Hli Yang成長(zhǎng)于其苗族父母位于密蘇里州郊區(qū)的家禽飼養(yǎng)場(chǎng)。在這里度過(guò)的童年讓她對(duì)農(nóng)業(yè)產(chǎn)生了濃厚的興趣。24歲那年，為了追尋這一夢(mèng)想，Yang從密蘇里大學(xué)拿到了兩個(gè)學(xué)位——農(nóng)業(yè)和廣播記者學(xué)士學(xué)位，以及新聞藝術(shù)碩士學(xué)位。在農(nóng)業(yè)傳播領(lǐng)域從事了多項(xiàng)工作之后，她來(lái)到了阿肯色州的斯普林代爾，并加入了泰森食品公司，擔(dān)任公司采購(gòu)部門(mén)的專(zhuān)職傳播策略師。

以下是Yang的故事……

進(jìn)入泰森的大門(mén)：

在大學(xué)本科畢業(yè)后我獲得了一份實(shí)習(xí)工作，因?yàn)槲衣?lián)系了密蘇里大學(xué)的顧問(wèn)，當(dāng)時(shí)她剛好在數(shù)周前從泰森那里收到了一封郵件，內(nèi)容說(shuō)的是想找一位傳播業(yè)務(wù)實(shí)習(xí)生。我閱讀了工作介紹，然后我覺(jué)得可以借此機(jī)會(huì)學(xué)習(xí)并為集團(tuán)貢獻(xiàn)自己的力量。因此我提交了申請(qǐng)并得到了這份工作。那個(gè)夏天過(guò)后，我回到密蘇里大學(xué)攻讀碩士學(xué)位，我依然通過(guò)遠(yuǎn)程的方式擔(dān)任公司的實(shí)習(xí)生。又過(guò)了一個(gè)夏天，我回到阿肯色州擔(dān)任實(shí)習(xí)生，然后在攻讀碩士學(xué)位期間繼續(xù)實(shí)習(xí)，然后在11月拿到了全職工作。

在泰森實(shí)習(xí)兩次之后獲得了全職工作：

去年秋天，我真的希望獲得一份全職工作。我向我的上司表達(dá)了這一意愿，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)我所在的部門(mén)就有這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)。然后，他們真的為我設(shè)置了這個(gè)職務(wù)，因?yàn)閷?duì)于一家商品集團(tuán)來(lái)說(shuō)，傳播職務(wù)并不常見(jiàn)，因?yàn)樯唐芬蕾?lài)的是資金。我不得不[正式]申請(qǐng)這份工作，以便讓其他候選人提交申請(qǐng)，但其他人都不符合條件。因此我連面試都免了，在申請(qǐng)之后便得到了這份工作。

作為專(zhuān)職傳播策略師的職責(zé)：

我負(fù)責(zé)為公司本土糧食服務(wù)業(yè)務(wù)部門(mén)的傳播團(tuán)隊(duì)提供協(xié)助。他們會(huì)從農(nóng)民手中購(gòu)買(mǎi)玉米。我工作的主要目的是提升人們對(duì)公司業(yè)務(wù)的認(rèn)知度。在過(guò)去，農(nóng)民會(huì)將其作物銷(xiāo)售給中間商，然后我們?cè)購(gòu)闹虚g商那里購(gòu)買(mǎi)。但如今我們直接從農(nóng)民手中購(gòu)買(mǎi)，這樣的話(huà)農(nóng)民能夠多掙點(diǎn)，我們也可以多省點(diǎn)成本。

我一直在嘗試提升傳播效果，并試圖為我們所做的業(yè)務(wù)增添價(jià)值。為了實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo)，我一直以教育為重點(diǎn)，讓農(nóng)民了解市場(chǎng)信息以及更為復(fù)雜的事情。我的論文研究方向之一便是農(nóng)民及其傳播用途。很多農(nóng)民告訴我，他們對(duì)某些合約知之甚少。如果我們向其傳授更多的內(nèi)容，便能夠加強(qiáng)相互之間的信任，而不是僅僅對(duì)他們說(shuō)：“使用這項(xiàng)服務(wù)”。增強(qiáng)農(nóng)民對(duì)市場(chǎng)運(yùn)作情況的了解也會(huì)為其務(wù)農(nóng)生活增添價(jià)值。

