With the start of Spring Break, some of you are likely realizing that you’re a little short on spending money. Plane tickets, meals on the road, shopping, staying on campus and ordering in–these are all fun and expensive Spring Break options. Unfortunately at this point, it’s a little too late to scrounge up a good chunk of money for break, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save up for next year!
At Dining & Catering, we’re opening up a new position. It is not an entry-level position, which means that while you will be expected to do more specialized and far-reaching work, you will also receive higher payment to match your efforts. If you are a current Dining & Catering employee, this is a great way to move into a more influential position and boost your resume. More importantly, though, the Brand Ambassador position is a great way to develop and polish your professional skills and reputation.
The basic purpose of a Brand Ambassador is to represent Purdue Dining & Catering to the larger Purdue community. There is always a lot going on in Dining & Catering, and it’s not always easy to spread the news about events and opportunities coming up. The job of a Brand Ambassador is to acts as a bridge between the the people who deal the everyday concerns and big events of food on Purdue’s campus, and the people who enjoy eating that food and attending those events.
An ambassador does this connecting in many different ways, but mainly through street teams, Secret Shopping, creating content, and assisting with planning and running special Dining & Catering events. If all that sounds confusing, here’s a quick breakdown:
- Street Teams: This is where we interact with students directly, letting them know about awesome Dining & Catering events.
- Secret Shopping: You’ll be asked to go to a few different dining locations on campus, like dining courts, On-The-Go! locations, cafes, retail markets, etc., and grab some grub! (Don’t worry, the food’s on us.) Then you just fill out a quick survey about your experience! Quick, easy, and super delicious.
- Creating Content: Brand ambassadors are in charge of creating some of the cool content we give out to students. We get to make fun flyers, new social media posts, and (you guessed it) write some really exciting content designed for students, faculty, and alumni.
- Event Planning & Management: Sometimes we even have the opportunity to plan and organize events on campus. Some examples of our planning magic would be our Halloween party at The Gathering Place (which you can read about here) or our week of crafts during finals week of last semester. Other times we just get to help out with already amazing events, like Pappy’s 90th Birthday Celebration, (which you can read about here).
To be considered, you must be a current Purdue student in your sophomore year or above, and you must be in good academic standing. This job requires a good deal of interacting with social media, so you need to have an understanding of the various platforms used, most importantly Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Because the job requires an good body of knowledge about Purdue’s campus and the role of Dining & Catering, students must also have at least a semester of experience on campus, and if you have lived in University Residences that is a definite bonus. One of the big goals of the job is to act as a source of knowledge about Dining & Catering, and while you will build your knowledge base during your time as an ambassador, it’s good to come in with a feel for the way Purdue Dining & Catering works.
If you’re interested in working with us, apply here! We’ll respond with the time and date of our call-out, so we can have a fun meeting for us to socialize and get to know each other! If you seem good for the role, you’ll be invited to individual interviews to better assess your placement in the program.
This job is a great way to get more involved in on Purdue’s campus, build up your professional and interpersonal skills, and earn money for other important things, like spring break.
Do you guys have questions? What about plans for this week? Leave us a comment and we’ll get back to you!
Have a great break and see you next week!
Sarah & Amanda
Purdue Dining & Culinary 