Retail Media Vibes

Ep. 17 - AI Readiness Overcomes Entry-Level Fear

• Brandon Viveiros • Episode 17

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AI is raising the bar for everyone entering the workforce, and it’s also creating a lot of noise about what matters most. We recorded this conversation live from Heroes Coffee in Rogers, Arkansas to get grounded in the real question students are asking: how do I land my first role and thrive when the tools, titles, and expectations keep changing?

I'm joined by Dr. Anne Velliquette from the University of Arkansas (Walton College of Business), Karson Feuerbacher (graduating senior and Hershey intern), Sarah White (omnichannel marketing at Nestlé), and Victoria Van Dusen (SVP at Mars United Commerce). Together, we unpack “AI readiness” without the hype. You’ll hear what hiring managers actually look for in entry-level talent, what great first 90 days behavior looks like, and why agency roles often start with foundational work before you earn client-facing responsibilities. We also talk about using AI responsibly, avoiding copy-paste mistakes, and keeping the human touch through curiosity, emotional intelligence, and relationship building.

We get practical on how to stand out beyond GPA: internships, career fairs, side projects, personal brand, and transferable skills that prove you can execute in the retail media and retail commerce world. We even tackle the uncomfortable parts like managing up, professional polish, and how COVID still shows up in communication habits.

Subscribe to Retail Media Vibes, share this with a student or new grad, and leave a review if it helps. What skill do you think will matter most when AI becomes the default tool at work?

Welcome And Topic Setup

SPEAKER_02

What's up, party people? BV here, and welcome to another episode of Retail Media Vibes, a doing business in Bentonville podcast. Um, I'm here today in a little bit of a different location. You normally see me in the studio, but here we are at Heroes Coffee in Pinnacle Hills, Rogers, Arkansas, and we're gonna have a great podcast with some fine guests talking about uh a topic that I think is very timely in this time of year. Um, we're gonna be talking about breaking into the workforce in the age of AI. And so we've got a great panel, and I'll introduce them here in a second. Uh, but you know, as we think about the time that we are in uh in our industry, if we think about the time we are in in the workforce, I think there's a big group of people that have a lot of concerns, a lot of questions, and that is probably students, right? Students that have gone to university for four plus years, depending on obviously their major and what they're trying to do with their schooling. And so they're trying to break into the workforce, right? And there's you know, there that's a challenge all on its own, right? So, how do you transition from what you've learned in university and then apply that specifically to your first job? And sometimes that takes a a little bit of a turn, right? Sometimes what you went to school for you don't end up with as your first job. Uh how you know, in the audience, how many of you actually are working in a in a field that you went to school for? Several, right? Not about 50, right? 50 percent. I am not. I am not. So it's it's really really interesting, Mike. Um, so you know, as we talk as we think about the workforce and the and the changes to the workforce, and we think about you know what students are going through, that's really the the the focus of this of this podcast today is really figuring out you know what is it going to take to break into to that workforce. So I'm gonna introduce my panel. So I have some amazing guests. Uh first I have from the University of Arkansas, I have Dr. Ann Villaquet. Hello, Ann.

unknown

Hi.

SPEAKER_02

I also have Carson Forbacher as a student currently at the University of Arkansas.

SPEAKER_03

Think for Alpha first.

SPEAKER_02

Representing the brand side, I have my good friend Sarah White Nestle, USA. And then representing the agency side, I have also my good friend Victoria Victoria Van Dusen from Mars United Commerce. Welcome. Thank you. All right, so I'm not gonna give you the background of all these fine individuals. I'm gonna let them do that for themselves. So I just want like a short version of who you are, what you do, or what you will be doing, all right, for the student, uh, entering into uh as you enter into the workforce. So and maybe how about what was your first job? Uh how about that? Think about that. So um let's let's go ahead and start to my left with Victoria.

SPEAKER_04

Great, hi there, I'm Victoria Van Dussen from Mars United Commerce. I am the SVP of retail consultancy for the Bentonville Club Channel, which means I lead a full team of about 55 people that service our brand clients on how they are doing business and advertising and marketing with the retailers. My first job was an English high school teacher.

SPEAKER_03

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, so definitely did not get my degree in marketing.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Awesome. Sarah?

SPEAKER_05

Okay, Sarah White. So I am the omnichannel marketing manager for Nestle. So I support our frozen meals and um global culinary kitchen uh divisions. I've been at Nestle for around like 18 months. So I'm actually pretty new to the brand side. Um I actually have worked with BV and Victoria in the past. We always find ways to come back together, which is amazing. So um a lot of good perspective just um on the brand side now, but also on the agency as well. So um my first job, are we going like first first job or is my first job? Oh my goodness. Um my very first job ever, like where I had like a paycheck, was I was a summer camp counselor.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah. Great, awesome. And so I am currently uh in a couple of different roles at the university. So I teach a marketing class to juniors and seniors. I've actually had Carson in my class before, which is awesome. She's an amazing, amazing student. So I teach a service learning class, and basically what that means is we work with an industry partner every semester. I do a shopper marketing brand challenge, which is really fun. So get engaged with um different clients, um, work with Hershey's. I know there's a lot of Hershey's people here this semester. That's a client we're working with. On top of that, I am our uh Walton College retail program director. And so I work on a lot of different initiatives um with industry partners again, as well as other faculty that teach retail classes. And we're basically trying to make sure that when our students leave the university, they leave Walton College, they are ready to enter into these roles, into that retail ecosystem. Um and Nestle sits on our board, uh, retail advisory board, which is really exciting. And so um I need to get Ad Fury and Mars, a little plug here, to get to get you guys on the retail advisory board. There you go.

SPEAKER_02

And Carson.

SPEAKER_00

Hi, I'm Carson Forbacher. I am a marketing major and business analytics minor. I will be graduating from the University of Arkansas in May. I'm currently interning at the Hershey Company, and so I guess my first real world job will be starting with them um this summer full time.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, and I forgot snooze in my butt. We'll see. So yeah. You want to go far, far back? I was at I worked at McDonald's. That was like my first paycheck. That's great. I did post-college. Yeah, McDonald's. But as far as like out of college, my degree was marketing, and I went to work in uh sales and marketing for Car Gill. So yeah, awesome. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Mine, I I worked at a gas station.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

College To Career Through Real Work

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. On a military base, so that's a story for another day. But um, all right, so and you know, it's an important role as you were kind of were talking about just a second ago about to get the universe or at the university to get students ready for their their career, whatever that that happens to be. What what is what are you spending the most time on or most energy on to help those help students get ready for that for that first step?

