Miki Reynolds ’02

 

Career Network User

Sixty percent of jobs today are found though networking.

Many organizations and colleges have directories that allow you to contact professionals for career information or to increase your networking circle.

Mary Palisoul ’04 used the UCLA Career Network to contact Miki Reynolds ’02 at MGM Worldwide to find out about the entertainment industry. Read about both sides about this networking opportunity to see for yourself if networking is for you.

Mary Palisoul ’04, Career Network User

1. Why did you use the UCLA Career Network instead of other networking channels?

As a life member of the UCLA Alumni Association, I thought the UCLA Career Network service was a natural first step. It's an easy way to contact alumni in every field imaginable, and I knew that our mutual Bruin pride would be a great conversation starter.

2. What did you hope to get out of this experience?

Since graduating from UCLA, I’ve worked in publishing in Los Angeles. Although I enjoy my job, I realized that it wasn't the career path I wanted to follow for the rest of my life. I decided to do some major soul-searching, and I hoped that conducting informational interviews with successful, happy people in a variety of different industries could help me make well-informed decisions.

3. What did you get from this experience?

I gained valuable advice and information from admirable UCLA alumni. Overall, I was really satisfied and energized by the experience.

4. Tell us about your experience with Miki Reynolds.

I appreciated my conversation with Miki because she is young, yet she expressed a level of job satisfaction that struck me as pretty rare in other “20-somethings” I've known. While many people go through a process of discovering their abilities and their ideal career, she was driven towards online marketing from an early point in her life. That was refreshing.

5. What advice would you give to someone who is hesitant to contact someone
through the Career Network?

The alumni who volunteer to be part of the Career Network have done so because they sincerely want to help fellow Bruins. I was pleasantly surprised by the openness and generosity from every person I contacted. There is no reason to be hesitant to take advantage of such a valuable resource.

Miki Reynolds ’02, Career Network Contact

1. Why did you decide to volunteer as a contact for UCLA Career Network?

I believe in Bruins helping Bruins. Once you graduate, you may leave UCLA, but you join a large interconnected community of alumni that you can be a part of for life. One of the best ways to connect to this community is to reach out and make new contacts through the UCLA Career Network. Even though I’m only a few years out of school, there just might be someone out there who is interested in online marketing or maybe just has questions about how to handle their career search as a recent graduate.

2. How important is networking?

I’ve found that it really is who you know that helps you to succeed in your professional life. What you know will get you hired and promoted, but who you know will get you in the door for an interview. Networking is key to maintaining previous contacts as well as establishing new ones. There are everyday situations where you have the opportunity to enhance your contacts; it’s as simple as setting up an informational interview over the phone or via e-mail, joining a listserv, exchanging business cards, playing on a company softball team or even getting drinks at happy hour. You just might find out that your coworker’s sister is a VP for your dream company, or that an old professor of yours is now on the admissions board to the grad program you’re applying for. The more opportunities you take advantage of to network with people, the more opportunities you’re creating for yourself.

3. Tell us about your experience with Mary Palisoul

A few months ago I received an e-mail from Mary Palisoul via the UCLA Career Network. She was a recent graduate and wanted to speak with other alumni in various fields that interested her. I sent her a brief description of my responsibilities so she would be able to ask appropriate questions related to my field. We set up a time for her to call. She asked how I had gotten my job, what exactly it is that I do on a daily basis, and what the next step professionally might be for me, along with a few specific questions about marketing and entertainment. She was extremely polite and asked great questions.

4. What do you hope people come away with after talking to you?

Hopefully an answer to whatever question they ask. I’m not in a hiring position, but I’ll definitely offer whatever advice or guidance I can. Everyone has a different story to share about how they got where they are today, and sometimes the lessons you’ve personally learned along the way can be invaluable to those who are just setting out on their path. I hope I can help just by sharing my own personal experiences.

5. Why do you want to help others?

I don’t really consider myself settled in my career, as I’m still figuring out in what direction I’m headed. But I truly believe in the concept of “pay it forward” – you help a few people on their way up, and hopefully they’ll do the same when they are able. It perpetuates the cycle of Bruins helping Bruins. When the time comes for me to make my next move, whether it is changing companies or career fields entirely, I hope that there is someone who feels the same and is willing to offer me any necessary guidance.

6. What advice would you give to someone who is hesitant to make contacts through the Career Network?

I think the misconception that some people may have of cold-contacting alumni is that it’s always regarding how they can get hired. The times that I’ve been contacted, or have contacted someone else, simply have been to initiate a casual conversation about a particular industry, company or career and find out more information from a firsthand perspective. And remember, alumni who post their information on the UCLA Career Network did it on their own accord, so you already know that they’re willing to speak with you if you just make the effort to reach out to them.