What if your dream career wasn't really a dream after all? Being a PINK Campus Rep can be the source of the necessary but fun work experience you need to land that dream job. Meet Wesley, a former PINK Campus Representative, who just landed a position with Southern Living! Being a Campus Rep can be an absolute blast, but she took the experiences she gained from PINK to jumpstart her career. This could be you, too! Here is Wesley's story on how PINK landed her a dream job.

Q: What made you want to become a PINK Campus Rep?

Wesley: A girl in my sorority was a PINK Campus Rep, and I immediately jumped on the opportunity when she opened applications for the Campus Team. I had been looking for more ways to get involved on campus and being able to do so while working with my favorite brand was just the dream! I worked extremely closely with my rep during her time, and I fell in love with everything about it. It was a great outlet for my creativity and organizational skills, and I couldn't wait to be in a position of leadership to help apply those.

Q: What can you say that you learned at PINK that is invaluable?

Wesley: The leadership skills I learned at PINK were absolutely invaluable. But I learned that what's just as important as knowing how to lead is knowing when to fall back and work as a part of a team. A good leader knows how to delegate tasks to fit each member’s personal strengths, but also must be held accountable to demonstrate the kind of work ethic she expects from each member of the team.

Q: Any moments you thought to yourself, “this is beyond what I thought it was?"

Wesley: I remember when I got this call like it was yesterday. I was given the incredible opportunity to appear in a PINK photo shoot alongside nine other reps to promote the PINK Collegiate Collection. We were flown up a few days before Brand Training and were truly given the royal treatment. We were able to connect with members of the marketing team one-on-one to talk about our goals, as well as spend a day on the Ohio State campus for the photo shoot. Months later, my face was on the homepage of Victoria's Secret PINK website. It was an absolutely surreal experience where I also got to connect with some of the girls I still call my best friends to this day.

Q: What was your major? What else were you involved in on campus?

Wesley: I was an advertising major and also a member of my sorority. It was so much fun to recruit girls for the Campus Team both in and outside of the Greek community to fully represent the campus and help us reach as many people as possible! Being a rep gave me a whole new perspective on my major, how to successfully work with others, and how to think critically to solve problems.

Q: How did you balance being a PINK Campus Rep with school?

Wesley: It was definitely challenging, but SO rewarding. Personally, I thrive most when my plate is full, but it truly was such a team effort. It’s amazing how enthusiasm and support from your team can make or break your experience, and thankfully, mine made it!

Q: How would you describe the life of a PINK Campus Rep from your experience?

Wesley: When I talk about my experience with PINK, it almost sounds too good to be true (even to me!). It truly does not get better than working with people who also love to promote a brand you adore. It felt like Christmas getting to distribute the newest PINK products to girls on campus, collaborating with our local PINK store and local businesses, and getting a lot of the inside scoop on new products. Each event, both small and large, was such a labor of love and, without fail, gave me a renewed energy to make the next one even better.

Q: Any challenges you had while being a PINK Campus Rep? How did you work through it?

Wesley: I think that with working as a part of a team, challenges are always going to come about. People are always going to have different views on the way events should be executed, but I think above all, just listening got me through it. It’s so important to consider another person’s point of view and to remember that there is truly something that can be learned from everyone you interact with. It’s all about communication and compromise!

Q: What would you say to someone applying to be a PINK Campus Rep?

Wesley: Get involved with the Campus Team before applying. It’s so, so important to have a deep passion and understanding for the brand, but I would argue that it’s just as (if not more) important to understand the responsibilities that the job entails to be fully committed to its success.

Q: What’s something you would never have done if you weren’t a PINK Campus Rep?

Wesley: Being a PINK Rep taught me to truly “reach for the stars,” so to speak. Working for such an amazing company gave me such confidence to go after what I wanted, regardless of how big or impossible as it seemed. During the last bit of my term as a PINK rep, I landed an internship with Seventeen magazine in their photo department. I loved Seventeen since I was little, but I truly think it took being a PINK Rep to light a fire in me and made me say, “I’m really going to do this.” Being able to leverage my experience with PINK was so valuable during the interview process and was one of my key selling points that landed me the internship that started my career.

Q: What do you wish people knew about the PINK Campus Rep Program?

Wesley: It really, really is as good as it seems. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have, and you’ll walk away with experience and connections that will benefit you both immediately and later in life.

Q: What do you currently do for a living?

Wesley: I’ve run my fashion and lifestyle blog, Have A Wesley Day, for the past two years where I collaborate with some amazing brands to create content which seamlessly integrates their products into my lifestyle. I also just accepted a position on the Southern Living digital team (my absolute dream!), so I’ll be a part of the amazing team that brings all of their social media channels to life!

Q: How did your experience with PINK impact your career decisions after graduating?

Wesley: As I mentioned with my experience at Seventeen, PINK was what gave me the confidence to pursue my career wholeheartedly. That confidence gave me a clearer vision of what I wanted to see myself doing in the future, as well as the ability to articulate and sell my strengths to potential employers.

Q: How do you think being a PINK Campus Rep helped with what you do now?

Wesley: Work ethic. Leadership. Teamwork. Organization. Enthusiasm. Proactivity. Communication. These are all skills that I attained from my time with PINK that are extremely valuable and applicable to me every day in my personal life and career.

Q: What's the most tangible skill/lesson you took from your PINK experience in regards to your career now?

Wesley: Branding. Is. Key. Of course, Brand Training for PINK was tons of fun (we felt so spoiled!), but our leaders and panelists spent so much time making sure everyone was on the same page about PINK’s core identity and how to accurately represent it to achieve our goals. That’s something I apply to my personal brand through my blog, as well as in my career!

Your dream job could be waiting for you right around the corner!

Working with the PINK Campus Representative Program can do more for your career than you could ever even imagine. Being a Campus Rep means you not only get to represent your school but also that you get to build and be a part of a community within that school. You will get the hands-on experience that employers are looking for, without the confines of sitting at a boring desk all day! If you're fun-loving, driven, passionate, and love sporting PINK, you are the type of girl the brand is looking for. Apply to be a Campus Rep, and you might be one step closer to landing that dream job!