SPEAKER_01

First step. I mean, I think one thing that is unique about the Walton College is with this ecosystem in our backyard, right? We have what 1600 vendors, Walmart, JB Hunt, Tyson, all of these companies that are available and pour into our students. So that filters into the classroom, right? So we are getting them ready by giving them as much as we can that's actual business context environment, really hands-on, whether it's class projects, um, you know, collaborations again with industry partners, simulations, I don't know, any kind of experiential learning that we can we can do. Yeah, that's you right. Um, and that's what we're trying to do. And of course, now um AI is playing a part of that, right? So yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So so Carson, you know, you're getting close to graduating, um, and you're getting ready to go into your first role, your first job. You know, what are what are you thinking about that first that first role for you?

SPEAKER_00

I think in terms of AI, what that's gonna look like, um, entering the workforce soon, or I guess continuing. Um, okay, sorry. Um, I feel like utilizing what I've learned in class, like we've said, like you spent four years um getting all this content. And for me, halfway through is kind of when AI entered. Um, freshman year it became a thing, but then after like we didn't really start using it in the classroom until my junior year, senior year. So um, like my generation trying to figure out how we can build on those tools in the workplace, knowing when it's useful, when it's not, and making sure that if I'm asked to utilize it, um, I know how, but I also know how to brainstorm on my own. And so navigating how that tool is going to elevate all of us and kind of bring like a new baseline for um entry-level workers.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Awesome. So, Sarah, you actually you mentioned there are a couple of roles that are opening up, and I'm sure you guys are looking at entry-level talent all the time. What are some of the things you look for with entry-level talent when you're evaluating for a role? I think it depends on the role, but of course it depends on the role.

SPEAKER_05

But I think um, you know, I don't think any of us are probably looking for AI expertise. Like, I don't know that any of us are experts right now in something that is just so unknown and ever changing. So I think we're looking for like obviously AI readiness. Um I like that, actually, I like that term.

SPEAKER_02

AI readiness.

SPEAKER_05

Readiness, and I think um, you know, even with AI, you still need to be um have a have a level of curiosity. Like you've still gotta know your craft and you've got to be a student of your business because you're not you're not there to to learn AI. Like you need to, you, you need to be, you need to know what you're doing, right? Because you've still got to have like the context in order to kind of execute our our strategies and our vision. But um, I think, yeah, curiosity, I think collaboration, emotional intelligence, intelligence is huge.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Um, you know, just um I think a positive attitude is another one. And and my favorite is just agility. I know that's like an overused word, but I think you've got to be able to bob and weave and and go with all the changes that come with with working um in corporate and working with Walmart.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. You know, retail, we know we've talked about in our careers about the speed of retail, right? And just what that actually means, and that a lot of it is that ability to adapt and adjust on the fly. I mean, there's so much that happens in a in a in a in a flash, right? So awesome. Um, so Victoria, you know, when somebody's early in their career with intern and then they maybe move into a role, what do you typically expect from them in that first 90 days or 100 days that you have them in your in your office?

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. I think Sarah hit on some of that already about agility and curiosity. I think um somebody to be very successful within their first 90 days, and I think this applies to any job, not agency only, is really um somebody that's gonna come in, they're gonna ask a lot of questions, they're going to raise their hand for opportunities and really showing their own eagerness to learn. Because we don't expect somebody, especially straight out of college, to know how to navigate the complexities of our specific jobs and our ways of working. So I would say it's that um uh attitude and openness that is most important.

Talking Versus Using AI

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, no, that makes that makes it, you know, uh curiosity for me was always a big one. Like people that come in and they're curious and they want to ask questions and they're not afraid to ask questions, and they're trying to be involved in the company or the agency, you know, obviously on the agency side of things, and you know, trying to find ways to add value and contribute beyond just you know what you know what you expect uh expect from them, right? I think is an important part. All right. So sorry, did you all right? Let's do a quick, we're gonna do a quick just round robin, okay? Um before we really get into the deep stuff. And you know, AI is definitely gonna come up in our conversation. I think we had like we were two minutes into the conversation and the and those two letters came up. So, but real quick, right, just off the top of your head, how much of your day is actually talking about AI versus actually using AI? So think about that for one second. All right, start with Victoria.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, I would say on a weekly, because it is not a daily conversation yet. On a weekly basis, I would say we're talking about AI 10% of the week. I would say I'm using personally using AI 20% of my week. So I am a very elementary user, um, but I am trying really hard to find ways to be efficient. As far as talking about AI, we're doing a lot within my department to share how we're using AI to become more efficient. And the agency is doing a lot to train us how to use AI tools that they have provided, but also how to use them responsibly.

SPEAKER_02

I think that's an important part about the sharing, the the sharing part that you said. Because one of the things that I've always held in my in my mind in my career is like if you learn something, that is awesome. But if you don't share it with at least one other person, it's selfish. Yes, right? You have a great opportunity to share what you've learned with one other person. It just exponentially increases the adoption and and what the how well the team can can go, uh, how far they can go. So really cool. How about you, Fert? How about you, Sarah?

SPEAKER_05

Really in a similar boat is Victoria, a little bit. Oh my god, Mike. Wow, this is a pleasure of sharing. Um, sharing. Um, no, I would say we we talk about it a lot. There's a ton of training, which is amazing. I think everybody's trying to get better, you know, the powers in the prompt. So like everyone is trying to get better at like what's the right prompt. Like, how do we integrate this into um, you know, our different roles? Like everybody's gonna have a different unique like business case to use. Um, I would say I am I'm right now I'm a novice user, but I'm like slowly like m moving ahead. Like I'm spending a lot of time like learning and trying and like experimenting on like how I can fit this and delegate the tasks that are administrative or maybe the tasks that I don't want to do. Um that way I reserve like brain capacity for the things that I really want to invest in. Um so I would say I'm probably about a similar split um as Victoria. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Ann?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So I feel like around the university it is a daily conversation. I mean, we are constantly talking about it, whether it's in the hallway with other professors. Um, we have an AI task force. So, of course, we're being fed information um a lot. We have an exchange um on Teams where we can share practices and ideas. We have an AI student club now. We have um uh AI class projects and um challenges that faculty are submitting, and there's classes that are being submitted as a first time this semester as a challenge. So I feel like daily it's being talked about. Walton College is really um trying to get it across all of our departments and through sprinkled throughout many of our courses. Um I'm probably talking about it definitely more than I'm using it. Um I again, I feel kind of like they said, I'm I'm elementary, I'm I'm trying to use it more. One of the challenges, I think, is that you know, it takes time to become proficient. And I feel like I'm tapped out with time. And so it's just hard, but I am trying. I'm trying to use it to help develop my presentations. Maybe I'm researching to look for good cases, examples, trends that I want to talk about in class. So it, I'm definitely using it, but it's not to the level I'd like to be. Yeah. And I and a little bit of it for me too is I'm still a bit uncomfortable with just we hear the word slop or mistakes or hallucinations. And like that, that to me is just a bit of a concern still. So, but but I'm I'm I'm trying, just like they are.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and I think the university has kind of a unique opportunity overall because not only are you trying to figure out how do you get students prepared and then also you know, professors using it, but what is even on the ethical side of how much AI can you use in a class and determining how much of it is is you you can really truly do, and that's that's tough too.

