A networking event is often the catalyst needed to jumpstart a career, but just the thought of going to one is enough to get any college student’s heart pounding. Networking can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.
On April 10, 2023, the Student Alumni Council (SAC) and the Association for Women in Communications (AWC) hosted Mocktails: A networking event in conjunction with COM Week. Unlike other networking opportunities, this event is structured with the goal of making networking less scary.
“Even now, in my more seasoned career, walking into a room with a bunch of strangers and being told, ‘OK, go talk to somebody,’ can be intimidating,” said Stephanie Duquenne, senior director of Alumni Engagement and advisor to the AWC student chapter. “We try to make this evening not intimidating, and structure it so that students learn how to work the room.”
Mocktails is an annual event where students can learn about professional development from alums of Illinois State University. The evening starts with a Q & A session with a panel of alumni. The alums come from a variety of backgrounds—not just communication—and have experience in hiring, human relations, and interviewing.
This year’s panel included corporate responsibility manager at State Farm, Melissa Shrader; digital communications editor at the Illinois Farm Bureau, Allison Preston; and instructional assistant professor and director of field experiences, Tom Lamonica.
“You really get some firsthand knowledge of what folks directly involved in hiring students coming out of college have to say,” Duquenne said. “These alums have an invested interest in our students, hiring those students, and getting those students into their companies.”
The second half of the event is structured networking opportunities for students. Students are assigned to a table, each of which has an alum. They are provided with guiding questions to practice what it is like to be in a networking situation. After a certain amount of time, the students move to the next table. This structure allows students to meet multiple alums by the time the evening is over, and the alums have gotten the chance to learn about the students and their career interests.
Hosted in the Aaron Leetch Stadium Club, mocktails and appetizers are served throughout the evening, and everyone can get a professional headshot taken.
“The first time we did it, we had a panel and then the networking was just sort of open,” Duquenne said. “We learned some lessons over the years. This might be the first time a student is in a networking type of situation, and we really need to take this opportunity to educate and coach our students on best practices so that they get the most out of their time.”
Since partnering with the School of Communication, the event has become more popular among students. It occurs during COM Week, a professional development week dedicated to communication students.
Aside from providing professional development opportunities for attending students, Mocktails provides planning opportunities for students. The event is planned, marketed, and executed by AWC and SAC student groups, and interns from the School of Communications and Promotions and Development (SOCPD) help with the promotion and marketing of it.
Students do the work behind the event, and advisors like Duquenne are available to provide support and mentoring.
The lead SOCPD intern for Mocktails, Ella Story, promoted the event by creating the flyer, Instagram square, and helping with distribution of promotional material.
SOCPD does event planning with marketing and promotional materials for the School of Communication, including events like family day, Homecoming tailgate, and COM Week events.
“As somebody who wants to go into event planning, SOCPD is really beneficial to me because I’m getting hands-on experience with planning events, maintaining a budget, ordering decorations, booking flights and hotels, and reimbursements,” Story said.
While Story was involved in the planning of Mocktails this year, she attended it as a participant last year. “I would really encourage people to come,” Story said. “It was my first time going last year, and it was just such a cool experience.”
Students interested in attending can keep an eye on the School of Communication events for next year.
