Our Blog
A blog for the global network of Northeastern communication, digital media, and human resources professionals
Why career development should always be top of mind
Are you happy with your current job? Actively seeking another opportunity? Starting from scratch? It doesn’t matter. Career development should be a priority for each of us. Every day. Here’s why. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person changes...
How to answer the “Why do you want this job?” interview question
This question usually comes early on in the interview, often being used by the interviewer as an icebreaker. It’s considered one of the easier interview questions, but there's definitely a right way to answer it. Although this is meant as an easy question, there are a...
7 crisis communication tips every organization should master
Mere weeks after Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Note 7, reports surfaced of the smartphone catching fire. Within a month of the device’s launch, the company recalled 2.5 million Note 7s, citing faulty batteries as the cause of the crisis. What started as a manufacturing...
What this consultant learned by doing
Georgiana Pierre-Louis, a graduate of our Corporate and Organizational Communication master's program in 2012, wanted to be a consultant someday, but that was a plan for a later date – until, that is, a reorganization at her company gave her a nudge in the consulting...
Learning communication lessons — the hard way
There was a time when we assumed our communication with internal and external audiences could be neatly compartmentalized. It was simple (we thought): One message for employees, another message for external stakeholders. Even in the pre-digital era, of course, that...
You’ve heard of ROI — what’s ROE?
What motivates adult learners to pursue a graduate degree? There are, of course, a multitude of reasons. In an era of digital disruption, many communicators seek new knowledge or skills. Others are interested in experiential opportunities to strengthen their resumes....
Northeastern’s new alumni networking platform NUsource — initial impressions
NUsource is a brand-new platform designed exclusively for Northeastern alumni. Much like LinkedIn, the site can be used to create professional connections, but it’s also a great place to develop mentoring relationships and solicit and share career advice with other...
Artificial Intelligence is the next big thing – should communicators care?
My answer: You bet! Last February, CPS sponsored a Symposium on the Intersection of AI and Talent Strategy. What we learned both from experts who are tracking the trends and AI champions who are actually implementing AI initiatives is that these technologies are...
How to connect in a connectionless environment….
Surely, you’ve noticed the dwindling art of the conversation in your daily interactions? When is the last time you were in a line for coffee, waiting for an Uber, or standing in line waiting to board a plane without noticing that the majority of the heads in the line...
Unintended consequences — how a capstone project expanded my professional network
From the onset of my graduate career, it was important to me to draw parallels between my professional life as a public affairs officer for a federal government agency and my continuing education. Not only did this approach help gain the support of my colleagues, but...
A step-by-step guide to B2B social media marketing
Because of its popularity and relatively low-cost, social media is frequently used by small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) as a marketing tool. Organizations with various sizes, including SMBs, can use social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook,...
Making ‘lifelong learning’ a reality
The term "lifelong learning'" has gained a lot of currency in recent years, but what does it really mean? A standard definition is that it is a form of self-initiated education focused on personal development. Learning, of course, takes place in many ways and...
Taking advantage of possibilities
Gina Dunn, an alumna of our Corporate and Organizational Communication program, is a marketing and communication professional helping organizations connect with their target audience via strategy development and implementation. Gina lives in Paris, and has just...
How organizations can foster positive electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in an e-commerce environment
There has been an accelerated digital transformation amid the pandemic. Many consumers either choose to shop online or utilize multiple channels to shop. Even we are moving into the new normal, the trends for online shopping and digitalization will continue. ...
The power of employing communication skills to reach the goal
There was that moment when Zirui, Sahar, and Patty moved from researching three cases to present at a conference to agreeing, “We should write a book!”. Considering the pandemic and many barriers we were facing, there was also that moment when we agreed, “We have...
A day in the life of a public relations intern
Software security, cybersecurity, application security – before working at Veracode I had a general understanding of these types of terms, but I did not truly grasp the depth and breadth of this industry and its critical role in society. The significant disruption...
Rising to the occasion: how a class assignment morphed into an award-winning project
Corey Ortiz, a student in the MS in Corporate and Organizational Communication program, was one of 22 recipients of this year’s RISE research awards (and one of two graduate student honorees in the Business and Entrepreneurship category) from more than 400 entries!...
Experiential learning can be transformational — here’s proof!
Raissa Talehata, a student in the Digital Media master's program, graduated in December 2021. She was one of three Northeastern University students to be recognized with an Outstanding Graduate Student Award in Experiential Learning, honoring graduate students "who...
Exploring consumer behaviors amid the COVID-19 pandemic with predictive analytics
The Eastern Communication Association (ECA), the largest regional communication association on the East Coast, hosted its 113th annual convention in Philadelphia, PA in April with “Reunion” as the convention theme. It was my honor to present my award paper,...
How organizations are preparing for the future of work
The media has been buzzing with reports of the ‘Great Resignation.’ COVID-19 has certainly changed the way many Americans think about work. Another consequence of the pandemic has been a seismic shift in how we think about workplace learning. This was the subject...