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Area college students enjoyed an afternoon of learning and networking at AMA Baltimore’s 25th annual Undergraduate Student Job Search Workshop at the Loyola Graduate Center in Timonium on Saturday, April 1. Launched a quarter-century ago to help undergraduates make professional connections and explore career options in marketing, this year’s workshop attracted over 60 students from 16 colleges and universities from Maryland and neighboring states. Students were given a choice between two tracks, depending on their academic and career interests (Track A: Marketing Management and Advertising/Social Media/PR/Sales and Track B: Market Research, Advertising/Social Media/PR and Advertising Analytics) and attended panel discussions featuring local marketing executives from companies such as Pearson, McCormick, Merkle, T. Rowe Price, Under Armour, Weber Shandwick, and The Baltimore Ravens.

In addition to the panel discussions, there were several breaks offering ample time for students to network with the executive participants and to peruse the display of internship and full-time opportunities local companies submitted in advance to longtime workshop organizer Leslie Kendrick of Johns Hopkins University. Says Kendrick: “Local companies are excited about the talent that the workshop attracts and enjoy using the workshop as a recruiting tool and a chance for their executives to interact with the next generation of marketers.”

Towson University senior and AMA Baltimore volunteer Lillian Hulbert shares her workshop experience below:

I’ve participated in the AMA Undergraduate Student Job Search Workshop for the past two years. Each year has been beneficial and I’ve learned something new. I’ve made new connections and even landed a job interview! The job search workshop is a great way for undergrads to learn more about different career paths within marketing and meet executives from companies in the Baltimore region.

The workshop kicks off with a large panel discussion. The lead panelists share about themselves, their role at their company and career path. Following that, students have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions. For the rest of the afternoon, the day is broken up into sessions of breakout panels with professionals from the students’ selected tracks and networking time. At the time of registration, students can choose what breakout track they would like to be a part of. I selected different tracks each year because I wanted to hear from professionals ranging in a variety of backgrounds.

By attending the Undergraduate Student Job Search Workshop, I was able to clarify my interests within marketing. Like many undergrads, I knew what I liked but I wasn’t sure how that translated into a real job. Having the opportunity to talk with industry professionals about their jobs helped me to figure out what would and wouldn’t be a good career fit. Before attending last year’s workshop, I thought I was interested in analytics, but after speaking with different professionals I realized my skill set and interests were better aligned with market research.

Learning about analytics or interactive marketing in a classroom is great, but being able to speak to a professional in that field is incredibly valuable, especially for students in the early stages of their careers. If you are a marketing student or an undergraduate with an interest in marketing, I would highly recommend attending next year’s workshop. You will learn a lot, network with top marketing executives and maybe even land a job or internship!

For more information on the Undergraduate Student Job Search Workshop, please visit: http://bit.ly/AMASJSW.