Big ole thanks to Kevin Purcer of Erwin-Penland for joining us for NetworkBash Ignite.
Close to 175 students, faculty, staff, and professionals filled Self Auditorium at the Strom Thurmond Institute to listen to Kevin’s presentation, which centered on building your personal brand. Many students later commented how about how impressed they were with Kevin’s ease in talking directly to them. It made a powerful statement to them about the true meaning of building a personal brand for today’s careers.
Kevin walked the audience through the ideas behind popular brands like Coca Cola and individual brands like Ochocinco, Steve Jobs, and Lady Gaga. These concepts were blended with ideas for building your personal brand online – and establishing an online reputation for employers researching their job applicants. Two interesting points about brands in Kevin’s presentation…brands know what they are not and they know their roots.
At the end of Kevin’s 45 minute chat, numerous questions came from students about his personal professional path, and seeking advice with respect to approaching today’s job market.
Below is Kevin’s presentation using Slideshare. If you cannot view the presentation using your mobile device, CLICK HERE to download the PDF.
Big thanks to all of our sponsors for this event, including Spiro Center for Entrepreneurship, Rutland Center for Ethics, Michelin Career Center, Clemson’s Advanced Writing Program, and the Clemson Alumni Association.
Join us for NetworkBash Engage on Thursday, November 4th from 6:00 until 8:00pm at the Clemson Alumni Center.
Networking is one of the most challenging concepts to teach, but what better way to engage than a conversation with professionals? The Clemson Alumni Association will be helping NetworkBash bring alumni and students together to chat and learn how to build career relationships. NetworkBash Engage is an event that will be centered around the relationships that can be forged between alumni and students.
Clemson alumni and industry professionals will ENGAGE in round-table discussions with students about how to make the most out of their Clemson degree, what to expect in the job search, and how and when it is appropriate to contact fellow Clemson alumni for networking. This will be an evening event on Thursday, Nov. 4th, before NC State football weekend. So whether you are a student or an alumnus, please join us for a great weekend of fun and join the conversation!
Wow…what an event. A big thanks to Robbin Phillips of Brains on Fire for joining us! NetworkBash Excite was filled with conversation around jobs, social media, case studies, stories, and even a raffle capped off with some Clemson Ice-Cream. We had 85 students fill the McKissick Theater as Robbin Phillips guided us through a discussion around using Social Media to find a job. The major point to take-away…it is all about Relationships!
Robbin spent lots of time answering questions ranging from:
1) How did you start your business?
2) What relationships in your life made you successful?
3) How do I brand and market myself on Twitter?
4) After an interview, would it be appropriate for me to friend the person on Facebook?
5) Why is it important for me to clean-up my Facebook page?
Here are more of those questions provided by students to ask in during the discussion, below:
There were so many more questions filling close to an hour and fifteen minute discussion. Afterwards, the party was moved out to the atrium of the Hendrix Student Center for ice-cream and the raffle. We gave away t-shirts, Clemson Men’s Soccer tickets, Chick-Fil-A coupons, copies of the Brains on Fire book, and even two Clemson/GT Football tickets!
We provided handouts for the all of the attendees, so if you would like to download the handouts, CLICK HERE for the PDF or look below.
Also…if you are interested in purchasing the Brains on Fire book, CLICK HERE for more information. Also, check out Lesson 11 from the Brains on Fire blog which is the final, community chapter of the book.
Also…big shout out to our sponsors for these events! First of all the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management! They are helping folks explore the world of IT and find IT jobs all across South Carolina! You should check out their website at www.GoCESM.org. Verizon Wireless for jumping in and helping us with NetworkBash Excite! They brought lots of fund giveways including t-shirts, pens, and other fun stuff. CH2M Hill is an Engineering Firm worldwide and they believe in the power of building career relationships! The Michelin Career Center for making this event possible by providing their rich knowledge of events and careers for tomorrow! Also, the Advanced Writing Program for allowing NetworkBash to be a part of the Business Writing Curriculum at Clemson University. This event was planned by students in two Business Writing Classes here at Clemson. And our friends at Clemson’s Alumni Center who will be hosting the final NetworkBash event this year called Engage!
Finally, if you would like to learn more about Clemson Ice-Cream and the history, CLICK HERE to download the PDF. Also, to read their latest newsletter, CLICK HERE to download the PDF of the newsletter.