SPEAKER_01

It is, and I think that's the other thing that we're really trying to stress, and I do in my class as well, is we cannot lose the human touch, right? We can't use we cannot lose critical thinking skills, brainstorming original ideas, talking about exploring curiosity. And I think that the university and the Walton College is big on saying human judgment is critical, right? We have to be using it ethically, responsibly. So and I'm trying to figure out ways to do that in the classroom, like um AI free zones. Like let's let's get together and group and collaborate. And you're not allowed to use AI for a little bit, right? And let's just brainstorm and dialogue on your own. And then other times where I might have them do something with AI, but then critique it and say, well, how could how could this be done better or how could it look better? Right. Like I told them I'm like, I ran all of my assignments through Chat GPT, and honestly, it's like C-level work. So I'm like, he you're gonna have to add to that in order to enhance, you know, that what you're turning in. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Carson, how about you?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like I'm somewhere in the middle. I probably spend an equal amount of time talking about it and utilizing it. Um, the university has definitely in the past year done a good job of integrating it. So I took an AI and business course, and so I guess I was talking about it for at least like two hours every week, if not more, um, reading books about it. And then my marketing management capstone class, the whole project, the whole semester was AI. So we were reading articles and then different had a different demographic age group that we were like analyzing to see how AI was impacting that demographic. And so I definitely feel like on my own time I'm using it, but I had phases in the past year where I was talking about it just as much, if not more.

First Job Expectations And Reality

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think we're all on a on a different journey. Um, obviously, you know, I work for a company that is based on AI, so I use AI a lot and I talk about it a lot. So, you know, uh, but it is still a journey. Things change every single day that you know have a has a huge impact on what AI will ultimately become, you know, societally as well as work-wise as well. So it's it's a it's a really interesting time uh to be in right now. All right. So we're gonna pivot just a little back and we're a little bit and we're gonna look at like what are the some general expectations around entering into the workforce, not necessarily AI specific. We'll talk a little bit more about AI later. But you know, uh, you know, Carson, you know, I'd like to start with you. You know, we you know we've talked a little bit, and I know you're getting ready to you know start a full-time role here soon, and you can reveal who that is with in a minute, but you know, what do you expect like the day-to-day work to be like? And I know you're doing an internship too, but I love this what your expectations are as you kind of get into the into your job.

SPEAKER_00

I feel like, well, I'm starting full-time with the Hershey Company, really excited about that. Congratulations. Um I feel like I've already seen my team utilizing it in ways that can benefit us, whether it's like tasks that would take an hour just like going through certain items and figuring out um different nutrition labels or things like that.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, so I definitely have seen it integrated already. I'm curious to see how that's gonna change. Like I know my team is like talk, like we don't know what the next five years are gonna look like. And so how that AI is going to become um something that can make tasks more efficient, but then also um seeing like what the benefits going to be with like not only those tasks, but presentations, different things like that, more um person-facing um activities. I'm really excited to see how that's going to be integrated um in the next five to ten years. Right.

SPEAKER_02

So in in in your in net net job, like what excites you the most about the job besides AI? Like what excites you the most about being there?

SPEAKER_00

I feel like right off the bat, I mean, I was around candy products every single day. Like that was so awesome. Um, and then talking about it in such an intelligent way was like so eye-opening for me. But um, so I'm excited to I'll be starting as an analyst. So um I'm excited to start there and just um really be with the people in the office. It's an amazing office, and then seeing how we can all collaborate together to utilize this tool that's just gonna push us forward.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Awesome. So, and from your your perspective, you know, what do you hear about what a student's expectations for their first job is? Not their expectations, but yeah, what do they think they're walking into? Like when the conversations that you're having, like what do they think they're walking into?

SPEAKER_01

Um, you know, I think again, I I I'm just gonna keep plugging them all in college, but I honestly, I honestly don't know why anyone would send a kid anywhere else to get a business degree. I mean, again, with all of the people that we have in our backyard, um, you know, I feel like we are doing a really good job of preparing them in terms of what to expect, but it's because in their college four years, they're gonna do one or two internships with one of these companies like Hershey's, right?

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Many of our classes, you know, Brandon, you come into my class uh and bless its heart because he has to teach, it's back to back three classes in a row. It's yeah, and he keeps doing it for me. I'm afraid he's gonna say no. No. But every semester he comes in and I have, you know, three or four other people that come in and pour into my students, giving them expectations of like what is the real world? What's it gonna look like when you enter the job force? And so um, I think their expectations are probably pretty accurate based on the fact that I think we do a really good job of integrating real business context and environments in our courses. I mean, I do it in mine every semester. Again, I do a shopper marketing challenge. That's that's the whole course. It's based on working with an industry partner. It's basically the same as an internship. They're doing it for 17 weeks.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um, so I don't know if that answered your question.

SPEAKER_02

No, I thought I and I think that's really you know important to hit home is that like I think sometimes there's perception that when you know students go to university, they get this academic look, outlook on a specific career or specific class. And you know, for you all to take the extra Time to bring you know industry people from industry to talk about the realities, like not just you know present about shopper marketing and just leave it at that. Like, hey, this is shopper marketing, but you know what? There's all of these things you really need to make sure you understand because that's going to be your reality if you get into this, into this business. So I I think it's commendable that you guys, and and obviously it's great to have that available to you in this community. That's because other areas, right?

SPEAKER_01

I mean, like I said, that that's I I just I don't know what I would do without it's I don't have to look for a client project every semester. It's like there's plenty that kind of end up coming, and then you know, just the guest speakers and and just even things like you know, Ben Christensen was in um from Nestle um prior to you coming in, Brandon, and um we had technology issues. So for like the first 10 minutes, he had the pivot because we couldn't get his slides up. So he's just talking to the students and kind of digging in. And then the tech people left after they figured it out, and he goes, Big lesson right here. This is gonna happen to you when you're out. You're gonna be giving a presentation, and technology is going to fail. And how are you gonna handle that? And so be prepared. And so, you know, it's just I think we're very, very lucky to have people like you and Sarah and Victoria that are willing to come into our classes, willing to engage with students on other, you know, not just projects, but whether it's mentoring or internships. Yeah.

