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Tracy Arenson Hired As Graphic Designer

For Tracy Arenson, obtaining a full-time position at WRL didn't start smoothly. In fact, she was turned down the first time.

"My senior year I started researching possible internship programs and came across WRL one day," Arenson said. "I sent an e-mail to Bob [Isenberg] and heard back from him within a couple of days. I interviewed with him a week later and found out that he was looking for more of an illustrator-type person, so at the time, things didn't work out."

The Creative Director, Bob Isenberg, remembers a similar story.

"She did not get her first internship simply because we decided to hire a full-time, experienced artist to fill the position, rather than an intern," Isenberg says. "That was back before the [building] expansion, and we had been growing so rapidly we simply ran out of space for an intern. So, regrettably, I contacted Tracy and told her to please try again for the next semester."

Arenson still needed to take three credits of an internship to graduate from the Visual Communication Design program at Kent State University. So she took her skills to a branding firm in Cincinnati during the fall semester of 2006.

After receiving her diploma in May, Arenson decided to move back home to Mason, Ohio, and live with her parents while pondering where she wanted her career to go. On a random day in October, she got an e-mail from Isenberg to come and work at WRL, this time she turned them down.

"I was still interested in WRL," she said. "But, because of how far away I was, I passed it up and asked him if he would keep me in mind for any future full-time positions that popped up and sent him some of my recent work."

Isenberg was impressed with Tracy's work and enthusiasm and decided this was a designer he was not going to let get away.

"After what seemed like an eternity, our expansion project neared completion, so I immediately thought of Tracy and contacted her about an internship again," Isenberg says. "As it turned out, she had already graduated and moved to Cincinnati. Surprisingly though, she was still interested in an internship if it would allow her to prove she was deserving of a full-time position. In a day and age when many graduates seem to feel entitled to a job, it was so refreshing to find a graduate that didn't mind proving she was the right person for our company."

In January he called Arenson again to find out if she had made a decision. This time he got the answer he was looking for.

"I found an apartment, packed up my room and accepted the internship," Arenson said. "Four weeks later I was living in Canton and interning at WRL."

Three months later Arenson was offered a full-time position.

"Tracy continued to impress us throughout her internship. Her personality was a perfect fit for our team mentality in the Art Department," Isenberg said. "Account Executives and Art Directors quickly learned to depend on Tracy which is exactly what I needed to confirm she was a good fit and deserving of a full-time position."

Tracy is happy she made the decision to return to the Canton area and join the WRL team. "I can't even begin to explain how much I have learned, not only about design, but about production, clients, program short cuts, etc," she says. "I can honestly say that I learn, on a daily basis, a handful of tips from every person here in the art department. It has definitely been a positive experience for me."