Employer Feedback For CLA Students

Non-Profit, For-Profit, & Government

Non-Profit

Feedback from:

What is the most important

thing on a student’s resume?

0

1

2

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4

5

WorkExperience

StudentLeadershipExperience

Volunteer /CommunityExperience

Internships College /UniversityAttended

ExtracurricularActivities/Clubs

ResearchExperience

GPA Study Abroad CollegeMajor(s) /Minor(s)

Please indicate the importance of each of the following items on a student's resume

(5= Very Important; 1= Completely Irrelevant)

What are ways that a CLA student

can stand out in an interview?

“Relax and be genuine! We want to get to know you

as a person and not simply hear you recite your

prepared responses.”

-Minnesota Children's Museum

“CLA students can stand out during interviews by

having a comprehensive understanding of what the

job description and qualifications are.”

-ServeMinnesota

“Have responses to well known interview questions. Ask

for an internship or job. Have visited our website and

know something about the company and the interviewer.

Have relevant questions to ask of the interviewer.”

-Center for Homicide Research

“Know their StrengthsFinder strengths and give

examples of how they have used them.”

-The Arc Greater Twin Cities

What is the best way a student can

prepare for an interview with your

organization?

“Review the job description and take the main skills

listed into consideration. Think of experiences you

have that would fall under them, but don't spend too

much time rehearsing the responses. We really want

to see your personality and see how that will fit in

with the culture of the organization.

-Minnesota Children's Museum

“Know and understand the job description and

qualifications”

-ServeMinnesota

“go to the web and find sample interview questions. Tailor

the answers to personalize them. Fill out all application

materials completely. If an expository portion allows 500

words, use 500 words. We want to see how you think as

demonstrated by your writing.

-Center for Homicide Research

“know how they plan to contribute to the

organization's goals specifically, not generally.

where can they make a difference/impact?”

-The Arc Greater Twin Cities

For-Profit

Feedback from:

What is the most important thing

on a student’s resume?

0

1

2

3

4

5

GPA Internships StudentLeadershipExperience

Volunteer /CommunityExperience

ExtracurricularActivities/Clubs

WorkExperience

CollegeMajor(s) /Minor(s)

College /UniversityAttended

Study Abroad ResearchExperience

Please indicate the importance of each of the following items on a student's resume

(5= Very Important; 1= Completely Irrelevant)

What are ways that a CLA student

can stand out in an interview?

“Professionalism (handshake, business attire, having

materials put together, confidence, etc.) and

Pleasantness (smile, kindness, etc.).”

-ACR Healthcare Group

“Come prepared with questions and do prior

research on the company and the position”

–SPS Commerce

“Personality is everything!! Bring lots of

energy and show that you are excited about

the opportunity you are interviewing for.”

–Insight Global

“Have a past trajectory of success in their life,

whether that be in school, work, or sports.”

-Pomerleau Team

What are ways that a CLA student

can stand out in an interview?

“Research the organization and the position they are

interviewing for.”

-Securian Financial Group

“Research the position and how your experiences will match

with the position. Do not focus solely on the organization.

Interviewers are generally thinking what it would be like to

work with the interviewee on a day to day basis, so tailor your

message to the specific position as opposed to the organization.”

-McGladrey LLP

“Have questions available for interviewer and

research position and company.”

-Ameriprise Financial

“Learn about the position you're interviewing for , prepare for

behavior based questions (do you have experiences top of mind that

you're ready to talk about? ), and be ready to talk through your

experiences and the role you played.”

-Target

What is the best way a student can

prepare for an interview with your

organization?

“Looking through our website (www.acrhomes.com) and reading

our Core Values Statement. Also, coming to the interview with a

full and completed application as well as other materials they

are told to bring. Wear professional attire, arrive 5 minutes early,

and just be yourself!”

-ACR HealthCare Group

“Do prior research about our company by referring

to our website at www.spscommerce.com and have

questions prepared about the company and the

position.”

-SPS Commerce

“Research the company! Come prepared to the interview

with great questions and knowledge about the role you

are applying for.”

-Insight Global

“Be prepared to share what their past trajectory of

success is.”

-Pomerleau Team

What is the best way a student can

prepare for an interview with your

organization?

“By showing that they have experience in a variety of

areas, including analytical skills, proven people

leadership and strong communication skills.”

-Securian Financial Group

“Displaying knowledge of the specific position for

which they are interviewing (i.e., not just company).”

-McGladrey LLP

“Do research about the company they are

interviewing with. Talk about relevant work

experience. Professional dress.”

-Ameriprise Financial

“I think students can stand out in an interview when they allow the

interviewer to really understand who they are personally. Have a

1-2 minute elevator speech prepared where you can tell the

employer what you’re most proud of (internship/work experience,

involvement on campus, personal strengths, etc.).”

-Target

Government

Feedback from:

What is the most important thing

on a student’s resume?

0

1

2

3

4

5

Internships Volunteer /CommunityExperience

WorkExperience

CollegeMajor(s) /Minor(s)

StudentLeadershipExperience

ExtracurricularActivities/Clubs

College /UniversityAttended

GPA Study Abroad ResearchExperience

Please indicate the importance of each of the following items on a student's resume

(5= Very Important; 1= Completely Irrelevant)

What are ways that a CLA student

can stand out in an interview?

