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“Entering the working world, it is tempting to keep the same pace as college, but there is a lot of life left once you graduate. Make sure you maximize [life] both inside and outside of work.”
Dwayne Peterkin II (’17), Sr. Sales Operations Specialist at SHL in Chicago, IL
![Our next Coffee Chat with Alumni is coming up in April! ☕️ Deadline to sign-up and be included in our pairings for alumni conversations is next week on Friday, March 28th. 📆
Whether this is your first time participating or you’ve signed up for every coffee chat this past spring, this is an awesome (and easy) way to expand your network. 👥👥👥👥👥👥
*This is an alumni-only event (students - connect with @wfuopcd for student networking opps!)*
[Side note: This is NOT a live, time-specific event! And yes, you have to register for each month in which you want to participate!]
If you’re new around here, this is how it works:
1️⃣ You register.
2️⃣ We pair you up with another 🎩 Wake alum and introduce the two of you via email.
3️⃣ The two of you find a mutually convenient time for a conversation (phone, Zoom, in-person, whatever makes sense for y’all!)
💥And just like that, you’ve grown your network, one conversation at a time!💥
It’s super simple. Sign-up at the 🔗 in our profile or stories to give it a try!
https://wakenetwork.wfu.edu/events/online-coffee-chat-with-alumni-04-01-2025-0011491](https://alumni.opcd.wfu.edu/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
Our next Coffee Chat with Alumni is coming up in April! ☕️ Deadline to sign-up and be included in our pairings for alumni conversations is next week on Friday, March 28th. 📆
Whether this is your first time participating or you’ve signed up for every coffee chat this past spring, this is an awesome (and easy) way to expand your network. 👥👥👥👥👥👥
*This is an alumni-only event (students – connect with @wfuopcd for student networking opps!)*
[Side note: This is NOT a live, time-specific event! And yes, you have to register for each month in which you want to participate!]
If you’re new around here, this is how it works:
1️⃣ You register.
2️⃣ We pair you up with another 🎩 Wake alum and introduce the two of you via email.
3️⃣ The two of you find a mutually convenient time for a conversation (phone, Zoom, in-person, whatever makes sense for y’all!)
💥And just like that, you’ve grown your network, one conversation at a time!💥
It’s super simple. Sign-up at the 🔗 in our profile or stories to give it a try!
https://wakenetwork.wfu.edu/events/online-coffee-chat-with-alumni-04-01-2025-0011491
🎩NEW DEACON SPOTLIGHT🎩
We recently caught up with Marshall Shaffer (BA 2015, Communication and Sociology, Minor in Film Studies) who works as Associate Director, Paid Social, at Ogilvy in📍New York, NY. Marshall began with the company in 2018 and executes new paid media offerings for health & wellness clients. As their media expertise grew beyond social to encompass a broader range of digital tactics, he has kept a foot in both worlds to understand how content and distribution go hand-in-hand.
Here are a few fun facts about Marshall:
🎬 Marshall is also a professional movie critic certified on Rotten Tomatoes.
🎤 He has interviewed such talents as Robert Pattinson, Emma Stone, and Paul Mescal!
🎭 He was once pulled on stage during a show and had to act opposite Daniel Radcliffe.
We’ll leave you with some wisdom from Marshall:
💡💡💡💡💡💡
“Start noticing the areas of your life where you feel your mind drawn — and ensure that you’ve aligned your investment of time and money with that. For everything else, figure out a way to reduce the amount of energy you have to expend on those things.”
Read more of our Q&A with Marshall at the 🔗 in our profile or stories.
https://alumni.opcd.wfu.edu/deacon-spotlight/deacon-spotlight-marshall-shaffer/
NYC Deacs, come join the Alumni Personal & Career Development Center and the School of Business Alumni Career Development team to talk about career transitions and next steps on Wednesday, April 16th, from 6:30-8:30pm (NYC event location TBD)!
We’ll discuss and identify your transferable skills and how to market them, do a deep dive on professional resumes with tailored feedback, and talk tips and strategies for networking and navigating a successful job search.
This will be in-person and food will be provided.
💥Please note: This workshop is intended for alumni of all ages and stages of career, but is not open for currently enrolled students.
Register at the link in our bio or stories.
https://wakenetwork.wfu.edu/events/nyc-alumni-career-transition-workshop-dinner-04-16-2025-0011868
Each month we feature new expert advice posts on our website and our latest content for March is up! 🗓️
We have posts on a variety of topics, including:
📌 How to explain an employment gap in interviews
💼 How to decide whether or not you’re ready to be a manager
🏓 Why having hobbies makes you better at your job
…and much more!
Want to search for advice on a different topic? Simply click our blog roll filter and choose from dozens of other life + career categories and 500+ posts.
