Recently, I found another hidden gem being a student in the MSC Program! I was writing a paper for my Corporate Citizenship course about Chick-fil-A’s response to the Terrorist Shooting in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. After reading many articles, I was still pondering some questions that were unanswered in the research I had conducted. I decided to cold call the Chick-fil-A restaurant and ask to speak with the restaurant manager.

I have to say, it was a little strange calling a restaurant to conduct an interview rather than place an order. When a Chick-fil-A employee answered the phone, I introduced myself as a Graduate Student at Northwestern University and explained that I was working on an assignment for class. The employee handed off the phone to the restaurant manager who went back to the office where it was quieter.

Once she was situated, I re-introduced myself and the reason I was calling.

The restaurant manager was very open to answering my questions and seemed happy to help. Since I had written my questions down ahead of time, I was well-prepared for the interview, even though I wasn’t sure it was going to happen.

After the interview was complete, I thanked her for her time and the very thorough answers she provided me. (Of course she said “My pleasure” as is customary for Chick-fil-A employees.) She then mentioned that her little brother is going to be a Freshman this fall at Northwestern! I found this to be a most pleasant coincidence.

Upon further reflection, I realized that we have a unique opportunity to speak with high level personnel because we are Northwestern Graduate Students. When we introduce ourselves that way, it makes sense that people are more likely to speak with us because they recognize Northwestern’s brand name or that we are students who need help on an assignment.

The moral of this story is: If you’re a member of Northwestern University and want to speak with someone, use it to your advantage and contact them.