Agency Entry Roles Explained

SPEAKER_02

Yep. So, Victoria, so when a student graduates and they come into Mars United Commerce, you know, what expectations do they typically have coming into that environment?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, it's very interesting. So, and this may be different depending on where people go, but at the agency, because we are in a client service role, I think sometimes the expectation for entry level is that they're gonna immediately jump in and do the level of work that their projects are. Whereas in reality, they're doing very basic foundational work to support the team. So entry level at an agency for us is called an account executive. They are not always client-facing, they are supporting the senior managers and the directors that are doing the high-level strategic work and working with the clients. Um so I think sometimes that's a little bit of a um they're just really expecting to do um a lot of critical thinking and a lot of um creative ideating. Whereas entry level, it's a lot of project management, it's supporting, it's tasks. And so there's a little bit of that that it takes somebody right out of college a little bit of time and experience to understand um what it is that we need them to do because everything is a building block. Yeah, you gotta you gotta start at the basics of what it is the agency delivers and how we work with clients before we're gonna throw you out there to work with clients. Right.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, so to me, it sounds like you've got to kind of earn your stripes before you get that opportunity to be client-facing. Is that is that right? Yeah. Yeah, I mean that that makes that makes a ton of sense, right? Because, you know, obviously the agency-client relationship is a very important one and you can't have too many misses, hopefully zero misses. But when, you know, so you want to make sure that you're setting them up for success, and there's a lot that goes into the types of work that you know you do in order to ensure that happens, right? Sarah, do you see it similarly on the brand side of things, on you know, expectations from from grads?

Relationships And The Listening Tour

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, I just went I before I answer that, I just had a whole like trip down memory lane because Victoria was actually my first manager on the agency side. I started as an account executive. This was like well over 10 years ago. We don't have to talk about age or throw out numbers. But um, it was exactly that. And I just wanted to, I was so eager to learn from her and um really nail the the fundamentals. Like everything you said is so accurate, like all of this builds, and I I think that's that could probably be said of anyone's career in general. Like it's this great mosaic by the end of it that you um you you build even from like the the crappy experiences and the ones that were really amazing, like you're gonna have highs and lows. And so that's really how you kind of build your career, you build your experiences. Um, but I would say um starting out so true, like getting the reps in, like the consistency, like that builds trust, like that builds competency and confidence. And confidence. Thank you. Um, all of those things kind of work hand in hand to kind of you know get to your next role. I would say the other piece of it when you're coming in is get to know your team, like go on a listening tour, understand their role, understand how you can support them and work with them to deliver your best work and learn from them. Um, that is like truly a gift to do that, especially when you're coming in and you have the time. Um, but I think like if we're keeping with the theme of AI, like that that will be the luxury good. Like handwritten notes, human connection, you know, the old school mentality, um, that is gonna be what is in vogue. And like you can't replicate those skills on how you build your relationships, which in turn help build you. Um so I would, I would just layer that on. Yeah. Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_04

And I think to layer on a little bit more, I think that goes back to what we were saying early on about being curious, right? And I think um entry-level workers need to also realize that the people running the companies are in a very different place when it comes to technology and AI and expectations, right? You're working with GemX managers and boomers, and they may have very different expectations than one might. So I think that tour, as Sarah talks about, of having one-on-ones with these experienced people, learning from them, listening, how can you apply that? I think that is critical. I oftentimes tell people set up one-on-ones with everyone. Ask what makes for a great fill-in-the-blank job title and listen to what those people have to say and think about how you can learn that, how can you apply that so that you can also be successful. And probably your conversations are not going to be around learn AI. It's gonna be more of that human touch and really fundamentally understanding and applying and having critical thinking. Sorry, relationships are everything, everything.

SPEAKER_02

So, Carson, any of this surprise you what you've heard from both Sarah and Victoria around, you know, what you know would they see for students coming, you know, grads that are coming into their into the workforce?

SPEAKER_00

I don't think it's surprising. I feel like when you sit down and think about um what is gonna be needed in the next five years, like the soft skills like you guys are talking about. And then also now being at my company for a year, I feel like I've noticed the importance of relationship building, one-on-ones, all of those things. And so I definitely understand and feel very fortunate to hear that from you all and like utilize that moving forward.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and I think that's such an important part, and uh hopefully that's a theme that I that everyone picks up on in this is that like AI is an amazing technology and it enables a lot of things for us to do as human beings. But at the end of the day, we're still human beings. We still require relationships and that connectivity, and then we use AI for certain instances, depending on, you know, depending on the role that you have and the company that you work at and so forth. But I with so much, so much discussion about tech, tech, tech, tech, tech, sometimes we forget about the human, human, human, human, human and like the humanity of it. I mean my my view is it's going to take an orchestration of a human being with different tools powered by AI to do the work of the future, is is kind of my my my perspective. So moving into talking about AI, you know, the role role of AI. Um, you know, Sarah, so when you think about hiring, is there expectation around AI and what you're expecting from people that you are hiring? You can that could be not only grads, but also you know, just others in the workforce. Or are there questions about how do you use AI? Like how how are you thinking about that the AI question in that process?

SPEAKER_05

No, I think probably in an entry-level um role, like like I mentioned, like you don't need to know or be the expert on all the different platforms, all the different versions, everything that's coming out. I think that was one of the things, just personally, that initially you talked about being fearful of some of this. Like, I thought I had a no all over this, like every every update, everything. Um, and you know, like I said, AI readiness, I think is probably what we're looking for. And then back to like the curiosity, like the attitude, the willingness to like ask questions, to connect, um, to to to do the work, um, is those those things still still ring true.

