Working Toward Her Desired Career

Like most college students, Sara Beneke, BSB '20, came to the Carlson School unsure of what sort of career she wanted.

But thanks to a case study in her Marketing Research class sophomore year and her numerous touchpoints with the Undergraduate Business Career Center in her four years at the Carlson School, she was able to line up her dream job a full semester before she graduated.  

“I was always interested in business, but I wasn’t sure where I wanted to take that,” she says. “This case study got me excited and energized. It opened my eyes to what it was that I really wanted to do after I graduated.”

The case study was sponsored by Nielsen and was based on a similar business issue that a Nielsen analyst would work on in real life.

To try to land a job at Nielsen or a similar firm, Beneke worked closely with the Carlson School’s Undergraduate Business Career Center (UBCC). Beneke said she began her visits with the UBCC back when she was a freshman.

The UBCC offers a number of career services for undergraduate students from major/career exploration exercises and resume reviews to mock interviews and negotiation strategies. The UBCC's aim is to first help students understand their unique values, skills, and career motivators, and then develop job search skills for finding employment in positions that interest them.

“Working with them throughout the job application process really calmed my nerves,” Beneke says. “Every time I visited them, I walked out of their offices much more confident in myself.”

The Carlson School’s close ties to the Twin Cities business community also can help students in these job searches. For instance, Beneke’s first interview with Nielsen was in one of the many interviewing rooms at Hanson Hall.

“I think a lot of students can be hesitant to ask for help in their job search, and that shouldn’t be the case,” she says. “It’s OK to not have the answers to everything and make some mistakes. I’m so glad I opened up and worked with the UBCC right away as a freshman.”

Beneke ended up landing a job with Nielsen as a commercial analyst and had her offer in hand before the end of her fall semester of senior year.

“I can’t thank the UBCC enough for all that they helped me with,” she says. “They gave me the confidence to go out and land the job I love.”