts. Her advice to graduating seniors and recent graduates is to set up as many informational interviews as possible, always be networking and never forget to send a hand-written thank you note.

By Ayn-Marie Hailicka, Communication and Social Media Intern

To learn more about our Alumni Career Services in Portland and get your career launched post-graduation, give us a call at (503) 412-3701 or email careerpdx@uoregon.edu.