How to Recruit CLA Students & Graduates
CLA Career Services coordinates many options for campus recruiting during both the fall and spring semesters. Connect with the CLA Employer Engagement team to discuss your organization’s campus recruiting strategy.
Q: Will employers be allowed on campus for in-person recruiting events and/or interviews?
A: On-campus recruiting and engagement through CLA Career Services is possible in person or virtually. If you have questions or would like to talk about options, please let us know. For information on campus-wide plans, visit career.umn.edu or view the webinar Hire & Recruit at the UMN: Navigating Career Services Virtually.
Q: Can I partner with student groups?
A: Employers should work with student groups directly to learn what that group’s plans are. The public directory of student groups can be found at GopherLink.umn.edu.
CLA Internship & Career Fair
The annual CLA Internship & Career Fair, held each Fall semester, connects for-profit, non-profit, and government organizations in many industry sectors with CLA students across all 65+ majors. At this event, employers can connect with liberal arts students and recent alumni who are exploring internship, volunteer, and full-time opportunities. CLA students also attend this event to develop and practice networking skills, and to get advice about internships, volunteer positions, and full-time careers.
Other Career Fairs & Events on Campus
Find UMN career fairs and events in the "Fairs" and "Events" sections of Handshake or in the listing of campus-wide University of Minnesota recruiting events.
Request interview space in our Interview Center (free of charge!) for full-time positions that require a bachelor’s degree or for internships that require students to be working toward a bachelor’s degree.
You can manage virtual interview schedules through CLA Career Services using Handshake as well. Learn more about virtual interviewing below.
Submit requests early because space fills quickly. To request a date, create an account in Handshake and go to the "On-Campus Interviews" section from your home dashboard, then click on "Request Interview Schedule." CLA Employer Engagement staff will be in touch with you to coordinate details after your request has been received.
Before requesting a date, check the UMN’s academic calendar (choose “Twin Cities” and the year) to avoid selecting a date during student breaks. After you’ve conducted on-campus interviews, please report your hiring results to CLA Employer Engagement at hirecla@umn.edu.
You can conduct virtual interviews for your full-time and internship opportunities. Virtual interviews can be requested and managed through Handshake, just like in person interviews.
When requesting a virtual interview schedule in Handshake, indicate virtual in the schedule title (for example, “Your Organization’s UMN Spring or Fall Virtual Interviews”). CLA Employer Engagement staff will be in touch with you to coordinate details after your request has been received.
Handshake is the University of Minnesota’s job posting system where you can post employment opportunities (internship, full-time and volunteer opportunities)—for free—collect candidate résumés, register for events, schedule on-campus interviews, and more.
The U of M has hundreds of student organizations. Contact these student-led clubs to inquire about presenting at one of their meetings or co-hosting an event. You can focus on CLA-affiliated groups specifically, or tap into the entire range of groups across the University.
Share information about your organization and opportunities by creating a brief video. We’ll post your video in our Virtual Info Session Library. View examples and best practices here.
Do you have an idea for a recruiting event you’d like to try—either something new or an event you’ve done successfully on other campuses? We can partner with you and make it happen! Sample recruiting events:
Virtual Career Events. Choose a topic you'd like to present on, post the event as a Career Event in Handshake, and let us know!
Information Sessions. If you’d like to host an information session for CLA students, we can help promote it. Contact CLA Employer Engagement to discuss space, organizational, and promotional options for your session. Consider trying a virtual info session.
Recruiting Tables. Reserve a recruiting table in the main student center for the Twin Cities campus, Coffman Memorial Union to promote your organization and its opportunities to all U of M students. To reserve a table, contact Coffman Memorial Union directly. After you do so, let CLA Employer Engagement know, and we can help promote your visit to CLA students!
When You Extend Offers: A Recommended Timeline
In CLA Career Services, we believe that the best employment decisions for both students and employers are those that are made without pressure, and with the greatest amount of information.
