Clemson University's NetworkBash » networkbash

Pictures from NetworkBash Fall 2009

Bobby Rettew — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:45:14 +0000

Beyond the Resume: Helping job seekers sell themselves through networking.

Bobby Rettew — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:25:10 +0000

For Immediate Release | October 28, 2009 | Click Here for PDF
Clemson, SC— Clemson University’s NetworkBash is designed to give job seekers a competitive advantage in the current job market. This is an event to teach students how to market themselves face-to-face and using social media. Even though this is an event for Clemson students, the skills are essential for any job seeker.

NetworkBash is being held at Clemson University’s Hendrix Student Center on November 4th from 2-8 p.m. The first part of the day is spent teaching participants how to craft an elevator pitch and then putting them in simulated situations allowing them to practice their pitch—all while receiving feedback from company recruiters.

The second part of the day focuses on social media and how to network using the Internet. South Carolina Social Media Professionals and Entrepreneurs are volunteering their time to teach these sessions and take part in a panel discussion.

Panel Discussion focused on Social Media and Building Career Relationships:
• John Warner: CEO of Innoventure, LLC
• Olivier Blanchard: Brandbuilder Marketing
• Phil Yanov: Writer, Columnist, Speaker, and Founder of the GSA Technology Council
• Steve Gonzalez: Entrepreneur and Partner at Rico Media, Inc.
• Trey Pennington: South Carolina’s top Twitter and Owner of The Pennington Group
• Lonnie Emard: Director of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management

Seminars focused on Social Media and Face-To-Face Marketing:
• Doug Cone “Twitter 101”: Director of Business Development for Nullvariable Web Consulting
• Thomas Perry “LinkedIn 101”: Founder of Linking the Upstate
• Olivier Blanchard “Blogs 101”: Brandbuilder Marketing
• Bill Sheskey “Face-To-Face 101”: Lifetime Educator and Owner of Sheskey Learning Solutions

One of the most amazing aspects of this entire event was that it was organized and executed by 38 Clemson University students in two business writing classes, two instructors, and the Michelin Career Center. The event is free to all students/faculty/staff participants and made possible by corporate sponsorships.

Corporate Sponsors:

Partners:
Clemson University’s Michelin Career Center
Clemson University’s Advanced Writing Program

Contact Name: Bobby Rettew
Email Address: NetworkBash@gmail.com

Let’s Talk Elevator Speeches: The “Pitch”

Bobby Rettew — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:33:37 +0000

What is an Elevator Speech?
An elevator speech is a short (15-30 second, 150 word) sound bite that succinctly and memorably introduces you. It spotlights your uniqueness. It focuses on the benefits you provide. And it is delivered effortlessly.

Elevator speeches are intended to prepare you for very brief, chance encounters in an elevator. But elevator speeches are not just for elevators! You should use it whenever you want to introduce yourself to a new contact. That could be in the supermarket, waiting in line at an ATM or when you get your morning latte.

So, who better than you to describe with passion, precision and persuasiveness what
you do? A great elevator speech makes a lasting first impression, showcases your
professionalism and allows you to position yourself. And if you want to network
successfully, you need an elevator speech!

The How To’s of Elevator Speeches:
While many Elevator Speeches are written by sales reps to pitch products and services, the formulas from which the speeches derive can be easily adapted to situations in which the product is you, the Entrepreneur. This roundup of formulas suggested by experts should provide food for thought for the method that works best for you in planning and outlining your Elevator Speech.

Example:

Who am I? (introduce yourself)
What business am I in?
What group of people do I service? (be specific — do you have a niche?)
What is my USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What makes me different from the
competition?
What benefits do my customers derive from my services?

Unique Selling Propositions:
Now for a short course in preparing your elevator speech, or unique selling proposition: First, and most important, think in terms of the benefits your clients or customers derive from your services.

Trust me, no one is going to be riveted if you say:
“Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I’m a public relations executive with twenty years of
experience.”
Or:
“Hi, I’m Sally Hopeful, and I’m an executive recruiter.
Two big yawns.

What’s In It For Me? – Know Your Audience
Do you recall that old radio station, WII-FM: What’s In It For Me?!
If you remember that people are always more interested in how you can help them,
you’re on the right track. Keep that top of mind when composing your speech.
Here’s how to improve the two examples mentioned above:

“Hi, my name is Stanley Manly, and I help inventors tell the world about their
inventions.”
“Hi, I’m Sally Hopeful. I partner with companies that need to find talented people to help
their business growth and become more profitable.”
Now, you’ve got my attention!

