Name: Caroline Chandonnet
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Current City: Austin, Texas 
Graduation Year: May 2014
Degree: studio art photography major and communication studies minor 
Current Job: Key Account Representative at Yeti Coolers 

Caroline Chandonnet has never woken up on a Monday with the feeling of not wanting to go to work. She loves her job as a key account representative at Yeti Coolers in Austin, Texas, and said, “I will stay at Yeti as long as they will have me.”  

Chandonnet truly believes in the mission of the Yeti Cooler brand, just like so many of her fellow employees. “The thing that makes our company culture so strong is that employees truly have an emotional attachment to the brand. We love to be outside, adventure, and live what we preach as a brand,” she said. “The brand is so easy to love and get behind. It promotes a healthy lifestyle, spending time with friends and family, getting outside, and getting involved. In a world filled with technology and distractions, it’s so important to have brands like Yeti Coolers that remind us of what’s really important.” 

Yeti Coolers employees have been working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic since the first week of March 2020. “The Yeti Cooler office is like a second home to me. So many of my teammates and colleagues have become my closest friends,” Chandonnet said. “Because of this, my switch to working remotely was not the easiest adjustment. When my office transitioned to remote working due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my team prioritized staying connected with one another. We didn’t want to lose the feeling of being cohesive as a team.” As a result, her team has met at 9 a.m. every weekday since the onset of the pandemic.  

Chandonnet attributes a large part of her career success to the communication skills she learned in her communication studies minor at Texas Christian University. “I’ve learned to alter my communication style based on who I’m working with. I’ve realized how I communicate in a direct way and love to talk but that other people have different styles of communication,” she said. “Learning to adjust my communication style drastically improved my interpersonal communication skills, helping me form better, stronger relationships with coworkers and clients.” 

Resilience is a skill that Chandonnet learned the value of at Yeti Coolers. She applied twice for her current role and had to learn how to overcome questioning and doubting herself and her abilities. “You may know what you want, but it may not come to you immediately. You need to pursue it if it’s what you truly want,” she said. She encourages current students to practice resiliency and know that “if you don’t get it, it might just not be your time.” 

In addition to resiliency, Chandonnet encourages students to have a strong work ethic. “Having a strong work ethic shows people more than you would think. People recognize it even when you feel like they don’t, and it leads to an unspoken good feeling toward you,” she said. Moreover, she mentioned that Yeti Coolers does a great job of rewarding individuals who are hard workers and that the company wants to see those people succeed.  

Chandonnet offered some final words of advice for students to achieve career success. “All you have to do is make your interests known and put in the work,” she said. Hopefully, Bob Schieffer College of Communication students will heed her advice and find the same success as Chandonnet. After all, we all want a job we’re excited to wake up for.