We are excited to have Robbin Philliips the Courageous President of Brains on Fire join us for NetworkBash Excite. She will help us frame the discussion and make this event and exciting afternoon! To learn more about NetworkBash Excite next Wednesday, October 6th from 4-6pm, CLICK HERE.
Here is Robbin’s BIO:
WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ME:
I’m a mom who has tried hard to give my two children the gift of happy memories and laughter.
I believe in the power of storytelling.
I believe my work is my calling and not just my job.
I believe love is a circular transaction.
I believe the growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.
I believe curiosity is a powerful thing and leads to smart work.
I believe in keeping promises.
I find joy in simple things.
I think everyone works better when they are having fun.
I expect my business dealings to be profitable.
I am part of the Brains on Fire movement.
WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SAYS ABOUT ME:
As one of the founders of Brains on Fire and co-author of the book Brains on Fire; Igniting Powerful Sustainable Word of Mouth Movements, Robbin has created, revitalized, protected and grown identities such as Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, BMW, Love146,, Fiskars Brands, Perception Kayaks, Ryobi Tools, Colonial Williamsburg and Best Buy. She began her career as a graphic designer, so she is always involved in the creative aspect of our projects, but also has a keen mind for the strategic side of things.
Over the past few years, through her guidance, Brains on Fire has been recognized for their work on a national scale with a 2008 GOLD EFFIE, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s WOMMIE Awards (only 4 were given and other recipients included Yahoo! and Coca-Cola), the ad:tech Awards and Inc. Magazine’s list of fastest-growing companies in the nation. Brains on Fire has also been recognized 11 times by the ReBrand 100 Awards, placing in every category and their work has been featured in eight books, including Designing Brand Identity, Groundswell and The Anatomy of Buzz as well as being featured in the May 2009 edition of Fast Company. Robbin is also a 2010 Judge for the ReBrand 100 awards and on the faculty of Fast Company’s 30-second MBA. She contributes to the Brains on Fire blog (brainsonfire.com/blog), which is consistently ranked in Ad Age’s top 150 Power Blogs. In 2007, PQ Media named Brains on Fire one of the top 3 word of mouth companies in the industry. Robbin is also a co-author of Brains on Fires, Igniting Powerful Sustainable Word of Mouth Movements (Wiley Publishing) due out in Fall of 2010.
Under her leadership and vision, Robbin has recruited highly talented individuals from all over the country to elevate Brains on Fire – and Greenville – to national status as Brains on Fire continues to create solutions for companies all across the nation in many diverse industries.
Robbin gives her time to the Executive Board of Directors for the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Board Of Directors for the Peace Center for the Performing Arts.
Seven different sessions covering three different topics and over 400 students joined the conversation. The day was all about putting career relationships in the forefront of students’ minds; companies including GE, Michelin, Techtronic Industries, SCANA, Milliken, and Fluor helped make it happen.
The main purpose of the event was to help prepare students for the Career Fair at Littlejohn Coliseum on September 15, but more importantly…reinforce the idea that finding a career is more than just typing a resume. The second session of the day, the 10:00am Career Fair Do’s and Don’ts, witnessed over 100 students pack the McKissick Theater. From great information to great questions, this conversation led to”ah ha” moment’s revealing that finding a job is more than just showing up to a career fair.
David Hicks (Director of Field Recruiting for Techtronics Industries) was excited to see so many students show up interested in getting ready for tomorrow’s careers today. With the competitive job market, it is so important to find innovative ways to get remembered by company recruiters.
The Fall Career Fair of 2010 is hosted by the Michelin Career Center and will be at Littlejohn Coliseum on September 15th from 1:00-5:00pm. With over 100 companies attending, NetworkBash Ignite provided the perfect platform for students to prepare for interviews, how to pitch themselves, and the basic Career Fair do’s and don’ts. Each of the recruiters representing these companies will be making many more stops other than Clemson, so the competition is high to make an lasting impact for a job. NetworkBash Ignite provided that educational conversation for students when thinking about sprucing up the resume for the September 15th Career Fair.
To see more about the day, read through the Twitter Feed from @NetworkBash by CLICKING HERE.
To see pictures from the day’s event, go to our Facebook Page by CLICKING HERE.
We will be posting the presentations and information from each of the sessions from NetworkBash Ignite.
