(Edited By Genevieve O’Connor, Career Ambassador, and Aubree Robitzer, Career Coach)

Starting a podcast is not as simple as recording a video and posting it online. Rather,

there are intricate steps that a person or organization must follow. This is illustrated by the experiences of Karla Quintanilla and the staff at DeSales University’s Career Development

Center for the making of their podcast, DeSales University Careercast. These experiences are a great way to learn about the steps to creating a podcast.

Get Connected.

A vital resource for the Career Development Center staff was their connections to other podcast hosts.  These industry veterans helped the team determine the steps to take.  They learned that not only does a podcast require a podcast host (a service that will upload podcasts to popular streaming services), but there are also many nuances to hosting an episode.

Prepare.

Rather than having an unscripted discussion with a random person, a podcast requires planning the layout of an episode, screening potential guests, developing questions, reviewing participant biographies, and holding a genuine conversation. 

The first step Quintilla and the team took was to find a podcast host service that was both effective at reaching streaming websites and cost effective. After that, Quintanilla and co-programmer Kylee Shivok began to reach out to DeSales alumni willing to share their DeSales success and career know-how. They were pleased to have 15 participants respond to their message within a week!

Research.

Before each episode, Quintanilla and Shivok compiled participant histories, developed questions and discussion points, and did any research they needed to understand the career of the participants. Not only did they have this information, but it was also provided to the participants so that there was never a dull moment in the episode. 

Edit, Submit, and Publish.

From there, episodes for Careercast were edited and submitted to the podcast host. Although the episodes were recorded, there were still some checks and balances that needed to be completed prior to its launch.

Coherence and Compromise.

For Quintanilla, the hardest part of the process was not the idea, finding participants, or producing the show. Instead, the most difficult part was working with various departments on the DeSales University Campus to have one coherent message.  Yet, out of these trials came growth in teamwork skills, communication, and compromise.

Perseverance and Results.

With all of the preparation done by the Career Development Center staff, the podcast went from an abstract idea to a new resource for DeSales students.  Now career development can be in the hand of every DeSales student.  The DeSales University Careercast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcasts!

Should you decide to make a podcast, do not fear!  Not only is DeSales University Careercast a source of career knowledge, but it is also a prime example of how to build a podcast from the ground up. Understanding the research, networking, planning, and perseverance necessary to succeed will make your podcast ideas into reality. Remember the work of Quintilla, Shivok, and the Career Center staff, and you will be hosting a podcast in no time!