Let’s use an elevator speech before and after as an example:

Here’s a before version:
“Hi, I’m Dale Kurow, and I’m a career and executive coach. I hold a Master’s Degree in
Career Counseling and have been trained by a master level coach. (Who cares!) I’ve
been an HR director for a multinational cosmetic company, run a PR agency and taught
college-level business courses. (So what!) I believe that coaching can be the catalyst to
change your life. (Are you asleep yet?)
See how that was all about “me, me, me”?

Now for the revised version:
“Hi, I’m Dale Kurow, and I help people become more successful at their work. For
example, I’ve helped a client change jobs with a 40% salary increase, I’ve helped a
client develop the skills to deal with a difficult boss, and I’ve helped a manager devise
new ways to keep her staff motivated.”

This post was compiled from my Engl304 – Business Writing Notes

NetworkBash is a Collaboration

Bobby Rettew — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:03:33 +0000

There are so many spokes on this wheel called NetworkBash, ones that are necessary to make this event a success. When the first event was put together on March 31, 2009, it was a class project developed by a Business Writing Class in the Department of English. After that event, we realized the potential and the desire to make this bigger and to reach more students. One of the first individuals that showed interest was Flora Riley who is the Director of the Michelin Career Center. She recognized the value of bringing industry and students together to talk Social Media and building relationships for careers connections.

Clemson’s Advanced Writing bringing the curriculim and student support.
Industry Professionals bringing the career development and entrepreneurial spirit to the table
Corporate Sponsorships bringing the financial support to underwrite the event
Michelin Career Center bringing complete event execution and management along with the understanding of how an effective, career development event can be a success.

Each day, I am impressed with the abilities, knowledge, execution of each member of the Michelin Career Center. They have brought their corporate relationships to the table and understanding how to implement relevance for students and the corporate sponsors.

If it was not for the Michelin Career Center and the talented support staff, NetworkBash would not be a success.

NetworkBash

November 4th | 2-8pm

Hendrix Student Center

Clemson.NetworkBash.com

Twitter: @NetworkBash

Registration

http://career.clemson.edu/events/network_bash_rsvp.php

Bobby Rettew

Executive Director of NetworkBash

After Party at NetworkBash

Bobby Rettew — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:11:55 +0000

To wrap up the day of events of NetworkBash on November 4th, we will be
having an After Party. This will be in the Hendrix Ballroom right after
the discussion panel at 6:30 p.m. and last for about an hour and a half.
You will have the chance to casually mingle with industry people. This is
the perfect time to use the networking skills you’ve learned throughout
the day! Also, we will be providing free food for this event. Don’t miss
out on this great opportunity!

Interested? You should Register!
http://career.clemson.edu/events/network_bash_rsvp.php

Grace Lipscomb
NetworkBash Team Member

Crunch Time for NetworkBash

Bobby Rettew — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:33:47 +0000

Can you believe it? NetworkBash is less than 2 weeks away! If you haven’t done so already, go ahead and mark your calendars for November 4 in the Hendrix Student Center. As each day goes by, we are quickly approaching crunch time and all of the teams are busy trying to ensure that everything comes together and runs smoothly.

The operations team is working on finalizing floor plans and working within our budget to get many of the behind the scenes events taken care of. We can’t say it enough: thank you to our sponsors! We have gotten the support of many local businesses and are still working to build relationships with others. Our marketing is out in full force as we aim to recruit as many people as possible to attend. Keep a lookout for fliers and posters around campus and in the dining halls. Also, if you haven’t already done so, be sure to visit our website to RSVP. We’ll see you November 4!

Click Here to RSVP for NetworkBash

Thanks,
Mark Beal
NetworkBash Team Member

NetworkBash is getting close – Operations Team Update

Bobby Rettew — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:14:30 +0000

Wow…Almost 2 weeks away. NetworkBash will be here before we know it. November 4^th is right around the corner. The Operations Team is excited and in full swing with all preparations, such as flow of traffic, the setup of rooms, coordination of industry professionals, and most importantly, making sure STUDENTS have a great experience. We are making good progress and working hard to make sure this thing goes smoothly.

Our main focus at this point in time concerns the flow of people from place to place. It will be a normal Wednesday at the Hendrix Center, and we want to make sure people know where to go, when to go, and do not get confused. This thing can be a big success, and we want to make sure that happens. Plus, as an operations team we want to work out every possible kink before November 4^th. From the littlest thing to the most obvious, we want to cover all areas in between. Also, we want to have all the rooms set up in a way that will:

1) maximize our space
2) help to position the rooms in the best way possible for their specific purposes.

