For the second time this semester, TWC hosted a Lunch Series event at the CBS Corporation [1] in Washington, D.C. The July 20th event featured John Orlando, senior vice president of the CBS Corporation's Washington, D.C. office. He is responsible for the oversight, formulation and implementation of CBS's public policy and government relations' objectives. Mr. Orlando is also a 1976 alumnus of TWC, one of the first of over 50,000 alumni all over the world. He remarked that: "My internship at TWC was one of the most life-changing experiences I had. I knew two weeks into my internship that I wanted to come back to Washington, D.C."
Throughout his career, Mr. Orlando gained experience in a variety of industries, working everywhere from trade associations to political campaigns. He shared words of wisdom with current TWC interns interested in the world of lobbying.
Advice for future lobbyists included:
- When lobbying, make sure to discuss your side, your views and your company's views
- Never lie or your credibility will be shot
- Don't burn bridges and recognize that the relationships you build today will have an impact 10 or 20 years from now in the lobbying world
- Make sure to network: grab a beer, participate in Hill softball, and socialize
- Separate the professional world from your friendships
In addition, Mr. Orlando took a series of questions from TWC interns about media portrayals of lobbying in movies like "Thank You for Smoking" and what he learned from his experience at TWC. Some of the most important lessons he learned from his internship were:
- How to develop business relationships with colleagues
- How to present himself in a professional atmosphere
- How to network
Many of his professional and social skills were tremendously enhanced after his TWC experience, whether it was learning the protocol of a congressional office, how to deal with different personalities or even just cleaning out the office coffee machine! It looks like his 1976 internship wasn't much different than that of current students in 2012!