生活中的一天：

每一天的工作都是截然不同的，這真的是件好事情。我是集團(tuán)里唯一從事傳播業(yè)務(wù)的員工，而且專(zhuān)門(mén)從事這項(xiàng)業(yè)務(wù)。由于我是這個(gè)辦公室的唯一員工，因此活特別多，而且有著各種不同的工作。周一可能是我工作最忙的一天。我會(huì)做兩個(gè)視頻報(bào)告，因此我會(huì)在一大早，也就是6點(diǎn)半來(lái)到辦公室，通常要工作到下午5點(diǎn)或6點(diǎn)才會(huì)離開(kāi)辦公室，然而由于這些工作日的時(shí)長(zhǎng)較長(zhǎng)，因此我會(huì)在一周的其他幾天內(nèi)削減工作時(shí)長(zhǎng)。在剩余的工作日中，我會(huì)更新一下Facebook頁(yè)面，寫(xiě)寫(xiě)文章，并做一些公共關(guān)系活動(dòng)。我也經(jīng)常向企業(yè)傳播業(yè)務(wù)團(tuán)隊(duì)尋求幫助，他們就在大廳對(duì)面的右邊，因此我會(huì)就項(xiàng)目與他們開(kāi)展很多合作，或征求他們的意見(jiàn)。

工作中最困難的內(nèi)容：

我認(rèn)為工作中最大的挑戰(zhàn)是自己的年齡，以及責(zé)任太重和主人翁精神。很多時(shí)候我都會(huì)懷疑我自己。工作真的充滿(mǎn)挑戰(zhàn)，但我靠的是自身的直覺(jué)以及在學(xué)校內(nèi)外學(xué)到的東西。

在泰森工作最美好的事情：

對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)，我異?？粗氐氖?，我所從事的工作是以改變?nèi)藗兊纳顬槟康?。這也是我如此喜愛(ài)新聞工作的原因，因?yàn)檫@份工作對(duì)公眾有著很大的影響力。而且我如今的工作的確能夠?yàn)楫?dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)提供支持，并為農(nóng)民的生計(jì)提供更多的機(jī)會(huì)。作為農(nóng)民的女兒，我深知社區(qū)中這類(lèi)生意的重要性，因?yàn)樗拇_能夠促進(jìn)經(jīng)濟(jì)循環(huán)。

作為移民農(nóng)民女兒的成長(zhǎng)經(jīng)歷對(duì)自己當(dāng)前的工作有何幫助：

我的父母是泰森的家禽養(yǎng)殖農(nóng)民，而且他們自2003年以來(lái)就開(kāi)始務(wù)農(nóng)，因此泰森在很久以前便已經(jīng)融入了這個(gè)家庭。由于在農(nóng)場(chǎng)長(zhǎng)大，我學(xué)到的是截然不同的職業(yè)道德觀(guān)念。除此之外，我的父母還是老撾的移民。作為美國(guó)的第一代移民，我的父母總是教導(dǎo)我們必須要努力工作。這一點(diǎn)很有幫助，不過(guò)很多人都對(duì)農(nóng)業(yè)和農(nóng)民存在誤解。他們是那些為世界生產(chǎn)食物的人。如今，無(wú)論我到訪(fǎng)何處的農(nóng)民，這一理念真的很有幫助。我會(huì)試著搭建溝通的橋梁，因?yàn)槲覍?duì)他們所經(jīng)歷的困苦了如指掌。