Read our latest expert advice pieces at the link in our bio.
https://alumni.opcd.wfu.edu/get-expert-advice/
We always laugh when students tell us to “Have a good Spring Break!” or “Enjoy your summer off!”
Spoiler alert: 💥 Most professional jobs don’t stop for Spring Break or the summer. We know, adulthood is a real bummer. 🫠
However, our team will actually be away during Spring Break next week for a mix of vacation and work travels!
We’re signing off here until 📆 Monday, March 17th. And whether you’re a current student, working professional, parent of school-age kids, or whatever your situation, we hope that you too get to take a moment for yourself over the next week. There’s a lot going on in the world and we all need to be kind to ourselves and each other. 🫶
Feel free to pop over to our website until our return to explore our LEARN Alumni Career Development Model, self-paced online courses, read our expert advice posts, reach out to an Alumni Career Adviser for a career convo, or check out our upcoming programs and events: https://alumni.opcd.wfu.edu/
If you’ve been out of the workforce to care for children or a family member, it can feel like a huge decision to go back to work. Or maybe you’ve taken an intentional sabbatical or short-term break from the working world.
💡Do you want to pursue the same career path you were on prior to your time away or do you want to pivot into a new career industry/role?
💡What skills and experiences did you gain during your break from work and how can you use them to your benefit?
💡Are there any gaps or skills you need to develop?
Let’s talk about it! Join us for our next Alumni Conversation Group on Wednesday, March 26, from 9:30-10:30am ET on Zoom. Grab your favorite morning beverage and come participate in our low-pressure, no-prep discussion. ☕️
Register at the link in our bio or stories. 💥Also, please note that this is an alumni-only event.
https://wakenetwork.wfu.edu/events/alumni-discussion-group-re-entry-preparing-to-go-back-to-work-03-26-2025-0011535
Job searching is hard, and sometimes we all can use support and accountability in the process!
So don’t do it alone! Join a group of your @wfualumni peers to set a clear job search target, update your marketing documents, identify networking contacts, and take actionable steps forward in your job search.
The group will meet over four Mondays from 12:00-1:00pm ET via Zoom on the following dates: March 24, March 31, April 7, April 14. 💻🗓️
Grab your spot at the link in our bio or stories.
📌Please note this is an alumni-only event!
https://wakenetwork.wfu.edu/events/online-job-search-accountability-group-03-24-2025-0011857
Our team is hiring! 📣📣📣
We recently had to say farewell to our wonderful colleague Maggie Kuhn (‘21) as she moved to New York City to start a new professional and life adventure (we miss you, Maggie!!). We’re hiring for her vacant role and would love for any interested, qualified @wfualumni to apply!
You might be interested in this role of Assistant Director, Mentoring and Alumni Personal & Career Development at Wake Forest University, if you enjoy:
🌟 Strategic and creative thinking and problem-solving
🌟 Supporting the personal and career development of professionals across career stages and ages
🌟 Building relationships and connections while also serving as a connector to others
🌟 Identifying opportunities to scale and develop content, tools, programs, and resources
🌟 Developing your own professional skill set with a commitment to lifelong learning
🌟 Working with an *award-winning* alumni career development team on a beautiful college campus
🌟 Investing in Wake Forest Alumni and their lives and careers after college
🎩🎩🎩➡️ Other key skills or competencies that would make a candidate perfect for this role include: having an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset, ability to plan and organize, ability to take the initiative and really “own” your work, goal-oriented, skill set in counseling, coaching, and/or people development, positive attitude, tech skills (or interest in learning), and a positive and energetic approach to this work.
If you’re interested or know of someone who might be, check out the full job description at the link in our bio or stories.
💥 Please note that this is an in-person role (not remote).
https://wfu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Staff_Career_Website_live/details/Assistant-Director—Mentoring-and-Alumni-Personal—Career-Development_R0007607
A recent report from Gallup found that 60% of U.S. employees are struggling with engagement at work.
If you’re in a managerial role, do you know how your people are really doing?
Here are a few questions you can ask to learn about your employees’ wellbeing, to understand what matters to them, and to start a conversation about how you can best support their career goals.
💡“Remember, it’s not just about collecting information; it’s about using what you learn to support their development. Whether you suggest targeted training, stretch assignments, or opportunities to showcase their skills, your aim is to show that you’re invested in their growth.”
Not in a manager role? These are still great questions to ask yourself or discuss with a trusted mentor, colleague, or friend as you think about how to make work feel more meaningful and do more of what you enjoy personally and professionally.
Read this full article from Harvard Business Review by Rebecca Knight at the link in our bio or stories.
https://alumni.opcd.wfu.edu/2025/02/6-questions-to-find-out-how-your-people-are-really-doing/