For this “Meet the CSE Series” blog post, CSE Career Captain, Djounia Saint-Fleurant, MBA’24, interviewed Rachel Wasdyke, the CSE’s Director of Engagement.
Content creation, Industry Treks, and self-confidence with Rachel Wasdyke
With a diverse background that spans both corporate engagement and content creation, Rachel Wasdyke’s role at the CSE focuses on fostering connections, driving career education, and building meaningful networks for students. As part of the ongoing Meet the CSE Series, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Rachel to discuss her genuine passion for cultivating connections as the Director of Engagement at the CSE. In this insightful interview, Rachel shares her unique perspective on Industry Treks, content creation, and career advice that have proven instrumental in guiding students toward their goals. And to wrap it all up nicely, she imparts her valuable experience of transitioning back to work after maternity leave, a topic that remains ever-relevant.
– Djounia
You run the Engagement Team at the CSE. Can you walk us through what the Engagement Team does?
The Engagement Team’s mission is to strengthen connections between students, employers and alumni in order to foster a culture of networking, recruiting and career education at the school. We host a wide variety of events, including career fairs, information sessions, industry panels, networking events, Industry Treks, our popular Alumni Speaker Series and more. We also engage with corporate partners, sourcing job and internship opportunities, curating resume bundles and keeping a pulse on hiring trends to help you find meaningful employment.
You write a lot of content for CSE Connect, what is your advice for students trying to get into content writing for LinkedIn or building their portfolio?
My first piece of advice is to read…a lot. Find journalists, bloggers and authors you admire. What do you like best about their work? How can you add to the conversation? By studying the landscape and understanding the topics you want to cover in more detail, you will start to see where your own work can fit in and add value.
If you’re passionate about content writing and want to start building your portfolio, the CSE can also support you! We’re always looking for industry-specific blog posts for the CSE Connect Career Community pages. Reach out and pitch us an idea or submit an article for consideration.
What are some career tips that you picked up during your time in publishing that you think also apply to both your team here at the CSE, as well as for business school students starting out their own careers?
Prior to Brandeis, I worked as a publicist in the book publishing industry. It was a fun and dynamic job. I set up author tours and events and pitched books for coverage in major print, radio, television and online media outlets. A key to success at my job was authenticity. I had to form real relationships with booksellers, editors and writers to learn their preferences and gain their trust. I can’t underscore enough the importance of interpersonal skills when it comes to professional success.
Another lesson is to champion yourself. As a publicist, I was always talking up my authors because I believed in them and their work. But, when it came to interviews, events and online interactions with readers, they also had to talk up and believe in themselves. People you meet during your time at the Business School, from hiring managers and campus recruiters to alumni and staff, will be genuinely interested in who you are and want to learn about your work, achievements and goals. Don’t shy away from that! Confidence and enthusiasm are not the same as arrogance. Let others celebrate your wins and passions too.
What exactly is an Industry Trek and why do you think they’re important for students to try to experience at least one during their time here? What do you think students should do in order to be best prepared for a Trek? What’s your favorite Trek experience?
An Industry Trek is a company visit or group of visits centered around an industry or location. As a student, it’s important to see what life would really be like working for a specific company or in a specific role. Visits often touch upon company culture, day-to-day work life, typical career paths of employees and advice from people working in the field. Each visit serves as an opportunity to ask meaningful questions, build knowledge and network with professionals. In addition to internships and field projects, Industry Treks are another great way to form new ideas about how to approach your career and to better understand the range of opportunities available to you.
Remember, Treks are for you. Come prepared to ask questions and help drive the discussion towards the areas that interest you most. Check out my blog post, 7 Tips to the Make the Most of a (Virtual) Industry Trek for more advice on maximizing your Industry Trek experience.
The New York City finance trek is always a favorite of mine. We visit a range of companies, from big banks and financial institutions to consulting firms that focus on finance and M&A. We also get to connect with alumni at a networking event. There’s always great energy in the room, and we appreciate the time our alumni take to share their knowledge and experiences with the students. It’s always really fun to travel in person, see our alums, and make those connections. There’s an interesting blog post that recounts our most recent in-person industry trek in New York. Students could check it here to gain more insights about the experience.
Can you share your experience transitioning back to work after maternity leave? How did you prepare for it, and what strategies do you have for delegating responsibilities and managing channels of communication during your absence?
I think that it can be challenging to transition back after maternity leave. As a mom and as a professional, you want to excel in both areas of your life, and sometimes that doesn’t feel possible. There aren’t enough hours in the day. That being said, I was very excited to come back to work at the International Business School. I missed my colleagues, I missed the students, and I missed the energetic nature of the office and of work. I missed using that part of my brain. I was very fortunate to have time off to spend with my little one. And I was very fortunate to have supportive colleagues who were able to keep everything running smoothly in my absence. So transitioning back in that respect wasn’t as hard as you would think it would be. I could just jump back into the fold, and it felt very natural. It didn’t feel like I was gone as long as I was. And again, that’s just due to the fantastic work that everybody here continued to do while I was away.
Regarding delegating responsibilities and managing communication channels during my absence, I tried to check in with folks periodically and keep up with email as much as possible. I started setting up meetings with my manager and other people in the organization a month before I returned, so it wasn’t such a shock to the system. But overall, it was nice to know that I could take time off and everything would go well here because the staff and students are so great.
Finally, what’s your favorite small talk topic? Basically, if a student wanted to initiate a really fun conversation with you, what should they talk about?
Prior to Covid, I would have said travel…hands down. And now, Being a mom to two little kids. I don’t get to travel as much these days. While I’ve done less traveling these past two years, I’m still interested in learning about other parts of the world and unique places students have visited! So, I enjoy living vicariously through other people’s adventures and listening to their stories about the exciting places they’ve been to.