“Dress well, know about the current trends, know about

what the county is doing, display self confidence and the

desire to learn.”

-Dakota County Community Corrections

“Be prepared to answer in-depth questions regarding your

background, experience, accomplishments, and other transferrable

skills . Take time to research the company/organization before an

interview. Know their mission, vision, and values , and how your skills

and attributes align with these aspects. Learn more about the

leaders of the company (LinkedIn is a great resources for this). Have

a clear and compelling answer WHY you want to work for that

specific company in the position for which you are interviewing.

Follow up your interview with a thank you email that is genuine, free

of spelling and grammar errors, and expresses your continued

interest in the position. Learn the industry lingo and demonstrate

that you are aware of how to communicate effectively with other

industry professionals.”

-State of Minnesota, Minnesota Management and Budget

What are ways that a CLA student

can stand out in an interview?

“A CLA student is coherent, well-versed, confident, and knows a

little about a lot. These are all skills that a government employer

wants to see. Additionally, CLA students are able to multi-task,

learn complex ideas quickly and distill them down, and are heavily

involved in their community. These three character traits are

particularly important in any kind of government work. By

communicating these traits to the interviewer, a CLA student can

succeed. Government employers like seeing "an interest to public

service" generally. CLA students can get this experience by

volunteering and doing internships (relevant to government/public

interest) around the Twin Cities.”

-Hennepin County Attorney's Office

“Dress business attire appropriate , show confidence--firm

handshake, eye contact, ask follow up questions , and

connect how your knowledge/experience will help the business

succeed.”

-Minnesota Zoo

What is the best way a student can

prepare for an interview with your

organization? “Practice, and learn about who they are interviewing

with. Know about current trends and updated resume with

no errors on it.”

-Dakota County Community Corrections

“Take time to review our careers website and agency websites.

Research our agencies and staff on LinkedIn. Learn how people have

progressed with our company and the accomplishments they have

attained. How does that compare with your career goals? Prepare 1-

2 questions that both demonstrate you have researched our agency,

but also help you learn new things about us. Don't just quiz us or try

to stump us. think of 1-2 specific examples of when you performed

each of the action items on your resume. If appropriate, prepare

examples of your work to share to the hiring team (i.e. portfolio).

This is incredibly helpful for marketing, design, education, and

training positions. Attend on-campus networking events and meet

directly with professionals from the organization you are

interviewing (as available).”

-State of Minnesota, Minnesota Management and Budget

What is the best way a student can

prepare for an interview with your

organization?

“Practice, practice, practice. Know your "elevator speech."

Know why you want to work in public service/for the

government and not a private organization. Know what you

bring to the table that other candidates might not. Pull from

your experiences and internships as to why you are committed

to public service. Public servants need to show they are ok

with working long hours and not getting paid a lot - they need

to be humble and caring. Be able to talk about times you

worked in a team, worked under pressure, and conserved limited

resources. Government employees have to work with finite

resources and heavy caseloads.”

-Hennepin County Attorney's Office

“Check out our website, know our mission, review the job

description, be prepared with a list of questions.”

-Minnesota Zoo

2015 Nace Report: Attributes Employers Seek

NACE: 2015 Attributes employers

seek in candidates

Employer Site Visit Feedback for

CLA Students:

What advice do you have

for CLA Students?

“You are prepared for success. Go get it!”

-John Risdall, Founding Chairman

“As Daniel Pink said, “Passion is overrated.”

Rather, find what you love to do and do it well.”

-Ted Risdall, Chairman/CEO

“Be yourself. Have fun. Ask questions.

Keep your promises.”

-Tina Karelson, Executive Creative Director

What advice do you have

for CLA Students? “You will be surprised...and gratified...down the road, to see

that even what you might consider to have been a completely

irrelevant class taken in your past, has application to

SOMETHING you will experience in your chosen career.

Statistics and algebra became those classes for my chosen

line of work.”

-Jim Sandstrom, Media Director

“Have you learned to be resourceful? That's all you need. The

greatest gift a teacher can give you is the opportunity to be

resourceful. The greatest gift an employer can give you is to

respect your resourcefulness. Seriously, if you don't feel like

you are a resourceful person, you are probably struggling in

school for one, but also... you're going to annoy your colleagues

in the "real world." Test your resourcefulness. See what you can

do. Learn and develop your strengths. Finally, demand a career

that makes you happy. You might spend a lot of time at work, like I

do. I like puzzles, music, and freedom, so I am quite happy here.

-Beth Varela, Digital Marketing Manager

What advice do you have

for CLA Students?

“Write for the school newspaper, use your

communications skills with nonprofits, join PRSSA and

AdFed, find internships while in school --- basically do

anything to get real-world work in your portfolio.”

-Joel Swanson, President – Public Relations

“Best advice: grab that internship early. It's tough to land an entry

level position without some working knowledge of agency

mechanics. And the ideal time to get this "best advice" is the student's

sophomore year. That gives the student a couple of years to have fun

before buckling down and finding that internship. Completing your

internship after your junior year makes that senior year so much

more enjoyable.

-Tom Wilson, President – Account Services