Olivia Leckner

Just a few months after graduating, Marketing and Public Relations graduate Olivia Leckner has snagged a role in the Office of the Mayor in Wellington. She’s part of the team of three responsible for the Mayor’s communications, working on social media, speech writing, presentations, and content writing.

“My job has been a great introduction to political PR!” Olivia says. “I get to contribute to the planning and implementation of strategies and I am also learning a lot about risk and reputation management, media relations, and public relations strategy.”

Before starting at uni, Olivia knew she was interested in marketing. After shopping around for communications degrees, she found that Waikato Management School had everything she was looking for, and the additional Triple Crown Accreditation and PRSA certification made it ‘an easy choice’.

During her degree, she learnt how to plan and implement a public relations campaign, think strategically, write for different stakeholders, and understand the role of communications in achieving organisational goals. But it was her extensive involvement during her uni days that prepared her for her current job – at each opportunity, she was putting what she’d learnt into practice outside of the classroom.

“I joined my local youth council while I was at high school in Auckland, which caught the attention of recruiters at Wellington City Council when I applied for a graduate job. As well as that, I took an internship with a creative agency in Hamilton that was running a mayoral campaign for a candidate in the local body election. It was hard work, but it's one of those things that is worth it in the end. I also worked as a promoter for an agency, which gave me a good set of practical skills in marketing and communications, and I had a casual job copywriting for a local business’s blog too.”

She also became involved in university life, serving as a student ambassador and joining the executive board of Management Communication Students’ Association (MCSA) as the Vice President, which opened up many unique networking opportunities and kick-started several mentoring relationships.

Olivia’s vision for her future involves continuing to learn and grow, exploring her passions through her career. “I'm looking forward to developing my skills, learning from senior practitioners, and continuing to do work I'm passionate about for cities and people.”

As for any advice she may have for current students? She says a variety of work experience is beneficial. “I think the key is saying yes to as many different opportunities as you can, as it helps to broaden your skill set.”