OCS Hosts Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations Job Expo

The Office of Career Services on Friday held its Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations Expo, where attendees said they appreciated the new focus on alternative careers and the diverse lineup of employers present.

“We’re definitely seeing this as a growth area for students at Harvard, particularly with the analytic and creative approach,” OCS Director Robin Mount said.

Fair attendee Norman Zhu ’13 said that while finance and consulting are popular career choices for many Harvard students, he was pleased to find opportunities to connect with other types of employers. He added that advertising and marketing are generally less popular at Harvard.

Xing Lin ’13 attended the fair with the hope of finding an internship that would give him some marketing experience.

“Some of the companies they have here are really great,” he said. Lin noted that he was particularly impressed that there were representatives from Pandora Media at the fair.

“We’ve been trying to do smaller events, more targeted events,” Mount said of the event, which took place at the OCS building at 54 Dunster St. “When it’s in a smaller space, it’s friendlier. Students are more relaxed and you can get more face time.”

Ryan C. Cutter ’13 noted that the job fair was the first OCS event he had attended.

“It’s nice to be able to walk around and talk to companies,” Cutter said, adding that he was also pleased by range of companies represented at the fair, including Jack Morton Worldwide—an experiential marketing agency.

Employer representatives said that they had been impressed by the students who they had met at the fair.

“It has been great to talk to a bunch of interested, motivated people,” said David C. Lipson, who was representing PR agency Schwartz MSL. “It’s great to know that everybody coming in the door is interested in the industry.”

Anjuli C. Felix, representing Pandora Media, echoed Lipson’s sentiments, saying that she enjoyed meeting students.

“Everyone is bright, well-spoken, and excited to talk,” Felix said.

Alice Bertholin Rice, representing Ogilvy & Mather, said that the advertising, marketing, and public relations agency is looking for juniors for their summer internship program and seniors for their Associates program.

“We’re looking for students that are creative but have a business acumen,” she said. “We don’t require a specific major—we’re looking for diversity of thought.”

Pandora Head of Staffing Kevin R. Kinkor said that he had met several students who had particularly impressed him.

“I just can’t wait to go back to the office and tell the hiring manager,” he said.

—Staff writer Aisling H. Crane can be reached at acrane@college.harvard.edu.