It is the College of Liberal Arts’ policy that employers provide students with a reasonable amount of time to make a decision on an offer. In many cases, this may be a minimum of two (2) weeks after receiving a job/internship offer.
Students should not be pressured to make a decision before the two-week period concludes, nor should they be penalized for waiting until the deadline to make a decision.
Reporting Hires
Have you hired College of Liberal Arts (CLA) or other University of Minnesota candidates? Click here to let us know! Reporting your UMN hires helps us evaluate and update the services we provide to employers recruiting on campus. Thank you for reporting!
Requesting Dates
Requests for interviews are accepted through Handshake, typically beginning in late July for fall semester recruiting (interview dates between late September and mid-November) and December for spring semester (interview dates between late February and mid-April). Space is limited, and requests are addressed on a first-come, first-served basis. Interview requests will not be accepted during UMN breaks or study and final exam days (reference the Academic Calendar to see specific dates for each semester).
Classroom Speaking Permission
Employers must have the instructor's permission to speak about your organization’s opportunities before, during, or after a class, per University of Minnesota policy ("All guests...may not attend class...without permission from the instructor.")
Handshake Approval Timeline
Organizations and job postings on Handshake are reviewed by UMN Career Services staff daily, and our goal is to respond (approve, decline, or request more information) within 2 business days, although this time frame can vary depending on volume and staff capacity. If more information is requested, employers have 2 weeks to make any requested updates or the organization/posting will be declined.
Click here to see all UMN Handshake employer policies.
Attending Events
Attendance by an organization at CLA Career Services hosted events such as the CLA Internship & Career Fair is for recruiting purposes only and does not signify endorsement by CLA Career Services, the College of Liberal Arts, or the University of Minnesota.
At the University of Minnesota, equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental to everything we do. We, in career services stand with the University of Minnesota and the Office for Equity and Diversity in calling for sustained, meaningful action and change. As career services, we are supporting students and employer partners in their quest to dismantle systems of oppression through equitable employment practices. We encourage open dialogue between all employers and candidates, and encourage job seekers to thoroughly research each organization to ensure alignment with their personal and professional values.The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities,and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender expression.
By moving forward and using Handshake in partnership with the University of Minnesota, you hereby affirm your organization is an equal opportunity employer, offering employment without regard to race, creed, religion, color, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender expression. The University of Minnesota reserves the right to refuse services through Handshake to employers due to any of the following: dishonesty; breach of confidentiality; fraud; misrepresentation; abuse orother harassment of University of Minnesota students, alumni and staff; failure to adhere to these Career Services policies and/or any other violation of University of Minnesota rules and regulations, and local, state or federal laws; or any other behavior or conduct which, in the discretion of Career Services staff, warrants denial of service. Career Services reserves the right to refuse service to any employer who imposes fees upon applicants, or otherwise requires applicants to make financial commitments, including but not limited to employers who require the purchase of a franchises, engage in multi-level marketing, or require "start-up" investments.
The University of Minnesota does not endorse any organizations participating in use of Handshake, nor do the views and policies of these organizations reflect the views and policies of The University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota requires that all participating organizations event abide by the University of Minnesota’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action statement (https://eoaa.umn.edu/policies), as well as the Principles for Professional Practice as set forth by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (www.naceweb.org/principles).These include compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity standards, as well as compliance with all federal and state employment regulations.
Share your organization's diversity, equity, and inclusion statement with potential candidates. Statements will be shared with students here.
We stand with the University of Minnesota and the Office for Equity and Diversity in calling for sustained, meaningful action and change. As career services, we are supporting students and employer partners in their quest to dismantle systems of oppression through equitable employment practices. Here are some resources for you:
Information on bias and racism in resume review
Career services is social justice work
Our job posting guide and tips for writing an inclusive job post
Check out the Diversity Recruitment Resources on our central website: http://career.umn.edu/employers
Find more resources on our Connect with All CLA Students page.