I’m a Student Looking to Gain Professional Experience. Where Do I Start?

Written by Mary McCue Bell

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

The age-old question. How do we, as students, prepare ourselves for our future? How do we build a resume while simultaneously tackling the day-to-day demands of classes, work and our social lives? After all, while we’re young professionals trying to gain experience, we still need time to build relationships and take care of ourselves after those long weeks. What’s the secret?

For some people, the perfect opportunity seems to just fall into their lap. Others have connections that get them in the door. However, for the large majority of students, gaining professional experience doesn’t come that easy. That’s where we come in.

As a student-run marketing agency, Matchbook’s goal is to help our members graduate with stellar GPAs, establish well-rounded social lives, build killer resumes and gain professional experience that sets them up for success. So, how do we do it?

Matchbook creates unique and artistic work for clients of all sizes, purposes and industries. We know how to complement your college education by taking what you learn in your courses and applying them to real work for real clients. However, we stretch beyond just agency work. Our mission is to ignite passion within students and help them embellish their previous knowledge. Think of it as a marriage of education, extracurriculars, socialization and real-world agency experience.

The benefits we provide aren’t just for students. By handing the reins over to blooming professionals, we give our clients a direct look into what the younger generation seeks from brands.

We offer our clients an array of services, including graphic design, copywriting, photography, videography, public relations, event planning, strategy, social media and research. Think about what skills you want to work on, what new credentials you want to add to your portfolio or what challenges you want to feel ready to face. Whatever area you choose to pursue, we want to push you to not only accomplish your goals, but excel beyond them.

On top of this, we provide opportunities for members to connect with fellow creatives. This can be seen in our “Engage” events, where members across all teams are invited to come together as a collective agency, socialize and update each other on what they’ve been working on throughout the semester. This builds well-rounded connections that not only can lead to friendships, but can be utilized as professional resources even after graduation. Bonds are created between peers, team members and team leads, and young professionals and companies. Not to mention, our executive board can serve as both references and mentors to our members.

Our organization provides students with an opportunity to capitalize on their creativity in a way that can be carried over to a resume, portfolio or interview; Matchbook is a fresh start for young professionals to do all of the above.