The CLA Internship Fair takes place on Friday, Sept. 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Coffman Memorial Union’s Great Hall.

By MADISON BLOOMQUIST/Murphy News Service

The University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts’ Career Services held an internship fair prep workshop last Friday afternoon to teach students how to professionally stand out to future employers.

The CLA Internship Fair, which takes place this Friday, Sept. 25, allows CLA students to connect with nearly 60 employers. CLA Career Services counselor Ben Hansen, who led the event, said students should strongly consider attending the fair.

“About 70 to 80 percent of our new hires come from internship fairs,” C.H. Robinson senior recruiter Shari Getzkin said. C.H. Robinson is a large transportation logistics provider.

The workshop allowed students to ask questions to a CLA Career Services employees and a panel of three recruiters: Getzkin, Morgan Krakowski from Target Stores and Distribution and Beth Bushman from the Northwestern Mutual insurance/investment company.

Most students asked questions about how to stand out in a sea of competitors.

Hansen said one of the best ways students can prepare for the internship fair is to research companies with which they would like to speak. Students should know background information about the companies and know why they want to work for them.

“Excitement is good, but you don’t want to convey desperation and say you’ll take anything,” Hansen said.

Hansen said students should also have multiple copies of polished resumes to hand out to potential employers. CLA Career Services offer drop-in hours Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in which counselors will critique and improve students’ resumes. Hansen said great resumes have strong bullet points with action words and details about past positions.

All three recruiters agreed one of the worst things students could do is not act professionally at the event. Students should wear suits or conservative business apparel and avoid carrying backpacks. Hansen said proper body language conveys confidence and professionalism as well.

“Even just the quality of your voice is important, and certainly a smile goes a long way,” Hansen added.

Hansen said students must prepare thought-out questions for potential employers, but not all questions are created equal.

Krakowski said she wished students asked more about the culture of the workplace and common challenges for new interns.

Students should also ask specific questions about their potential internships to highlight research they conducted on the company, Getzkin said.

U sophomore economics and statistics major Mark Ruprecht said he has already started researching companies attending the internship fair. He said he has had mostly research-based positions in the past and went to the workshop to learn how to apply his research skills to industry settings.

Ruprecht said he also wanted to gain confidence and learn how to act professionally at the event.

“I’m nervous once I start interacting with someone, I’ll forget what I wanted to say,” he said.

Hansen said the internship fair is a good opportunity for all CLA students, even if they are not sure they want a position with a company attending the event. He said 60 to 80 percent of people receive jobs through networking and the event is a great way to either network or practice networking in a professional setting.

Students also should not be discouraged if they do not receive interviews right away. Krakowski said she keeps stacks of resumes from students who may fit future positions.

“I was at the Target booth three times before I got the job, so keep trying!” Krakowski said.

Reporter Madison Bloomquist is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.