Rachel Elman | Feb. 11, 2010
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| Photo by Ashley Nichols |
| Students in J460 International Public Relations talked with alumna Allison Parks by teleconference this week. From left are Kalyn Hippleheuser, Nathan Brown and Kris Kegley. |
Not even a year later, Parks is living her dream at her job with Novartis in Basel, Switzerland. Tuesday, she teleconferenced with this year’s crop of J460 students to help prepare them for their own spring break trip to Japan. This semester, Ralph Winslow Visiting Professor Jim Bright, who leads the trips, has invited several alumni to talk about the experience as well as their current jobs as part of the preparation.
Parks outlined her path, which started right after graduation with a six-month internship in Paris with the Publicis Group, the fourth largest communications group worldwide. In January, she moved from Paris to Basel, Switzerland, to begin a yearlong internship with Novartis, a pharmaceutical company.
One requirement for both positions was that Parks be proficient in French. She laughed when Bright asked if she is fluent.
“I was valued more at Publicis for my native English skills,” she said, recalling when she was called into large meetings for her opinion on what sounded better in English. Parks said it put her under a lot of pressure but worked to her advantage.
While at Publicis, Parks headed up the company’s hiring process to fill her position. She saw all manner of mistakes as she helped sift through application materials. All cover letters and résumés must be flawless, she said. Parks recommended sending out résumés and cover letters to professionals for feedback before sending them to prospective employers. She suggested avoiding self-serving cover letters, something that she often saw while reviewing applicants for the Publicis intern position.
One of her duties after arriving Novartis was to help write an annual report. At 11 p.m. the night before the annual report was to be released, her team was called into the office to hear the news that the company CEO was stepping down. The team had to rework much of the material.
Working and living abroad requires a “willingness to go with the flow and adapt easily,” Parks said. She has enjoyed looking at some of the cultural differences between Japan, France, Switzerland and the United States. In Paris, workers often arrived at the office at around 10 a.m., took a two-hour lunch and headed home between 6 and 7 p.m. Meanwhile, “the Swiss would get to the office at 5 a.m. if they could,” she said.
Parks wants to return to Asia someday. She was surprised that Tokyo is similar to many American cities. While she is interested in working there some day, she said it would be more challenging than European cities.
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