The Piper Center's goals for the On-Campus Recruiting program are:
- To provide a venue for students to interact with employers.
- To help students explore a variety of opportunities that leverage their skills and interests.
- To help students develop strong application materials and hone their professional presentation skills.
Preparing for On-Campus Recruiting
THE PROCESS
1. Review Job & Internship Postings
2. Identify Companies and Organizations of Interest to You
3. Polish Your Resume
4. Get Professional
5. Hone Your Interview Skills
6. Apply to Interview on Campus
KEY RESOURCES
How and where do you find out who is coming for on-campus recruiting?
1. Check out Ole Career Central - Ole Career Central is where all the job and internships are posted. This is where you will upload your requested documents (i.e. resume, cover letter, unofficial transcript). You will apply for opportunities you are interested in and if selected... schedule your interview.
2. Visit the large display board at the base of the stairs in Buntrock Commons, 2nd level (Sept.-Nov.). There, you will find information on all recruiters visiting campus who are conducting information sessions, tabling events and collecting resumes, as well as shared recruiting opportunities at Carleton and Macalester College.
3. Click here for a daily schedule of on-campus recruiting events! Updated 10/17/12
4. Click here for a detailed handout of all on-campus recruiter events Updated 10/17/12
REVIEW JOB AND INTERNSHIP POSTINGS
Ole Career Central is your source for up-to-date job and internship postings for organizations recruiting through St. Olaf this fall.
1. Search Jobs and Internships - "St. Olaf Posted Opportunities"
2. Review the handout of those organizations scheduled to interview on-campus and apply via Ole Career Central.
3. Take note of required applications materials and the application deadline. Most applications will be completed through the Ole Career Central platform.
Having trouble signing in? Call x3268 or stop in the Piper Center, Tomson 270 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.
IDENTIFY COMPANIES OF INTEREST TO YOU
Researching the company/organization is like studying prior to an exam; make time for this important step.
Attend On-Campus Information Sessions - under "Events", "Employer Information Session" scheduled by the recruiting organization to learn about the company as a whole and the specific positions offered.
Visit Company Websites
to get a broad view of each organization and its primary business. The Piper Center also has some materials available from recruiting organizations.
Know the Industry
VAULT is a great resource for industry guides and specific information about companies in the industry you are interested in. For example, are you applying to Piper Jaffray? Vault has a 253 page guide to middle market investment banking – know the competitors, jargon, and challenges of the industry to fully prepare for an interview. Create an account using your St. Olaf email address to access guides to consulting, investment banking, retail, corporate finance, marketing and many more!
POLISH YOUR RESUME
To interview on campus, you must submit a resume via Ole Career Central to each company/organization with which you'd like an interview.
1. If you haven’t already… Draft a resume!
- Use the Piper Center's on-line resume resources to help you write a first draft
- Bring your completed draft to the Piper Center to have a peer advisor review it
- You are welcome to stop in anytime 9-5 Monday-Friday, however, Peer Advisors specializing in on-campus recruiting will be available:
Corporate Recruiting Walk-in Hours
Mondays, 3-5pm
Tuesdays, 9:30am-1:30pm
Wednesdays, 10-11:30am & 3-5pm
Thursdays, 10am-12:30pm & 1-3:30pm
Fridays, 10-11:30am & 3-5pm
- Tailor your resume to the position you are applying for, you may need more than one version to be effective!
- Use skills, abilities, and terms from job descriptions in your resume
- Utilize information from your research on the company
**Note: For purposes of interviewing on campus, you should include your GPA on
your resume
3. Company-Specific Working Groups
- Piper Jaffray Interview Prep Working Group: Thurs., 9/20/12, 11:30am-12:30pm, TOH 270
- Target/Best Buy Resume Working Group: Thurs., 10/4/12, 4-5pm, TOH 270
- Target/Best Buy Interview Prep Working Group: Thurs., 10/11/12, 11:30am-12:30pm, TOH 270 *Space is limited; RSVP through Ole Career Central.
- Schedule an appointment with a career coach after having a peer advisor critique your resume at least once
- Log into Ole Career Central to schedule a coaching appointment to have your resume reviewed and prepare for interviews.
- No same day appointments will be accepted, plan ahead!
HONE YOUR INTERVIEW SKILLS
Practice, Practice PRACTICE!
To make a great impression when you interview, you'll need to take time to prepare for your interviews by practicing answers to common interview questions.
- Utilize the Piper Center Resources
- Practice answers to commonly posed questions
- General Interview Questions, e.g. “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”
- Behavioral Questions, e.g. “Tell me about a time when…”
- Use the S.T.A.R. Technique to organize your answers
- Prepare a benefit statement
- This answers “Tell me about yourself,” something that in an interview
setting, is harder than you think!
- Watch the online interview skills workshop
- Schedule a practice interview
- Piper staff members are here to help you hone your interviewing skills
- Be sure to prepare answers to common interview questions and know details about the position and company you are interviewing for.
- Treat this practice session like the real deal – wear your suit, bring a copy of your resume in a leather portfolio and be prepared to ask the interviewer a couple questions (about the company, position, etc.) just as you would the actual interviewer.
APPLY TO INTERVIEW ON CAMPUS
The entire process of applying for an interview and scheduling that interview is done through Ole Career Central. Watch the deadlines posted by each organization, and make sure that you submit all documents required by the organization to be considered as a candidate.
Some recruiters prefer pre-select interviews while others want an open interview schedule.
- Pre-selects are interview situations where the recruiter selects those students to be interviewed. A pre-select interview schedule assures that the recruiter's time is being spent with candidates who meet the employer's requirements. While you indicate your desire to interview with any employer coming on campus, you may or may not be selected for interviews in pre-select situations. If you are selected for an interview, you will be notified via email that you should sign up for an interview time by calling the Piper Center.
- With open interviewing schedules, you will be interviewed if you have signed up in one of the available time slots. If a schedule is open, you should select an interview time when you submit your resume in Ole Career Central.
Feel free to schedule an appointment (x3268) to talk with one of the Piper Center coaches to learn more about on-campus interviewing or to discuss which opportunities are right for you.
On Campus Recruiting Videos