Using AI Without Losing Judgment

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. So thank you. Um, so Anne, like in the classroom, like how are you using AI from from for in your classes? Like, or what are you what are you allowed to do or say?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. So again, I think that um I'm trying to have a balance, right? If I think about the skills that I want them to leave with, you know, it is the curiosity exploration. There are times when we have an AI free zone, and like, okay, we're gonna get together in a room. We work in teams, and so there's 24 teams um across the three sections. And I want them to come up with original ideas and brainstorm, but then they can use AI to enhance that. You know, part of what they do in the end of this process is they end up pitching to the client. So I'm like, use AI all you need at that point in terms of putting your deck together, putting your pitch tech together, creating images, storyboards, videos, right? Use it after you've kind of thought through um the solutions and the ideas. Um, they've used it um a new way that we've used it because um I use qualitative data in my class and it's a lot of data, qualitative data. And so prior to AI, that would require the the individual team to get together, remember? And you would have to really talk to each other about okay, what did you learn in your you know, six to ten interviews? What did you learn? What are the common, what's the common thread? What are the common themes? Well, now we can feed those interviews into AI and and get those common themes, the barriers, the pain points. We can ask for specific things to be pulled out. So I think it it can make it more efficient that way. Um, yeah, I'm trying to do a little bit of both. I mean, I want them, you talked about collaboration earlier. We do a lot of collaboration, you know. I I want them to learn to work together kind of iteratively with AI, with dialogue, each with each other, with debate, to kind of come up with those ideas. Um, of course, backed by by the insights that they're getting from the qualitative data. Um, I love using qualitative data because I think we focus a lot on big data and analytics. And I think there's so much to be said about qualitative data. So I want them to dig into that and see how that allows them to gain the back to the human side of things, right? Um, and I think another, you know, big skill that I hope they walk away with is um just the idea that um they can't do things alone, they've got to synthesize information. They work in a team and in the end, you know, they pitch, but it's 17 weeks of work. How do you take that amount of information and put it into an eight to 10 minute presentation with 12 slides?

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_01

That's a skill. Yes. And I hope they learn that as well.

SPEAKER_02

I couldn't even do that for your class on Monday. No, that was yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I think he said he took he told me he spent 20 hours prepping to put this together. I was like, on Easter weekend, thank you, thank you again.

Copy Paste Mistakes And Hallucinations

SPEAKER_02

Man, don't worry about it. It's not I I enjoy it. Um and this is for anyone, but do any of you ever see um people relying too much on AI, right? So you mean we talked about usage and we're all on our journey, but like it's like just use AI for everything and maybe not getting the outputs that you would expect from them. Anyone?

SPEAKER_05

Copy paste the copy paste when someone copy pasted something and they didn't even look at it.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_05

This that's why you gotta be the contextual shepherd, like know your business, like know the context and the filters to like just for freedom and like look at it through that lens.

SPEAKER_04

I think the copy paste, yeah. Yeah, where I'm seeing it showing up a little too much, um, are client emails from from more junior level associates, um, trying to sound very smart and sophisticated, but overdoing it, and then it doesn't make sense to the reader that actually is a subject matter expert.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_04

So that's where I'm seeing it come in. But again, it's probably because people are new users and that's a very easy way to use the tool. So we are talking a lot about that. Like it's okay if you run this through AI, but make sure you understand what you're saying and read it and use your brain because the client will call you out on that immediately. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So it's weird because I was thinking about this. And, you know, if you think about all of us, we used to write on our own, right? You would write information on your own, whether it's a paper, an email, whatever. And then you would turn to certain tools to help you review it and to maybe edit it, right? And if you think about it now, what we're doing is we're using AI first, and then we're bringing the human element in to say, okay, where's where's the review? Where's the judgment? Um, and making sure that the context is there, that you're it's the uh written for the audience that you're intending to write it for, um, looking at the output output in terms of like checking the facts, that kind of stuff, right? But I thought it's like a complete shift. So, but for students, um, I really tell them they should not turn anything in without human review. I need them to edit and review it before they turn it in.

SPEAKER_02

So yeah, it's it's really interesting, and just even on my my own journey, and and I jumped into the AI train right from day one, but and I used it a lot. But then now I found my have found myself kind of backing off of and starting actually from a written place and try to because I think I think to use AI effectively, you need to understand context, you need to understand process. You actually need I would even contend you need to be smarter about your craft to use AI properly than to just use it as a crutch, right? And maybe in some cases it can fill in some gaps that you may not have. But I, you know, I think I think Albert Einstein said, give me an hour to work on something, I'll use 50 minutes of it to plan what you know what he's trying to trying to achieve. And I almost don't find myself doing that. And and again, it may be a mix of tools with paper and and digital or whatever, and find myself going back and forth. So it is it it is it does seem like there is some need to spend a little bit more time thinking about what you're doing when before you even just jump right into the tool itself, right?

Standing Out Beyond Grades

SPEAKER_03

Love that.

SPEAKER_02

All right, so let's let's move into like skills outside of AI that matter matter now, right? And so I think sometimes, and I've and I've have said this to students before, like, don't really and I think I said it even in your class on Monday, and which was University of Arkansas is an amazing university. You can get a great education there, but don't only rely on your academic career for that first job. You have to figure out other ways to to stand out. So, you know, Sarah, when you're looking at a resume outside of the academic performance, what are some of the things that you're looking for that might stand out to you to maybe give that person uh an opportunity to have a conversation with you?

SPEAKER_05

I think, and this is really hard to get from a resume, but like do they have a point of view? Like, I think sorry, I'm gonna keep with the AI thing.

SPEAKER_02

That's okay.

SPEAKER_05

Like it's in the title. Oh, right, it's in the title. I think people confuse like like the novelty of things like with originality. And it's like is your brand showing through? Like, is your is your is your point of view um are there typos on there?

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_05

Which you but you you would you would, I mean, you know. Year of our lord 2026, there are still typos on resumes. Um, but I think some of those things um are things that stand out for me. It's less about some of their technical skills. Um, and that's just if I'm looking at something on paper. I think really um, you know, their personality and their um style and brand really come through when you get to that kind of interview stage.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. How about for yourself, Victoria?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I think those are some really good answers and to build on that. I think what I look for again when I'm just looking on paper, deciding am I gonna interview this candidate or not, is have they taken the time to think about what transferable skills do they have and customized the resume to the job. You wouldn't believe the resumes that I get that have an objective of the job that they're seeking that has nothing to do with the job they're applying for. It is amazing. And I'm like, you're just trying to cover all the bases. Right. I'm like, do you know what you're applying for? So, you know, I think that's really important. And yet I can also tell when the resume's gone through AI against my job description, and I'm thinking there's no way you did these things. Okay, that resume is out. So it's a balance, right? It's you know, what have you done that is transferable? And a lot of that's going to be some of the basics because not everything is transferable to an agency job, but have do you have experience with running a project and project management? And a lot of that you can really tell um in the bullet points of what they've done, what they've accomplished. Um, I'm also like, I really look for have you had an internship?

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_04

Because I think that is really important. Um, even if it's a three-month internship, just having a little bit of real-world experience somewhat in retail is really helpful and will set a candidate apart.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. Carson, what's on your resume?

