This weekend, the Her Campus Barnard team took a break from their busy summers and headed to the third annual Her Campus National Intercollegiette Conference. Conveniently located at Columbia Faculty House, the conference brought together HC writers, campus correspondents, editors, and interns from over 240 chapters, not to mention the three fabulous founders.
Presented with HC swag bags immediately upon our arrival, we entered the three-floor conference space and the amenities alone exceeded our expectations. Thanks to the many HC sponsors, Luna Bars, Pop Chips, and Chobani yogurt of every flavor were dispersed throughout every room. Other major sponsors included Intel, Amtrak, and of course Chipotle, who provided the ultimate lunch hookup for everyone. To win raffle prizes from each of the sponsors, “social media currency” was used—Tweeting, Instagramming, or posting on Facebook could win you an Intel tablet or even a semester’s worth of Luna bars. Seriously…a semester’s worth.
On Saturday, we heard from Carley Roney, Co-founder and Chief Content Officer of XO Group. In her engaging and candid keynote speech, Roney guided us through her unconventional career trajectory and how she ended up starting the first online wedding planning service. She emphasized the importance of failure and as she unequivocally put it: “Perfection is impossible. Imperfection is where it’s at.”—a total relief to hear for a room full of 300 college women.
We later heard from Jennifer Levene Bruno, Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer of Town & Country, and a total powerhouse. Her climb to the top of Hearst Tower was also unconventional, but completely inspiring.
Saturday’s panels included “Does the Devil Really Wear Prada? Life in an Entry-Level Editorial Position,” “What ‘I Work in PR’ Really Means,” and “Online to On Campus: Chapter Building.” The panels and workshops featured Her Campus alums and some major journalism players from media outlets like The Huffington Post, Lucky Magazine, and Glam media who gave us some much needed guidance on how to kick-start a career in journalism. Sunday’s panels offered some variety with workshops like “Opportunities in Social Enterprise and Cause-Based Careers,” “Careers in TV and Broadcast Journalism,” and “Lean In On Campus.”
On Sunday, the day kicked off with another keynote from Susan Kaufman, Editor-in-Chief of People Style Watch. (As soon as she entered the room everyone looked down to make sure their outfit was up to par). Kaufman had a couple of simple tips for us looking to climb the journalism ladder:
1. Dress the part
2. Work Hard
3. No job is too menial
4. Go the extra mile and good things will come
5. Have a positive attitude—aka smile on the outside, cry on the inside
6. Be kind and respect absolutely everyone
Simple and to the point…exactly how our email cover letters are supposed to be apparently!
Overall, we had an amazing weekend, learned a lot, and we can’t wait until next year’s conference!
HC<3
best swag bag ever…