We are projecting 18 industry professionals to help with our pitch sessions, which is very exciting. We certainly thank all of these people for helping to make NetworkBash what it is. Our three part pitch sessions include practicing, training, and actually recording a pitch to be put on video. This is where the student gets the opportunity to SELL himself/herself. This video can then be used in the future when applying to jobs. Finally, don’t forget about the After-Party following NetworkBash in the Ballroom at the Hendrix Center. We have been working hard to coordinate lots of great FREE food and drinks to cap off this wonderful day.

Check out our Facebook Event Page and RSVP to let us know you are coming!

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE ON THE 4^th!!

Chris Harmon
NetworkBash Team Member

What’s all the chatter about Twitter?

TylerMorey — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:29:03 +0000

If you haven’t already jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, you’re behind the rush. And if you’re skeptical about ‘following the crowd,’ you’re missing out! It seems like you can’t go a day without hearing a reference to some famous cultural icon’s ‘tweet’ update. And with the ability for anyone to ‘follow’ anyone else (unless they have locked their profile), you can literally keep up to speed with the day-to-day life of your favorite NCAA basketball coach, NFL football star, pop star, college English professor or best friend.

On October 14, 2009 University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calapari wished former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden a happy 99th birthday. Cincinnati Bengals wide-receiver Chad Ochocinco even used Twitter as a medium to stage the ‘Lambeau Leap’ against Green Bay on September 20, 2009, by connecting with four fans and purchasing them front row tickets near the end zone of his touchdown reception. You can even find out when your best friend is eating lunch and sometimes where or with who!

Aside from all the quote ‘entertainment’ unquote Twitter can provide to its users, it is also proving to be a beneficial business strategy for reaching customers on a completely different level than ever before. Many businesses are beginning to hire support staff to monitor social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook to handle the specific needs of valued customers and stop problems virtually before they even start. You see, a lot of the consumers who are using Twitter are considered to be early adopters with major influence in the success of new products, largely in part to their influence over the web via word-of-mouth information.

Take for example the success story of communication empire Comcast. During a time, when many changes were occurring in the communication field, Comcast began facing difficulty in customer satisfaction which ultimately meant bad news to their revenue growth in the market. To the rescue came staffer Frank Eliason, who joined Twitter in April of 2008 as @comcastcares in a means to connect with consumers who referenced the company whether it be positively or negatively. Whenever the company was mentioned, Eliason would tweet a response with encouraging tidbits of advice. Some customers really enjoyed the direct interaction, while others found it awkward. Whatever the case, Eliason’s proactive efforts propelled Comcast’s all-time low customer satisfaction rating to a manageable level among its competitors in the cable/satellite market.

This is just one of many success stories in the world of business. If you want a great read on other inspirational stories regarding Twitter success, check out Julio Ojeda-Zapata’s book Twitter Means Business.

So whether your using Twitter to catch up on the latest gossip, keep up with your favorite star, stalk the girl sitting next to you in class, or manage your company, taking part in this cultural social media shift has the potential to be one of the most beneficial, yet fun ‘investments’ of your life! Set up an account today at www.twitter.com and/or sit in on Twitter101 at Clemson NetworkBash! on November 4, 2009 from 2:15-2:45pm in the Hendrix Center. Hope to see you on Twitter and at NetworkBash! on the 4th!

Twitter 101 – Learning the Lingo

Following: ability for Twitter users to keep up with their favorite people and have a continuous stream of their ‘tweets.”
Tweet: a 140 character status update posted by a Twitter user meant to inform followers what’s on their mind.

@username: when a user makes reference to another user, they add an ‘@’ symbol before their tweet to acknowledge them.
Twitterverse: entire scope of Twitter users that understand and partake in Twitter activities.

DM or Direct Message: a private message sent exclusively to the users involved.

RT or Retweet: reposting another users tweet with an ‘RT’ before your tweet in an effort to agree with or share cool ideas with other users.

#Hashtag: categorizing topics on Twitter by posting a ‘#’ sign before your tweet.

Tyler Morey
NetworkBash Team Member

Pictures: NetworkBash Spring 2009

Bobby Rettew — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:58:19 +0000

Here are pictures from NetworkBash Spring 2009 thanks to Olivier Blanchard (@thebrandbuilder) and Doug Cone (@nullvariable). This event was wrapped around a panel discussion that let to students, faculty, and industry to talk about building relationships for tomorrow’s careers.

What is NetworkBash? Presentation to Clemson’s PRSSA

Bobby Rettew — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:42:08 +0000