Like many other aspects of life – finding and starting a job has been transformed by the pandemic, especially for younger workers. One labor economist from ZipRecruiter says job postings for entry level positions popular with college graduates dropped 73% and internships are down 83% since COVID-19 hit. Many employers and prospective employees have had to adjust to doing job interviews, new employee training and even company outings remotely.
Despite the COVID-19 challenges, new workers can invigorate a company, increase DEI, and bring new perspectives and skills to your workplace. We at Teak Media + Communication are proud to introduce you to two of our newest employees, whose voices you’ll be hearing in this blog.
Hannah Miller – Account Executive
Prior to joining Teak Hannah worked at Elevate Communications. She graduated from Emerson College with a BS in journalism in 2018.
- What made you decide to pursue a career in PR? I wanted to be the voice of stories that the media may not have heard about otherwise.
- What makes Teak unique? Teak’s clients all want to do good in the world. Working with these organizations and companies pushes you to put in the extra effort because you know how much of a difference they are making.
- What causes inspire you? I’m motivated by causes that provide means like food, housing, education, or anything that should be accessible for all people. Appalachia Service Project, a Christian ministry that inspires hope and service through volunteer home repair and replacement in Central Appalachia, is an organization that has been instrumental in my life. I have spent a week of each summer for last 10 years volunteering with them and had the amazing experience of being on staff for a summer as a volunteer coordinator at their Bland County, Virginia center.
- What is your favorite way to relax off the job? Sitting on my front porch with a good book.
- What’s a surprising thing not everyone knows about you? I’ve run three half marathons.
Ashley Elias – Account Coordinator
Ashley recently graduated from Boston University with a BS in communications. She previously served as a Publicity Intern at Allied Global Marketing.
- What made you decide to pursue a career in PR? I was interested in helping companies control their messaging and their image.
- What makes Teak unique? Teak amplifies the voices of companies that care about people. I love how we can impact people at a local level through the work of our clients.
- What causes inspire you? As a first-generation college graduate, I am passionate about immigration and education. I’ve personally seen how underfunded school districts can make it much harder to obtain a degree. I want to bring awareness to the difficulty first gen students face when applying to colleges/universities.
- What is your favorite way to relax off the job? I enjoy reading and cooking when I am not working. Chrissy Teigen’s cookbook has fun recipes that I have tried out.
- What’s a surprising thing not everyone knows about you? I once won an on-air radio contest! In high school, I was a big fan of One Direction, so I called my local radio station. I won concert tickets and a signed jersey.
Welcome Hannah and Ashley! Teak is happy to have you on our team.