SPEAKER_00

Well, I guess when I think about my resume before I got my internship, I was trying to, I love being involved on campus. And so I was trying to translate, I loved how you said like your brand, because that's something we talked about in one of my classes, like your personal brand. So utilizing the different experiences and involvement that I had to then like show what I'm interested in when applying, and then when interviewing, explain what I gained from those things so that it shows like those are worth something, maybe before I've had an internship yet. And now that I've had that, being able to speak on that experience and what I've gained from that as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I also think sometimes students may undervalue certain things that they've done that they don't put on their resume. I actually had coffee with a student recently, um, and uh, you know, she's gonna have an internship at Dillard's, and so and that, and that's great. And we were just cat, I met her at a I met her at a panel and and we talked a little bit, and so we had coffee. And I looked at her resume, and she had, you know, ITK ambassador or LT excuse me, LTK ambassador, like to know, ambassador. And I'm like, to me, that was the most interesting thing on her resume. Because if you're an LTK ambassador, and I talked to her a little bit about it, and she told me what we should do. That means she understands commerce, she understands how to create content, right? And you know, obviously a little bit of media, so to speak, related to that. And I'm like, those are so important skills. And that was one line on your resume. That's what I want to know more about. And so I challenge students to find things like that to participate in outside of your core curriculum to do, to just get some experience. Create a t-shirt shop and and uh you know, a print on-demand t-shirt shop, create a YouTube channel, like create a podcast. You know, the the barriers to get into those things are so low now. And those things actually mean so much. I don't care if you sell a million dollars on a t-shirt shop. I don't care if you have, you know, 100,000 um followers on on YouTube or Instagram, but I what I do like to know is that you've thought through that process and you've been able to work through that and create content. And so there's so many transferable skills I think are underestimated. And the kid could be could be very valuable and very important to you in opening up that that next step for you.

SPEAKER_01

I was thinking about uh there's a student that works in our office, and uh, and again, she wanted help with the resume, so I'm looking over it and I start digging in and asking her other questions and come to find out, which you'll get this like all the big 21st signs that get made, right? Like she makes those and she also does a lot of the banners that are for that. Or for houses and that kind of thing. So she's got this whole business going on that she didn't even put them in her resume. Right. To your point. And I was like, you are so creative. And she's wanting to go work for an ad agency.

SPEAKER_04

Initiative. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. And so um we talked about that. I know students sometimes get nervous, like, should I take this off? It's uh then, you know, I'm I'm uh uh a waiter. I, you know, at a fine dining restaurant. No, and it's like, no, you are you are facing customers and you're uh, you know, it's client service. So yeah, I I agree with that.

Managing Up And Professional Polish

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that it's it's definitely one of my number one, one my one of my number one tips for students is as well. Um, so let's just let's talk about um some of the gaps between when they start versus you know when they went to school. So like you know, what are some of the biggest gaps when you know someone starts at, you know, not necessarily a negative, but like what are the things that are usually have to be worked on right out the gate when you know a student comes into a a work environment? So Victoria, I don't know if you had a thought of that.

SPEAKER_04

Um I would say one of the gaps is understanding the dynamics and hierarchy of the company that you're working in and learning how to manage up appropriately.

SPEAKER_02

I like that.

SPEAKER_04

That's good. That's a good one. Anyone want to expand on that? Add to that? I could expand. I love that.

SPEAKER_01

And one of the things that I want to start, actually, we're planning on putting it into uh play in the fall, is starting a Walton Next Gen mentoring program. And I think that's something that these students could learn through a mentoring relationship. And so I'm excited about that. I think that we realize that there is a gap there too. But with our retail advisory board, we are gonna launch Walton Next Gen in the fall and we're gonna pilot it kind of small, maybe about 30 students. Um, and they'll they'll have a mentor in industry. That's fair. And I hope that's maybe that's a chance for them to kind of see and learn some of that.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, because I think what's really interesting, and that this may be maybe an issue that we face a little bit more in the south, where we're all very open and friendly, and you know, I lead my team that we're equals and I have an open door policy, and yet people still need to remember their personal brand. Right, right. And the conversation you might have with somebody one level up probably needs to look a little different than four levels up.

SPEAKER_01

Right. There's still a total of the thing.

SPEAKER_05

But there's a gap.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, yes. Like you want to make sure that you are presenting that brand and putting forth your best self. Yes. Um, even though we are very friendly and we want to be collaborative and we want to have everyday conversations and get to know people, there's there's a balance there. And I think that's a a skill that takes people a while to learn. And um, if they learn the hard way, it can it can damage reputations. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

I saw that a lot on the agency side as well. I know we've had a lot of conversations about this, Victoria. I learned the hard way. It's you know, it's like the professional polish and like the casualness. I think people think if you have a career in like, you know, marketing or you're you're in digital or you're in Omni or e-commerce, like there's this automatic or creative, like that you don't have to show up or in a professional way. You can be casual, you can there's this like laxness about things. Um, and so I think uh to your point, like knowing your audience, bringing your best brand forward, um, again, showing up with the consistency, all of those things are are super critical.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I mean it sounds like really the fundamentals, right? Of really truly uh working in a professional environment and bringing some of that professionalism to be prepared because you don't know who you're going to talk to next and being ready for for that. So so Carson, like you got you have a great gig that you're gonna be jumping into here uh very soon. Is there anything that you feel really confident about going into that that role? And then are is there anything that you're unsure about? Like what makes you a little bit nervous about that that that role as you kind of become go from intern to full-time employee?

SPEAKER_00

I think I'm just gonna be nervous. Like that's that's how it's gonna be. I feel like the year-long internship made a huge difference for me because I got to be integrated as like a real employee while also having project experience, which was I didn't initially seek out. And then once I found it, I was like, this is definitely meant for me. And so I'm nervous because I've have a foundation, but now I'm stepping into a bigger role and bigger shoes and expectations and making sure that I'm not only meeting them but exceeding them is definitely makes me nervous. But I'm very excited because everyone around me has always supported me and like I wouldn't be where I am in my role without them. And so I think that there's a mix of both going on for sure, but I'm excited for it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and I and I love that part because you really touched again back on relationships that we were we were talking about earlier. Like you had people that you counted on that you engaged with and they help helped you. I I will say, like, I always offer those types of things to, you know, whenever I, you know, yeah, I teach um or I run across students, I'm always willing to help. The number of students that actually engage, very, very small, right? And so you when you have somebody that's willing to help and you don't take advantage of that's you know, you're you're it's your loss, right? It's your a missed opportunity. And it's not about me, but uh what I'm just saying is like if you're gonna reach out to somebody and you want to connect with them, be intentional. What do you want to learn? Have a conversation, you know, and there's they you can learn a lot, right? You can learn a lot. Like, um, you know, I'm an old man, I've been through a lot in my in my the four quarters of my career, and so I could probably give you some input on some things. So, you know, take advantage of those people who really want to help. And and you know, if if you run across them, take it take advantage of it, you know, take take that opportunity as well.

