Last Friday, Nov. 14, Jude Michaels gave a presentation as a part of the Career Spotlight series. Mr. Michaels’ presentation was about his career in advertising and marketing.

First of all, this was not Michaels’ initial plan for a job in life. He actually majored in Communications Film and Video at Penn State. In fact, he wanted to become the next Martin Scorsese, a famous director.

By the time he got to his senior year of college, he realized that he should be more practical and go for a career in marketing. He graduated college unfocused, but he felt confident enough to make it in the job market.

With the help of a Penn State alum, he was able to learn a little bit more about advertising sales before moving onto media sales for AT&T.

One of his secrets as a salesman was to position himself for more opportunities. Rather than leaving the office at lunch like most of the staff did, Michaels stayed behind to chat with clients. It definitely paid off when Michaels was offered a part in a growing organization by one of his clients.

Although he was taking a risk by switching to a new company where he would make less money, Michaels recognized that he had the opportunity of a lifetime. He was hired to take over the marketing operations for the company.

He helped the company succeed in online media for 10 years before they started a new idea that Michaels had in mind, Flying Cork Media. Flying Cork Media is a company that helps customers reach their target audiences.

Michaels also had a ton of advice to offer the students in attendance at the career spotlight.

In order to succeed in the marketing field, Michaels stressed that one must absolutely have good communication skills and a personality to match. They must also be a strategic thinker.

He also mentioned that someone aspiring to enter the advertising field should be specialized, intern a lot, and learn to embrace change. After all, the marketing industry is constantly changing. It also comes with a lot of stress and you must always be making back up plans in case something goes wrong.

Perhaps the most prevalent of what Michaels had to say was about social networks. Michaels said, “Watching your social networks right now is critical. The things you put on Facebook and Twitter are the same things that your future employer will be seeing.”

He mentioned that before hiring someone, he always checks their social media websites because that person becomes a representation of his company. No company is going to hire anyone who will give them a bad image.

Michaels concluded his presentation with a few links to website that will help out anyone interested in marketing and advertising: MediaPost, Advertising Age, and eMarketer.

So, if you’re a person with an outgoing personality and a desire to succeed, there is no telling what you are capable of if you decide to enter the marketing field. Meet as many people as you can because you never know when someone could offer you a role that might change your life, just like someone did for Mr. Michaels. And don’t forget to think twice before posting on social networks because you never know how it will affect you in the long run. The marketing field is always growing and changing, and with enough determination, you can surely make it.