Connect with Employers

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It isn’t often that employers come to you. But it happens frequently here in CLA—in a variety of ways that you will want to take advantage of as you explore your academic and career options (and, of course, when the time comes for you to pursue an internship or a job, too).

Employer-Hosted “Getting to Know Each Other” Sessions

Employers host many types of informal and formal events each year—typically right here on campus—to get to know students (and vice versa). These events are great opportunities for you to explore career options, not to mention internship and job possibilities.

Information sessions or open houses are usually facilitated by representatives from an organization that has job or internship openings. The representative provides a summary of the company and the types of positions available. You then have plenty of time to ask questions.

Employer panel events—some of them coordinated by CLA Career Services, some by other offices on the UMN campus—bring together several employer representatives from different organizations who speak on a panel. Again, there’s lots of time for you to ask questions, and even talk with the speakers afterward.

Sometimes employers host networking gatherings as well, where you and other students can simply stop by and chat with the representative(s) in a more informal context.

Be sure to watch Handshake consistently to find out about these employer-hosted “getting to know each other” offerings.

Resume Reviews

Sometimes employers come to CLA Career Services to offer feedback and tips on students’ resumes. You’ll naturally get to talk with the employer a bit as part of your session, which may give you yet another opportunity to explore with an employer’s guidance.

Watch for Resume Review days and times.

Job/Career Fairs

CLA hosts or recommends several job/career fairs each year that give you the chance to talk to many employers at once about job and/or internship possibilities—which is its own version of career and academic exploration. 

The CLA Internship & Career Fair, for example, offers you the chance to explore internship, volunteer, and full-time opportunities with employers from a variety of industries who are hiring CLA students and recent alumni. This free event is open to CLA students and recent alumni. 

The University of Minnesota Job and Internship Fair, meanwhile, is the biggest student career fair in Minnesota. The UMN Job Fair gives you the chance to explore unique job and internship opportunities with more than 350 employers in a variety of industries. The fair is open to all enrolled UMN students—both undergraduate and graduate—as well as alumni who have graduated in the past three years. 

Check Handshake frequently to see which job/career fairs are happening when and where, and to register for them if necessary.

Practice Interview Days

Every semester, CLA Career Services offers Practice Interview Days, events where professional recruiters come to campus to conduct practice interviews with CLA students. 

After each interview, the recruiter offers individualized feedback and interviewing advice—which can help you not only with your (future) job/internship search but also as you explore your academic and career options in greater depth. 

Learn more about Practice Interview Days, and register to participate, using Handshake.

Employer Site Visits

Through visiting an organization on-site, you experience a work culture firsthand while learning about current and emerging career paths. Site visits are an opportunity to learn from current employees, who are often CLA alumni, about their career journey and what they love about their work. The Employer Site Visit Program is coordinated by CLA Career Services and sponsored by the CLA Alumni Community. Past visits have included bswing, CH Robinson, Hennepin County Government Center, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Target, The Arc Minnesota, and TPT - Twin Cities PBS, among others.

Student Organization and Classroom Presentations

Occasionally employers offer presentations at student organization meetings, or in career development-related or other courses. 

Watch for these opportunities, too, as they often give you the chance to ask questions of the presenter(s), either in the session itself or afterward.

The CLA Career Readiness Guide covers academic and career exploration and a host of other career-related topics in depth. Access the guide online, or pick up a copy in CLA Career Services or in one of the CLA Academic Advising offices.