Alumni Spotlight
Jennifer Holloway
by: Greta Allen, PR student intern
Jennifer Holloway received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations in 2010 from Mississippi State University.
Holloway grew up in Starkville, Miss., and now lives in Houston, Texas. She currently works as a marketing and automation consultant for “Jennifer Does Marketing” and contracts with a firm of Zapier Experts.
Holloway shares that asking questions is the most important piece of advice for students when applying for jobs.
“It's okay to ask lots of questions. I am naturally a more timid person and asking things like the budget they have in mind for a role, what benefits are offered and a company's raise and bonus structure always felt uncomfortable for me. These are smart questions that you should be asking!”
Holloway’s responsibilities for her jobs vary every day. She helps with creating more effective email marketing campaigns and communication strategies to help their business grow. Along with this, she helps them discover ways to automate their business processes to save time and money.
Holloway shares that using MSU resources is beneficial to undergraduate students when preparing for the job search.
Make sure you're taking advantage of the resources MSU has to offer you. The Career Center was so beneficial. It is important to know how to best format your resume, optimize your resume for each job posting, prepare for an interview, negotiate a job offer, and know what questions you need to be asking to understand your benefits package.
Favorite memory as a communication student?
My senior year, I got the opportunity to attend a PRAM conference in Natchez. It was my first business conference and what really stuck with me was the tremendous kindness shown by the PRAM professionals to the handful of students in attendance. I was certainly young and they all treated us like professionals, gave us advice and just gave us a warm welcome.
Favorite communication class you took and why?
Ironically, though I didn't graduate in this concentration, I think my favorite course was a journalism one: Intro to News Writing (I still have my textbooks from this course!). This course, and so many of my communication courses really, helped me improve my writing (something I am still honing and using professionally today). You would be surprised how many conversations I've had with copywriters explaining the inverted pyramid ("we don't want to bury the lede").
Most valuable lesson learned from the communication department?
I credit this lesson to the department head when I was a student: Dr. John Forde. In addition to being an incredibly kind and generous human being, his example taught me the value of two things in my professional career: giving back by helping others and making connections. It has been a while since we've corresponded (hi, Dr. Forde!), but his willingness to always help and make connections really impacted me. I'm blessed to be in a position now where I'm able to pay that type of generosity forward, and that's something I'll happily do for the rest of my career.
For the students reading this, I also want to impress upon you the incredible value of making professional connections. Meet people in your industry - learn from them and then, when you're able, pay it forward. When you encounter like-minded people, stay in touch! Continue to share ideas. My best professional opportunities have come as a result of the professional relationships I've cultivated.
What are you passionate about?
Professionally: Several years ago, I did Simon Sinek's "Find Your Why" exercise and discovered that I was motivated by my ability to help others in an impactful way. It made so much sense! This is why I enjoy sharing my expertise with others. This is why I find so much fulfillment in my career now: I get to help business owners grow their businesses and impact those around them in a positive way EVERY DAY.
Personally: Reading my Bible every day. Successfully building this habit had a transformative effect on my entire life. Every single professional success I've enjoyed, every skill I am good at, every opportunity that has come my way, and every lesson I've learned is a gift from God, and I'm really, really grateful for those blessings.