Communication Studies

Nicholas Turner – B.A. 2012

My name is Nick Turner, and I am currently the Human Resources Generalist for Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville, North Carolina.  I graduated from UNCG with my BA in Communication Studies in May 2012. I quickly began the interview process and luckily started working in my current HR position within two weeks after graduation.

As soon as I began taking Communication courses at UNCG, I was fascinated by how relevant and applicable the coursework was to many aspects of life.  Throughout my time at UNCG, I gained valuable experiences and connections to help me achieve success in my role today.  Utilizing the University Speaking Center and eventually working as a Managing Consultant helped me to not only develop my communication and public speaking skills, but also my professional skills whilst being a mentor to my peers.

Throughout the curriculum and coursework, I learned that I identified as an Interpersonal Communicator, and that I find meaning through storytelling, or a narrative perspective.  I find a better connection to others when I learn what their story is, and I love interacting and learning about others from different cultures/backgrounds on a daily basis.  Expanding and applying my knowledge of communication into an internship my senior year with The Volunteer Center of Greensboro also helped me in becoming a more competent and confident communicator, as well as a reliable professional reference.  I feel after taking many of the courses in the communication department, one develops skills needed to succeed in a professional setting, such as facilitating groups, active listening skills, public speaking, and something that is on almost every job description that I have seen—“excellent written and verbal communication skills.”  I’ve found that while there might be some technical skills that a candidate may be lacking, having the soft skills such as communication can be a tremendous benefit.  I had no prior experience or knowledge in HR, but by being a confident speaker and knowing what my strengths were as a communicator, I was capable of applying my skills and catering them to the demands of this position.

One of my primary duties of my job is facilitating new hire orientation, which requires a strong foundation of public speaking in a group setting.  I also meet with several employees from day to day to coordinate the leave of absence process.  It is important for me to be able to research and understand labor laws designated by the Department of Labor, and relay this information to employees.  As a Communication Studies major, the written assignments given usually require a student do scholarly research, and this also helped prepare me for my current role.  The skills and knowledge that I gained have really come full circle for me to use in my everyday professional and personal life.  I shouldn’t go without mentioning as well—I applaud many of the Communication Studies faculty for the tremendous work that they do in helping to encourage and instill knowledge and skills for their students.  I would highly recommend this program!