Managing Partner @ Boldsquare | Strategic Counsel, Branding, Marketing, Corporate Communications
I’ve talked to a few seniors recently about the transition from student life to the ‘real world’ and I think it’s important for employers to remember that there’s a huge emotional - and often physical - transition process that students go through when they close their course books for the final time. Obviously, there’s the economic issue of ensuring that you have money coming in to pay the bills. But there’s also the personal component of being ripped from a large group of friends, often being dumped into a new city or location, and having to come up to speed with a new day-to-day reality. And yet employers still expect new starters to hit the ground running. That’s despite the fact that even the most seasoned new employee takes 180 days or so to come up to ‘full productivity’. So imagine what it’s like for a student in their first job. It’s little surprise that outstanding students like Arden Jordan would describe the transition as bittersweet. There’s certainly excitement at the start of life in ‘the real world’ but there’s genuine apprehension too. That’s why we created the Boldsquare residency, to take away some of that mystique of the workplace, and not just provide marketing skills to students but also give them a sense of what it will be like to work in an agency environment. The Boldsquare residents will still need to make the adjustment from campus to workplace, but hopefully the shift is faster and more effective. That’s good for employers, and it’s good for new graduates too.
Managing Partner @ Boldsquare | Strategic Counsel, Branding, Marketing, Corporate Communications
Yesterday was the last day of class for the Boldsquare marketing residency course in conjunction with the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, and we celebrated in the evening with a dinner for the residents. If you needed any further proof that we at Boldsquare are only in this because of the role we want to play in helping students with their careers, we completely forgot to take any pictures whatsoever, and instead got engrossed in chat about summer internships, the cost of housing, wine marketing and whether honey belongs on a pizza (spoiler: it doesn't). Huge thanks go to everybody on Team BSQ for the work you have all done to help make this course such a big success, particularly Katie Powers and Carson Jinks but really everyone on the team played a part in mentoring and advising the residents. And thank you to Christine White, Rena Ishak and Alex Zablah (not to forget Hannah Moore) at the University of Tennessee for their partnership and just general joy to be around. Most of all though, thank you to Alexis McMullen, Arden Jordan, Belle Karnes, Eli Zani, Emma Parson, Kayle McGuire, Kendal K., Leigh Anderson, Lily Maddox, Maci Clark Whisenant, Nick Yurjevich and Shannon Roberts. Your engagement, passion and general eagerness over the past twelve weeks was a joy to watch, and you all have amazing careers ahead of you (some sooner than others!). We couldn't be happier to have you in the Boldsquare family. (and yes, they're pictured here at the start of the residency, happily smiling before we bombarded them with pitches and feedback...) Watch out world, the first cohort of Boldsquare residents are coming for you. And get ready for season two, coming to a university near you in the fall!
Marketplace Simulations
5moThank you, Dylan! The transition is indeed steep, but the residency experience has already helped me mitigate some of the uncertainty of the future. I truly appreciate the support and guidance from the program.