When Devin Tracy ’15 read the The College Today’s “I Want Your Job” story about event planner Liz Strozier ‘06, she took it literally.
She wanted Strozier’s job.
OK, maybe not Strozier’s exact job, but one very similar to it.
After Strozier graduated from the College, she took the job of associate director of event marketing and conference programming for Forbes magazine. It’s a high profile job that included managing speakers such as Oprah Winfrey, Bono and Warren Buffett.
“I read the article and truly wanted Liz Strozier’s job as the article’s title suggests,” says Tracy. “I was (and still am) so impressed by her accomplishments and achievements and decided to take the advice Liz offered in the Q&A section. I took a chance by reaching out to her via a LinkedIn message to learn more about her career and the steps she took to be in the career position she is in today.”
This bold move worked.
“I did not think much would come from the email but Liz kindly responded to me, offered to meet with me the next time I was in New York City to talk, and said she would let me know if any positions on their small team became available after I graduate.”
Several months later, Tracy heard back from her. Strozier invited Tracy to volunteer at the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia.
“Volunteering for the summit was one of the most incredible experiences, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have contributed to such an amazing and inspirational event,” says Tracy.
After the summit Strozier informed Tracy of an opening in the Events Operations team at Forbes and passed along Tracy’s résumé to her boss and the magazine’s human resources department.
Tracy got the job and is currently the sponsorship activation coordinator at Forbes.
Now, it is Tracy who has some advice for graduating seniors.
‘I believe that the traditional job search channels are outdated and found that applying to online job boards and even company websites, especially the larger ones, resulted in a very minimal response rate, if any,” says Tracy. “My advice to students would be to meet and talk to as many people as you can throughout your whole life whether it be in your day-to-day activities or in school. You never know who you are going to meet.”