應(yīng)對(duì)冒充者綜合征：

你必須了解你自己。在很多時(shí)候，這一點(diǎn)在于了解自身的直覺(jué)，并意識(shí)到我在學(xué)校學(xué)到了很多有用的知識(shí)，而且我可以在工作之中真正地去實(shí)施。我的一位導(dǎo)師告訴我，冒充者綜合征將伴隨你的整個(gè)職業(yè)生涯。研究顯示，大多數(shù)成功的職場(chǎng)人士都存在這個(gè)問(wèn)題，而且人們可以將其看作是動(dòng)力而不是阻力。

導(dǎo)師的重要性：

我有很多導(dǎo)師，他們有著截然不同的觀(guān)點(diǎn)。我試圖和他們建立聯(lián)系，而且不僅僅是業(yè)務(wù)上的聯(lián)系。他們真的對(duì)我照顧有加，而且每當(dāng)我遇到職業(yè)問(wèn)題或存在疑問(wèn)時(shí)，我都會(huì)向他們尋求幫助。他們真的就是我工作的支持者。我的辦公室中還有很多年輕職員，而且我也發(fā)現(xiàn)他們可以成為我的同僚導(dǎo)師。他們與我年齡相仿，但他們和我一樣也在經(jīng)歷同樣的事情。我們有著很多共同的工作和生活難題，而且我認(rèn)為他們的建議通常最有幫助，都是一些日常建議。

如何從農(nóng)場(chǎng)電臺(tái)進(jìn)入企業(yè)傳播部門(mén)：

我的第一份實(shí)習(xí)工作是一個(gè)非常小的農(nóng)場(chǎng)廣播站。我成長(zhǎng)于一個(gè)非常偏僻的農(nóng)村地區(qū)，我最初的打算是成為農(nóng)業(yè)廣播員，然后在大一之后的夏天，我進(jìn)入《農(nóng)場(chǎng)期刊媒體》雜志（Farm Journal Media）實(shí)習(xí)，也多少提升了我對(duì)雜志、撰文和編輯的興趣，隨后我發(fā)現(xiàn)，我真的很想從事廣播這個(gè)行當(dāng)。我的另一個(gè)實(shí)習(xí)工作是在RFD-TV，后者為農(nóng)民和農(nóng)村地區(qū)生活的民眾播報(bào)了大量的農(nóng)村新聞。然后，我在密蘇里州哥倫比亞的當(dāng)?shù)仉娨暸_(tái)工作了一段時(shí)間，擔(dān)任記者。然后我發(fā)現(xiàn)了泰森。

當(dāng)我發(fā)現(xiàn)這個(gè)實(shí)習(xí)機(jī)會(huì)時(shí)，我已經(jīng)決定要念研究生了，但我整個(gè)夏天沒(méi)有什么事可做。我真的想去嘗試一下企業(yè)傳播業(yè)務(wù)，因?yàn)槲乙郧皬膩?lái)沒(méi)有做過(guò)，而且這是我遇到的第一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)。我對(duì)公司十分了解，也深知其價(jià)值觀(guān)，對(duì)公司也沒(méi)有抵觸情緒。因此我把握了這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，隨后便一直為泰森工作。

工作福利：

我們是一家食品公司，因此很明顯，食品是公司的一個(gè)超級(jí)福利。我們有個(gè)泰森公司商店，你可以以更低的價(jià)格購(gòu)買(mǎi)泰森產(chǎn)品，這一點(diǎn)對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)真是個(gè)福音，因?yàn)槲沂诸^并不寬裕。除了食品之外，最重要的一個(gè)福利就是我們的股權(quán)。還有一個(gè)福利就是工作生活平衡。我的老板在這一方面真的是棒極了，尤其是在我實(shí)習(xí)的時(shí)候。她每天都提醒我，要以學(xué)業(yè)為重。公司的工作生活平衡真的不錯(cuò)，如今我已經(jīng)走出了學(xué)校，我真的很感激這一點(diǎn)，因?yàn)檫@對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)彌足珍貴。

