Inspire & Influence
A blog for the global network of Northeastern communication, digital media, and HR 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...