Spring Forward into Communicating

Everyone's life journey is a little different. Olivia Easly has had an exciting two years since graduating from Appalachian State University in the Fall of 2015. After graduation, Easly moved to Park City, Utah where she completed an internship with a public relations group. Easly now works in Raleigh as a marketing manager for a start up business. She talked with us about her job and the day to day life of communicating with her clients and coworkers. She also shared some of her hardest adjustments since graduating college and moving to the professional setting.

A lot of what is happening in our world is online and that is how businesses create an image and communicate with their clients. Easly told our class that one of the biggest challenges in her job is figuring out who they are talking to and how they are talking to them? Also what do they like to see or hear about? Putting information online means everyone can see it and it might be harder to gauge what people like or dislike. You have to know your audience and what will appeal to them through online platforms like social media sites.

In Easly's everyday schedule she has to be in constant communication with her boss who is based in Seattle, Washington. Having a long distance relationship with your boss can be tough but if you are organized and work hard it will pay off. Easly has learned how to handle the time zone differences as well as becoming more independent and figuring things out on her own before she calls her boss. Easly's job is 100% online communication with her boss and other co-workers like her graphic designer. Online communication is growing in all companies and is an important skill everyone should have, especially graduates entering the professional setting for the first time.

Olivia Easly graduated only two years ago and has already learned and adjusted to the professional world. Graduates, do not be stressed and believe in your skills as communicators. Everybody around the world is adjusting to the new ways of using the internet and communicating online, so do not fear, you are not alone.

xxx

Full Swing Ahead

Emily Stinson