因公出差：

我們?cè)L問(wèn)了公司在全美很多小鎮(zhèn)的農(nóng)村飼料廠(chǎng)區(qū)。訪(fǎng)問(wèn)公司的農(nóng)戶(hù)對(duì)我們來(lái)說(shuō)至關(guān)重要。這也是我工作的樂(lè)趣之一。

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Hli Yang grew up on her Hmong parents’ poultry farm in rural Missouri, a childhood that gave her a passion for agriculture. At 24, Yang has received two degrees from the University of Missouri—a Bachelor’s in agricultural and broadcast journalism and a Master’s of Art in journalism—in the pursuit of that passion. After several different experiences in the field of agricultural communications, she relocated to Springdale, Arkansas, and has settled in at Tyson Foods as a communications specialist strategist in the commodity purchasing group.

Here’s what Yang has to say about...

Getting her foot in the door at Tyson:

After undergrad, I got an internship because I reached out to my advisor at Mizzou [the University of Missouri] and she had received an email from someone at Tyson a couple of weeks before looking for a communications intern. I read the description, and I thought that I could learn and add to the group as well. So I applied and got it. After that summer, when I went back up to Mizzou for graduate school, I continued remotely as an intern. That next summer, I came back to Arkansas as an intern, and interned again while I did my Master’s. Then I got hired full-time in November.

Getting hired on full-time at Tyson after two internships with the company:

This past fall I was really looking at getting a full-time job. I had expressed interest to my boss and found out there were going to be opportunities in my group. And then they actually created this position for me because it’s not common to have communications in a commodities group, since commodities is really finance-based. I had to [formally] apply to let other candidates apply, but no one else qualified. So I didn’t have to interview, I just applied and then got it.

What she really does as a communications specialist strategist:

I help our communications team for the local grain services business unit within Tyson Foods. They buy corn from farmers. The main goal of my job is to increase awareness about our business. Historically, farmers will sell their corn to a middleman, and then we would buy it from that middleman. But we just buy directly from the farmer, that way they get paid a little more and we save a little money as well.

I’ve been trying to implement better communications and trying to add value to what we do. To do that, I’ve been prioritizing educational content, teaching the farmers about what the markets are doing and more complex things. Part of my research in my thesis was on farmers and their communication uses. A lot of farmers have told me that they don’t understand certain contracts. We build better trust if we educate them more, instead of just saying “use this service.” Giving them a better understanding of how the markets work adds value to their lives as farmers, too.

A day in the life:

It is completely different every single day, which is really nice. I’m the only person doing communications within our group and for this specific business. Because I am the only person in this office, it’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of different work. Mondays are probably my most consistent day. I put two video reports out, so I come in super early at 6:30 a.m. I normally don’t leave until 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., but because those are my longer days, I cut my hours for the rest of the week. On the rest of my days, I’m balancing running our Facebook pages, writing articles, and doing some public relation campaigns. I lean a lot on our corporate communications team, too. They’re right across the hall, so I collaborate with them a lot on projects or just get advice from them.

The hardest part of her job:

I think the most challenging part of my job is being so young and having so many responsibilities and ownership. There are many times when I doubt myself. It’s really challenging, but it’s just trusting my instincts and leaning on what I’ve learned in and out of school.

Her favorite thing about working at Tyson:

For me, it’s really important to do work that I can see has a purpose in changing people’s lives. That’s why I love journalism so much, because you’re doing impactful work for the public. And the work that I do now really supports local communities and the work of the farmers. Our business actually provides more competition and gives farmers more opportunities to make a living. And I grew up a farmer’s daughter, so I understand how important it is to have a business like that in that community because it really circulates the economy.

How growing up as a daughter to immigrant farmers prepares her for her job today:

My parents are poultry farmers for Tyson, and they’ve been farming since 2003, so Tyson’s been in our family for a long time. Growing up on a farm, you learn a very different work ethic. Not only that, but my parents are also immigrants from Laos. Being a first generation American, my parents have always taught us that you have to work really hard. So that helps, and then a lot of people have misconceptions about agriculture and farmers. They’re the ones who are raising the food for the world. Having that perspective really helps me today whenever I go visit farmers. I try to create a bridge, because I know the trouble that they go through.

