On Tuesday, I was watching the Bulls game at Pippen’s Tavern (great spot). A guy came to our table and said, “Hey guys, I work for Pabst, and I’d like to buy you a beer!” It was awesome, and even more awesome when we realized that he was buying the entire bar a beer. I tweeted a photo, along with “Guy from @PabstBlueRibbon just bought the entire bar a beer!”
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Later that night, we bumped into each other as we were leaving the bar. I thanked him for the beer, let him know that I had tweeted him, and said that hopefully he would get a promotion or something. He laughed, shook my hand, and introduced himself. “I’m Kevin, Vice President of Pabst.” The guy standing next to him also introduced himself: “John, President.” I was entrepreneur-struck.
We started talking, and they asked me my story. It was one of those elevator pitch moments, which is totally nerve racking. I told them I was graduating from DePaul in June, that I’m currently an intern at a couple startup companies, and I’m looking for a job in community management/customer experience in NYC. John then asked me what my dream job would be, and I told him that I’d like to run social media for Pabst. I’d like to create and manage campaigns, generate content, engage with users, and create a strategy so customer-focused that when someone tweets at @PabstBlueRibbon like I just did, they would have already been responded to.
“See.. This is what I was talking about,” John said to Kevin. “We don’t need to have all of our social media people in LA, they can be anywhere.” I got Kevin’s contact information and sent him an email the next day. Who knows if I’ll hear back from him, but Tuesday night was the perfect example of why you should get an internship: TO LEARN.
The past year of working in startups has taught me a ton about social media and the importance of creating a strong online presence. If a company does something remarkable, make a remark about them! Always promote brands who deserve being promoted. It means more to them than you think.
Attending events, networking, sitting in on Dashfire meetings, being introduced to CEO’s, founders and aspiring entrepreneurs has helped me grow as a professional. I’ve developed strong communication skills. Because of this, I was able to approach Kevin and tell him about my tweet with ease, which lead into a meaningful conversation, and getting the VP of Pabst’s business card.
Bottom line: Take every opportunity to speak with someone, online and offline. Don’t pass something up because you don’t think it will be important. Don’t be too lazy for a phone call. Don’t be too awkward to say Hello. Even if it’s a quick chat at an event, a brief phone call, a cup of coffee, a run-in at a bar, whatever.. building and maintaining relationships is something all entrepreneurs, job seekers, and people in general should do.
If you're looking for an internship, contact Dashfire, LoClean, TableSAVVY or The Spish.
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