April 8 – Nikki Lanka, Washington State Department of Health

Nikki Lanka is a Communications Consultant at the Washington State Department of Health. There, she writes, edits and manages projects for the Disease Control and Health Statistics division. 

She graduated from Ohio University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Since then, she’s had experiences in communications roles for state governments and has also worked for smaller, B2B marketing companies. 

Key Takeaways:

• State government communications:
  • They have a lot of internal resources and teams that specialize in specific fields like social media or graphic design. 
  • The challenge with these jobs is that they’re publicly funded with lower budgets and fewer amenities. 
  • Lanka recommends looking for these jobs at governmentjobs.com, searching for “communications” and “public information.” 
  • Interviewers for these positions are looking for purpose-driven individuals who are knowledgeable about DEI and accessibility. They’re looking for people who can make complex ideas public-friendly.
• Small B2B marketing teams:
  • They exist across multiple industries. 
  • Many of these teams combine marketing and sales. These jobs offer more generalist positions that “wear a lot of hats” rather than specializing in one task. These roles are dynamic and offer a wide range of responsibilities. 
  • There is less support in this industry. With fewer teams, there are fewer opportunities for mentors, too.
  • Interviewers for these roles are looking for people with experience in sales and marketing who can take on multiple responsibilities. Experience in project management, customer insights and technical skills are sought after.
• Closing advice:
  • Networking is a good practice that pays off in the long term. While it teaches people to be professional, it’s also good for learning to be yourself in the workplace. 
  • Take advantage of OU’s alumni network. For job searching and interviewing, utilize OU’s career services. 
  • Write out interview questions in order to remember them better. 
  • Make an Excel doc of job descriptions just in case they disappear before an interview.