In May 2011, Carol Ann Funkhouser walked across the stage to earn her second degree from West Virginia University. This time, a Master’s in Public Administration. With a background in Advertising from the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, there were many different opportunities she could have pursued when choosing a career.

When starting her job search, Carol Ann looked to the Career Service Center for guidance and decided to attend the Big East Career Fair in New York, in the spring of 2011. Career fairs can be daunting experiences, but Carol Ann says that the confidence she had built through her time at WVU and her semester studying abroad in Ireland gave her the confidence to approach employers with engaging and intelligent conversation. Carol Ann explains her goals at the fair:

“At first I was hesitant to go, because I didn’t see the value, but I wanted to put across the best impression to ensure that I made a lasting impression with all of the people I was talking to, making sure that I was memorable. I made sure that I got the contact details of all of the people who I wanted to follow up with after the career fair, so that I could email them directly the next day, recounting our conversation, and expressing my further interest in the opportunities they had available.”

One such opportunity was with the Meltwater Group, a multi-national software company with over 57 offices around the World. Carol Ann says that “the thing that attracted me to Meltwater was the Sales and Management Program they had on offer, which gave young grads the opportunity to learn the ropes of business to business sales with a fast track progression in to management, with international opportunities galore.” After being accepted by the Meltwater Group, Carol Ann began working in the Washington D.C. office in July 2011, and hasn’t looked back since:

“Since I started with Meltwater I have had such fantastic experiences. I have worked with companies ranging from Fortune 500 organizations and units of the military, all the way through to some small companies in my home state of West Virginia! The company culture is young and fun, and the opportunities that were promised to me when I started have all been realized. I have started with great success, and I am looking forward to taking on new challenges within Meltwater in the near future, whether that is within our D.C. office or in another part of the World – Australia would be nice!”

The challenge of helping to grow the Washington D.C. office is something that is on Carol Ann’s plate right now, with the next round of interviews scheduled for early December:

“I have had such a great start to my career, and I would love to offer the same opportunities to other Mountaineers that have been afforded to me so far. WVU students are renowned for being intelligent, driven and hardworking, which are exactly the traits required for success at Meltwater.