Matt Lauer at Temple University!

I had the amazing opportunity to see Matt Lauer speak today at Temple, and he didn't disappoint! He gave a short introduction, made a joke about having a beer at Maxi's on his way over, then generously invited students to ask him ANYTHING. Students seemed a little hesitant at first, but after a minute or two there were lots of hands up in the crowd. The result was an engaging Q&A session about jobs, interviews, advice, and some of the best times of his career. Here are some key points that I took away from his talk:

• Surround yourself will good people who will tell you the truth. This is important in good and bad times.
• Want to differentiate yourself from the rest of our jobless generation? Write an excellent cover letter. Make sure the person reading it knows you're writing it especially for them.
• NBC hires interns, and may even help find them housing! Juniors and seniors - look into it!
• Specialize in something while in school. Become an expert on something that people will be talking about for years to come. His examples: China or the environment.
• Do your homework! When asked what he does to prepare for a tough interview he said that he prepares more. Know the subject as well as who you're interviewing.
• Develop a tough skin. Things will happen to you over your career that will hurt, so be prepared to deal with them.

These are just some of the great things we heard from Matt Lauer today. A big thanks to him for coming, and to the School of Communications and Theater for inviting students to attend!