Dealing with impostor syndrome:

You have to know yourself well. It’s often just understanding my instincts and knowing that I’ve learned a lot of good things in school, and I can really implement it at work as well. One of my mentors told me that impostor syndrome will follow you through your entire career. Research shows that the most successful professionals have that in common and you can use it to drive you rather than hinder you.

The importance of mentors:

I have a lot of mentors with very different perspectives. I try to make connections with them, and it’s not just business connections. They really do care about me, and I go to them whenever I have a career question or I’m having any doubts. They’re really champions for what I do. There are also a lot of young professionals in my office, and I find them to be peer mentors. They’re close to my age but they’re going through the same things I am. We share a lot of work and life struggles, and I think their advice is often the most helpful, day-to-day advice.

Finding her way from farm radio to corporate communications:

My first internship was at a really small farm radio broadcast station. I grew up in a very rural area, and my initial plan was to be a broadcaster in agriculture and then, the summer after freshman year, I interned with the magazine Farm Journal Media. So I got a little bit more into magazines, writing and editing, and then I decided I actually wanted to do broadcast. My other internship was with RFD-TV, which broadcasts a lot of rural news for farmers and people living in rural areas. And then I worked at a local TV station in Columbia, Missouri, as a reporter. Then I found Tyson.

This internship rose up when I decided to go to grad school and I had an open summer. I really wanted to try something in corporate communications because I’d never done that before and this was the first opportunity that came along. I knew the company well, I knew their values, and am comfortable with them as well. So I took it on and I’ve been here ever since.

Work perks:

We’re a food company, so obviously food is a huge perk here. We have a Tyson Company store and you can buy Tyson products for a lower price which is really nice for me because I am on a budget. One of the most important perks other than food is our stock options. A piece of it, too, is work-life balance. My boss is amazing about that. Especially when I was an intern. She reminded every day that school comes first. There’s still a really good work-life balance now that I’m out of school, and I really appreciate that because it’s a big value for me.

Traveling on the job:

We visit our rural feed mill areas across the country in a lot of small towns. It’s really important for us to go visit our farmers. That’s one of the more fun parts of my job.

Searching for housing in a new place:

I grew up not too far from here, but I didn’t know this area of Arkansas that much. I didn’t know how much it had grown and how modern it’s become. We have Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, JB Hunt Transportation in Rogers, and then of course Tyson in Springdale. With all of these companies, there were a lot of young professionals around, I just didn’t know where exactly everyone was. I chose Rogers, but took me like four months to find an apartment. My sister also lives in Bentonville, and she’s about 15 minutes away from me. That’s another reason I wanted to move to Rogers because it was a bit closer to her, which is really nice.

Her living situation:

My rent is a little over $800, so it’s reasonable. It’s a one-bedroom apartment, and it’s good-sized. I wanted a good place for my dog to run around whenever I’m not at home. There’s a shopping area and this big amphitheater nearby, so there’s a lot of concerts, especially in the summers.

What’s next:

I love communications, all the aspects of it, trying to put complex things into easier words for people and being creative. In commodities, you don’t really associate finance with creativity but you can implement creativity in it. If you look at the way that consumers are changing the way they eat, if you look at the way farmers change the way they farm, it really opens up opportunities and doors here at Tyson and I want to get more into the food branding side of it, too.

Advice to her younger self:

Really know your values and hone in on them. Having that figured out and written down really helps. There have been challenges where I’ve had to make decisions and I don’t know how, but I leaned on my values and what’s important to me in life, and that’s helped me. Whenever you do have a first full time job, you get busy and life moves a million miles an hour. You don’t have the time to hone in on your values then, so it’s nice to have them set already.