Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

Elizabeth Lane,

Bio

Elizabeth applies her knowledge of public relations, marketing and event planning to our work for Deloitte, facilitating communication and meetings and managing deadlines and budgets. Previously, as an intern for the Carolina Mudcats professional baseball club, she helped carry out on-field promotions and marketed the team and its sponsors. Her creativity and organization helped draw crowds out to the ballpark’s theme events — from karaoke night to Hawaiian night. While at North Carolina State University, Elizabeth excelled in translating her studies to action around campus. For example, she served as lead events coordinator and brand steward for the College of Management’s “Get Real” campaign. She was particularly involved in introducing the campaign to students, emphasizing the college’s focus on providing a real-world perspective. Elizabeth’s team planned, marketed and orchestrated events from a breakfast with the dean to a carnival-like field day that brought 500 students out for collegiate bonding.

Articles

  • Confessions of a Twitter skeptic

    Feb 8, 2010 :: Elizabeth Lane :: 2 Comments
    Twitter. It's hard to think about pop culture today without it. Everyone from celebrities to grandparents to corporations seems to be logged on, tweeting to their followers. But is that really the case? What about those who've been slow to give in to the hype -- like me?

    Most of my Capstrat colleagues have a Twitter account, but I had the feeling most Americans aren't on Twitter. Curious about the truth, I did a quick Google search. Here's what I found.

    A poll by Harris Interactive reported that half of Americans (51 percent) do not use Twitter or have a MySpace or Facebook account. Only five percent of Americans polled said they use Twitter.

    A survey conducted by Sysomos found that five percent of Twitter users account for 75 percent of all activity. Interestingly, about 85 percent of all users post less than one update per day and 21 percent of users have never posted a tweet.

    So maybe Twitterers aren't as active as it seems.

    In all honesty, I've shied away from the Twitter bandwagon. I tackled Facebook, but something about Twitter has kept me away. Perhaps it's the concern over tweeting interesting tidbits that people want to read. Or maybe it's the addition of another medium to keep tabs on. Either way, I've been an onlooker to others joining the game, despite their encouragement that I join.

    However, that's all changing. In an effort to step out of my comfort zone in 2010, I'm going to give Twitter a test drive. I want to find out what everyone loves about it, first-hand.

    I'm off to start tweeting. I'll see you there – @elane0513.

    Tags: elane statistics twitter usage

  • Job Tip Series #2: Expect the Unexpected

    Mar 27, 2009 :: Elizabeth Lane :: 0 Comments

    This is the second article in the Capstrat series, Getting Your First Job. We hope to meet you at our Annual Networking Night, April 14 at 5:30 p.m.

    Some people know from the time they're little what they want to be when they grow up. Me? I didn't have a clue. Even applying to college, I still wasn't sure of my dream job. As I studied my way toward a business degree in marketing, I embarked on my first real job search. I thought I knew the best path, but soon found out that the unexpected can hold the greatest surprises.

    Looking back a year after graduation, I can pinpoint three things that helped me land my first job - relationships, my resume and personal motivation.

    Just the other day, Capstrat President Karen Albritton discussed how important relationships are to professional development. Whoever said, "It's not what you know - it's who you know" wasn't kidding. Initially thinking I'd go into pharmaceutical sales, I made it a point to log face time with the representatives that came into the doctor's office where I worked. Several shared their experiences with me and were eager to pass along tricks of the trade. I even had a sales manager guide me though my online application. You never know when the people you meet along the way will be able to help you out - or vice versa - because everything really does come full circle.

    The second key is a winning resume. I managed to unintentionally recruit a resume coach who helped me polish my resume to highlight my skills and accomplishments. A busy sales region manager, he spent almost a half hour on the phone with me on several occasions discussing my resume, career goals and interview pointers, among other things. He ultimately got me an interview in another sales region that was looking to hire new reps -which ties into my first point of building relationships. And did I mention that the experiences detailed on my resume, clear and concise, landed me the job I have now?

    Lastly, nothing great can happen without motivation. My motivation? Having a job offer in hand by the time I received my diploma. And I did it - even though it happened less than 24 hours before graduation! If you don't have a goal in mind, then what are you really working toward? Having that internal motivator kept me on track, even when I received the e-mail saying, "Sorry, but you're not what we're looking for," or learned that a hiring freeze had been instituted only hours before an interview or just didn't hear back at all.

    Perseverance does provide rewards in the long run; you just have to ask yourself how bad you want it. Because professional rejection, like not getting chosen for a job you wanted, is difficult to rebound from unless you have something to keep you going.


    Tags: resume unexpected