SPEAKER_05

I was so glad you said like you had the support system. I think that's like so critical, even when you're established in your career to have that, like I think people call it a board of directors or a board of mentors or sponsors or whoever it is um to go to for different things. Like there are things I will go to BV or Victoria for, and they may be completely different. And so I think it's important, yes, don't don't uh miss an opportunity, but also expand like where those opportunities come from and try and seek out mentors who maybe um have skill sets that you are looking to develop at sure so that you can you can um learn from them.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and I would also say when you do take advantage of those opportunities, be prepared. Yes. Because there are some people that have taken the advice to reach out to me, but then they show up expecting me to lead the conversation. And I'm like, well, I don't know what you want to know. So be prepared, be purposeful, I think maybe is a better way of saying it. Like, what is it that this person offers that you need to learn or want to learn? And come in with a couple of questions to get that conversation going.

Bold Vibes Rapid Fire Takes

SPEAKER_02

Yep. Awesome. All right, great conversation. Now we're gonna move into the bold vibes part of the podcast. So this is where I'm gonna throw out some things. You you tell me if you agree or disagree, if you want to expand briefly on it, you can. Um, so I'm just gonna go and everybody's gonna get a chance to answer these questions. All right. So, question one AI will reduce entry-level jobs. Agree or disagree, Victoria?

SPEAKER_05

Disagree in client service industries. Disagree, also dependent upon the industry.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I would say disagree, at least I certainly hope so for their sake.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, agreed. I I agree with Anne, I disagree. Um, just hoping that maybe with the tools we'll develop more entry-level roles or something.

SPEAKER_01

So just a shift in what those look like, maybe. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That's the hope. All right, next question. The most valuable skill in five years will be technical. Agree or disagree, Carson.

SPEAKER_00

Let's disagree. I think as we've talked about this whole time, brainstorming, creativity, communication, all of those things are gonna become even more crucial because we all have that new tool that we're utilizing and becoming pros at at some point.

SPEAKER_02

Yep. Ann?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I would agree with Carson on that. I think we're gonna I I think the more that we get used to AI and automation, we're gonna crave some human things, human connection, human touch, the the human judgment. So yeah, I agree with you.

SPEAKER_02

Sarah?

SPEAKER_05

Disagree. Human capital, that's our luxury. That is the luxury good, that's the currency.

SPEAKER_02

Victoria?

SPEAKER_04

I agree somewhat. Okay, but I think it's different, not necessarily technical in the way that we're talking about it. Um, so where my head goes to that question is more thinking about we're gonna need more of those technical skill sets like electricians, plumbers, etc. Yep. That's true.

SPEAKER_02

Agree. All right. Sorry, Ann, but this on this one. But college is keeping up with AI. Agree or disagree. I'll start with Sarah first.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_05

And just to plug, um, Walton College of Business, I'm also an executive MBA grad. And like, cannot say a good thing, enough good things about Walton College. I think you all are the exception and the outlier to this. I think universities are about to, they are one of the I think industries that is probably being disrupted by AI, and they are probably having to quickly come out with a point of view, how they adapt their learning, how they just how they do business and how they recruit. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Ann?

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I I again I'm talking about it every day, all day at work. So I think Walton College is a little different. She talked about taking a course. I mean, we've got two gentlemen in particular that are mind-blowing in terms of the amount of knowledge that they have. We have the AI task force, again, the exchange. We're doing all these different things because we don't want to be left behind. Like we're trying really hard to make sure our students are gonna be day one ready. That's our motto. They got to be day one ready. And that's, you know, again, I think AI, I love how you say that, just AI readiness. It doesn't mean it's changing every day, like you mentioned. When Brandon comes and speaks to my class, he puts a thing up that says disclaimer by the end of this, by the end of this an hour talk, like all of this could be gone.

SPEAKER_05

Like it's now like the worst version.

SPEAKER_01

And so I think that we're doing our best to make sure our students are day one ready in a lot of ways, and now just AI is gonna get weaved through that. Um yeah, it's ours.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, so I would say disagree other than U of A. Um, I think smaller colleges, liberal arts colleges are not keeping up.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Carson, what do you think?

SPEAKER_00

It's hard. I think that Walton is definitely the exception. The U of A is an exception, but I also think I've seen like how challenging it still is there. Like as a topic, we are discussing it, we have classes about it, but as like individual professors, like having to navigate what that means in their class is still a challenge and is still something they're gonna have to figure out. Um, so kind of in the middle on that one, I think.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

All right. And the last one, and we'll start with you, Carson. Students today are more prepared than previous generations. Agree or disagree?

SPEAKER_00

I think it depends on like what we're saying with prepared, which I guess is kind of clear.

SPEAKER_02

You take it, you take it where you want to take it.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. Um, I think that in terms of like adaptability and having tools to brainstorm and all these different things, students have that ability. Like there's so many more resources now and they're learning how to utilize them. But I think in terms of maybe just starting an entry-level role, the tradition of getting that the basics and all of those things, they might not be because the four years that they've had is that gonna translate? Like they don't know the answer yet. And so I think they're more adaptable, but in terms of tradition and a lot of things that have built really strong careers, it's gonna be interesting how that plays out. Yep.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And agree or disagree?

SPEAKER_01

Uh yeah. What was the question? One more time.

SPEAKER_02

The question is students today are more prepared than previous generations.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I I mean, all right, I'll I'll be a dinosaur here for a minute, but does anybody know what overhead transparencies are? All right. Yeah. So when I first started teaching, like that's what we use, right? Overhead transparencies. I think I'm blown away now that little kids are using technology, right? And we're seeing AI brought into elementary schools in different ways as mentors and coaches. And and so I think that the level of just being able to adapt, like you talked about, is I'm seeing that in the class. Like they're not afraid to try new things, they're not afraid to adapt or afraid of change.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Whereas someone like me, I um, yeah, it's harder, right? It's harder for us to feel um, I guess, confident in the changes that are taking place so fast. Whereas I think for you all, it's just like commonplace. Like everything's moving at a a pace that's so fast anyway, that it's just easy. So yeah, so I think I think they're probably more prepared in that way. Um, but I also kind of agree with you. It's it's a time where we don't know what it's gonna look like, you know? Yeah. And so I think they're probably they have a level of anxiety. I don't know if it's unpreparedness, which is just like a level of anxiety, a little bit on their heels versus on their toes, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02

Sarah, thoughts?

