UWW PR Alumni Interview with Anna Janusz

Hi, I'm Anna Janusz. Welcome to Red Arrow.
Did a fair amount with healthcare and some construction work. Did some political work and learned a ton.
There were five or six people in the office and I think that's really helpful sometimes, because you get to do more. When there are fewer people, everyone has to pitch in.
So that was a really good learning experience.
After about a year and half I knew I was ready for the next thing. So I started looking for another job.
I ended up at Beta Rutter in Brookfield. They're an agency. They do mostly agricultural work.
A lot of firms have specialties, subject areas that they really know and they really look for clients in that space, something to keep in mind.
I worked at Beta Rutter for two years. That's where I worked on an animal health account called Merial. So I worked in animal vaccines.
Mostly what I did was pretty divided between media relations' work, mostly traditional media and a lot of event planning. We did a ton of trade show and other similar kinds of events. Got to travel a fair amount. I really liked that.
Then around two years I started feeling it wasn't becoming exactly what I thought it was going to be, some things at the company, whatever.
So I started looking again and ended up downtown here, at Hanson Dodge.
They're an advertising firm. So my career transitioned from public relations, to more of an account position in advertising. I was managing a number of accounts there on the advertising side, which was very challenging. A new experience, wasn't writing, wasn't pitching, wasn't doing that stuff anymore.
I was at HD for three years and then this job came along. Some former collogues actually contacted me about this current job that I am in. So I've been here for a year.
Along the way some of my first jobs really taught me communication and how to handle situations. Some of those things that you just need from experience.
I then realized that I really kind of liked managing accounts and dealing with clients and client relationships more than media work.
So getting into more of an advertising position was great, that really interested me. And then with that I started doing a lot of interactive work, which then transferred me into software work. So it has just been kind of a path I guess, along the way.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Public Relations
• UWW
• Whitewater
• Anna Janusz
• Red Arrow
• Advertising
• Alumni
• PR

[PRstudentmckenzie]

She is a great example of doing a variation in Public Relations. Thanks for the advice

-Nick M

[kayysad23]

I think Ms. Janusz has really benefited from traveling with her PR field. She has gained a lot of world experience and been able to expand her horizons!

Kayhla S.

[kayysad23]

I am interested in both the fields of PR and Advertising and I like how I can relate to Ms. Fields and know that doing both is possible! They go hand in hand with each other and she gave great advice on how to do both and be successful within them!

Kayhla S.

[AlyshaRendflesh]

Ms. Janusz diversity in different fields shows how her education at UW-Whitewater really prepared her for the real world!

Alysha R.

[murphyae21]

It was interesting to hear how her job transitioned from PR to advertising. Both are fields that interest me and I hope to experience both like Ms. Janusz.

Ali M.

[laurengruennert10]

She is a great example of trying out careers to find the right fit. The first thing you try wont always be the right fit.

Lauren G

[mlyssajhoops]

I think it's great that Ms. Janusz has worked in many different PR capacities. She had worked from agricultural to hanson dodge and many other companies. She was able to broaden her knowledge with the same skill sets. I think the lessons she's derived from her first jobs are important: communication, conflict resolution, etc. It's interesting that she developed into liking client relations, since that's not where she originally thought she would be.

[lucassende211]

I liked how Ms Janusz addressed that many PR frims specialize in different areas. Being a political science and public relations major, I want to specialize in government relations material at a firm. Ms. Janusz reminded me that I should really focus on that aspect of PR but not limit myself to it while looking for jobs. I need to keep an open mind and try roles outside my direct interst. Thanks for your insight!

Dale L.

[blondelocks24]

I really like that Anna has had a variety of jobs in the PR industry. Going from the healthcare industry to the construction industry seems like it could be a drastic jump. But it really shows how well rounded that she is as a professional. I think being a well rounded professional is extremely important into today's workforce.

Kristin H.

[Stephigg1521]

I didn't think traveling was a huge part in PR but hearing Stephanie talk about it made me think it could be really interesting. I think that her experiences with different jobs were very entertaining. I hope to settle more on one job but to get in a job you love, you need to work in different settings before you find out what you really want to do.

Stephanie H