SPEAKER_05

Um, Victoria and I were actually talking about this one, and we were we were we were a little bit mixed on this one because I think I'm probably more in the cl closer to Carson's camp on like on some of these things to your point, like the resources, the tools, like I mean, you have more now at your disposal like than ever. I think just the unknown. I think um some of the just uh the attitude and emotional intelligence and professional maturity to bring them into this is still maybe um a little bit tough, but um we'll get there.

SPEAKER_01

Sounds like we have some work to do on that for sure.

SPEAKER_02

So it's it's hard, soft steel stuff is difficult for sure.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. So agree and disagree, agree that they are prepared for change and the technology and they have so much more access to information, that is where they're more prepared. Where they're less prepared, I'm gonna go back to COVID has really set some things back. Oh, 100%, yeah. Totally agree. You know, we haven't talked a lot about that, but where I see that playing out is uncomfortable making phone calls, uncomfortable in groovy situations, the social side of it, very resistant to coming into the office. And all of that is critical to build those relationships. So, in some ways, they're less prepared, and I think that's less prepared emotionally for what we ask of people to do.

SPEAKER_01

I hope. Do you all think like I COVID is a really good point that we didn't bring up, but I'm really hoping that after a certain period of time we can have a reset? Yes. Because I I do see it in college too that um something happened after COVID. Yes, and for sure it's impacted some things. And so, will there be a period where we reach sort of we're past it far enough that this new group that's coming in will be different? And that's that's kind of what I hope.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and I hope that's what college brings. Right. Because I think in social settings, how children and teenagers are even engaging with their peer set is not the same. Yeah, right. They're more on a device, they don't call each other, they game together, they're not out in the world together. So some of that is because of technology. Yeah, but that could be a whole nother podcast.

SPEAKER_01

That could be a whole yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, like my daughter's one that started college her freshman year. Like she was she was the senior in high school that didn't get prom, didn't get graduation. Her freshman year for 30 years or 30 uh hours, I mean, it was all online. Yeah, and you know, so that's gonna impact you.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

So um, yeah.

COVID Aftershocks On Social Skills

Plugs Community Support And Closing

SPEAKER_02

No, I I appreciate I definitely appreciate the COVID, you know, the COVID thing. I actually was teaching at the University of Arkansas at the time when COVID actually hit. And so here I was planning to do this, you know, in-person class, and then all of a sudden after spring break, we were online and everybody had to figure it out. Luckily, I was able to do that and and continue to do that for um you know a few semesters. And so it was yeah, definitely a big big change for but and it had a huge societal impact, right? There are these inflection points in life that cause some of these ripple effects that we don't know at the time what impact it will really have. COVID was one, now AI is the other, right? And so, you know, I think we could talk about all of this probably for another two hours, but we got to kind of wrap things up before we get kicked out of here. Um, and I can never come back and never never use the coffee shop ever again. But you know, I think I think we can all admit AI is changing, it's changing our lives, everybody's lives. It's changing how work is going to get done. But, you know, a career and even starting a career is still gonna be about learning, growth, relationships, skills that, you know, at the on the surface, you know, may not necessarily uh be skills that you are that are obvious and just take take time to develop. And AI can't shortcut that, right? I think it just feels weird right now because everything is very messy. Like it feels like society is messy, it feels like AI makes everything messy, and I think it makes everybody, you know, as I was saying a minute ago, like more on their heels than on their toes, right? On what uh what feels right. And so I think that's all part of that. And that's why we're having this discussion, right? To think about you know, what Carson and and her, her, you know, her uh others, other students uh like Carson, what they're thinking about as they go into uh their first role and what you know what professional um professional organizations are looking at when they're looking at at students and what their expectations are, and then how do we prepare for that and help prepare those students for those things? So I really, really do appreciate having each and every one of you all are great friends and and uh so gracious with your time to be on the show. So I'm gonna give you an opportunity for a shout out or a plug. Is there something that you want that you're working on or something that you want to plug uh to the audience before we we wrap things up? So I will start. Do you have something, Victoria?

SPEAKER_04

You look I yes, I think. Go ahead, Victoria. Yes. So I would encourage anybody looking to get into the retail commerce industry to follow the Mars United blog. We put out a lot of thought leadership. And one thing that has been very informational for agencies, clients, um, retail media networks is we have a retail media network scorecard that goes through and that's actually one of my favorite documents.

SPEAKER_02

I use it quite a bit actually. I use it and train our AI with it, things.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, we publish it quarterly, and I I will stop there, but be sure to check out our blog and follow us.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Awesome. Sarah, anything?

SPEAKER_05

Mine will be not about Nestle, but I sit on the board at the Children's Safety Center. Good. Um April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Um today is NWA Gives Day. So if you're looking for an organization to give back to, that is one that's near and dear to me. And um, oh my God, that money goes local, it stays right here helping our kids. So yes, amazing. Love that.

SPEAKER_01

That is an incredible organization. I love that. Um, I guess a couple of things. One is I'm gonna brag on Carson for a minute. Awesome, nick. So we give out um awards about this time of the year, and so Carson is one of Walton College's seniors of significance. It's a big deal and very few students get it. And we have a lot of Walton College students, so that's the first plug. Um, second, I mentioned I'm part of the retail advisory board. So um, if anybody, you know, listening or watching this wants to learn more about it, I'd love for them to reach out to me to and love to get Mars and AdVury as part of that. Um, and then finally, just you know, if again, companies or people listening, um, we have so many professors that love to partner with industries, whether it's guest speaking, class projects, whatever. If it interests you and your company to get engaged, reach out to me. I'll I'll plug you in with somebody and make a great, meaningful relationship that way. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. Carson, you're thank you, Professor Bella Cat.

SPEAKER_00

I really appreciate that. Um, I guess I would just say if you're a student listening to this, um, go to the career fairs. We have amazing ones, and that's how I got my internship and not my job. So take any opportunity that you have, and AI is a great topic to discuss. I've had a lot of opportunities to discuss it. So if you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, please do. I would love to chat about it.

Where To Find The Podcast

SPEAKER_02

Awesome. All right. Well, I want to thank you, Victoria, Sarah, Ann, and Carson for being on the show today. I also want to thank Heroes Coffee for hosting us. It's been uh great to do this here. Um, I also want to thank the audience for for being here and supporting the the crew and the podcast, of course. Um, yeah, it's it's really important to you know do things like this within the community and having you all here is is is super super helpful. So if you want to learn more about my podcast, Retail Media Vibes, if you go to retailmedia vibes dot com, there's all of the episodes. I think I'm up to like seventeen episodes by now. So a lot of a lot a lot of B V out there in the in the internet there. So you can Listen to your heart's content. Um, so again, appreciate you all coming out. And as always, I promise I will do better next time. B V outro.