From Camp Counselor To Cargill Intern

The road to landing a competitive internship can be long. The Carlson School is here to make sure our students are up to the challenge. Sophomore Emily Elletson shares how she earned a spot on the Cargill marketing team.

BY EMILY ELLETSON, '27 BSB

When I arrived at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School as a sophomore transfer student, I had no intention of landing a corporate internship for the following summer. My perspective changed when I dove into the curriculum and experienced Career Week at Carlson for the first time. I began to recognize that stepping into the professional world early was a necessary move for my marketing career. I made a personal commitment: “If I get an internship, no matter what, I need to take it.” This mindset shift pushed me outside my comfort zone.

During Fall Career Week, Carlson provided several events to help me prepare for the career fair. I attended LinkedIn and resume workshops so I could feel confident feel that my materials were up-to-date and professional. I also met with career coaches several times and received valuable advice for every stage of the internship search.

For example, I learned to structure my conversations with employers at the career fair as small talk: present, past, and future. They coached me to start with small talk and transition into saying a little bit about my current major and involvement and a recent accomplishment. From there, I would tell the interviewer how I got here and mention previous experience that is relevant to the job and company. To wrap it all up, I practiced how to segue into what I am looking to do next and why I am interested in this internship (and would be a great fit for it).

When I attended the fair, I found this structured approach gave me confidence when striking up a conversation with a potential employer. Additionally, I attend meetings through Carlson Organizations such as the Student Marketing Association, Supply Chain Club, and Women in Business. Weekly. These clubs hosted speakers who offered marketing advice, specific career fair tools. They also included Cargill professionals that I was able to connect with before accepting my offer.

Helpful Coursework

Some of the most valuable preparation came through the Carlson School’s required courses: Design Your Life, Leading Self & Teams, and Design Your Career. These courses helped me understand my values and align them with the mission of each company where I applied.

Design Your Life has a strong focus on understanding and articulating your own values, and I learned that one of my core values is connection, both personal and professional. I looked for companies that emphasized creating a workplace environment that is welcoming and can connect you to people, opportunities, and learning and developing skills. To understand the culture of Cargill, I searched LinkedIn for former interns who had also attended the Carlson School. I found one who had worked there in summer 2024 and I invited her to coffee. I asked if she felt comfortable in a big corporate environment, dress code, and relationships with other employees and interns. She affirmed to me that it was a great internship experience and that the culture aligned with my values. This conversation grew my network at the Carlson School and Cargill, and helped influence my eventual decision to accept my offer.

In Leading Self and Teams, I deepened my understanding of interpersonal competencies and their role in my leadership style. A unique aspect of the course was the opportunity to study team dynamics while actively working within teams. I gained insights into team structures, roles, and processes, as well as the key factors that contribute to effective collaboration. In addition, I learned about team decision-making, conflict resolution, power and influence, team dynamics analysis, and delivering constructive feedback. By the end of the course, I had developed a deeper understanding of myself as a leader, which strengthened my ability to work in and lead teams.

These skills proved invaluable during my interview process with Cargill, where I was asked questions such as, “Tell me about a time when you worked in a diverse team,” or “Describe a team project and how you navigated its challenges.” My experiences in the course allowed me to confidently articulate my teamwork and leadership abilities shown throughout this course.

Design Your Career prepared me with the knowledge and skills required to navigate the interview search process. I built my foundation in resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and networking. I also learned about different aspects of the job search process from a variety of professionals, including organizational recruiters and alumni. Alongside this, I implemented knowledge gained through career and peer coaching to improve my confidence in my interviewing skills, cover letters, and resume.

One foundational skill I developed was creating bullet points on a resume. We used the following framework: Strong Skill Statement = Action Verb + Details + Result. As you form your resume bullets, you should be asking yourself: “What did I do? How did I do it? What did I learn? What’s the result/impact?” Without the Design Your Career course, I would not have had the confidence in my interview materials and my ability to navigate a crazy career week at Carlson for the first time.

Making Connections

Before attending the Career Fair, I researched companies and identified the ones I wanted to meet. One of my favorite aspects of attending the University of Minnesota is that many top firms are headquartered in Minneapolis! At the fair, I spoke with Target, Colgate, Sun Country Airlines, General Mills, the Minnesota Twins, and Andersen Windows. My last stop was Cargill. With no one in line at their booth, I saw my opportunity. Instead of simply handing over my resume, I engaged in a meaningful conversation, demonstrating my genuine interest in their company and marketing initiatives.

Cargill was hiring for a Digital Marketing Intern position, and the recruiters encouraged me to apply immediately. They even allowed me to list their names as references on my application.

After the career fair, I took extra time to craft my cover letter to Cargill using the strategies I learned in Design Your Career. One key strategy was tailoring my cover letter to highlight how my marketing and social media experience aligned with Cargill’s values. I referenced their mission: “To nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.” More than that, I connected it to my core values of looking for ways in my educational and personal life to innovate with purpose. I referenced how I value Cargill’s purpose of wanting to create new opportunities for their customers to grow, communities to prosper, and consumers to live well.

To my surprise, I received an email from Cargill for my first-round interview with the Senior Marketing Specialist from Cargill Bioindustrial in the Netherlands. I advanced to the second round with the Global Marketing Director and finally to the last round with the Global Marketing & Communication Leader.

Finding the Right Fit at Cargill

From my perspective, standing out in an interview is all about preparation and authenticity. One strategy I used was researching Cargill’s recent projects and discussing them in my interviews. For example, I brought up Cargill’s work in sustainable beauty production, which is directly tied to their Bioindustrial initiatives. This resonated with my interviewers, who shared how sustainability is a big focus in their marketing efforts. Additionally, they were able to elaborate on how a project works in digital marketing and the process Cargill goes through in sharing their story through their products.

Another key strategy was asking insightful questions that demonstrated my research and interest in the position. Here are some questions that I found particularly useful:

• Could you share a recent digital marketing campaign or project that the Bio-industrial group executed that you feel particularly proud of? What were the key factors that led to its success?
• Given Cargill’s wide global network and diverse product applications, what are some strategies the digital marketing team uses to maintain a consistent brand message across such varied industries?
• As someone new to digital marketing in the Bioindustrial field, what learning resources or training tools would you recommend I focus on to get up to speed quickly and contribute effectively to the team?

The biggest surprise? The university recruiter called —I got the internship. I couldn’t believe it! Me…a sophomore? Out of over 200 applicants, I stood out because of the relationships I built at the career fair and my well-rounded experience in website management, content creation, and marketing (all essential to their digital team).

A Leap of Faith

Despite my excitement, I struggled with my final decision. I had originally planned to return to my role as a Camp Counselor at Hidden Pines Ranch—a place that has been a second home to me. After spending eight years as a camper and later as a counselor, camp had become an integral part of my life. In 2024, I took on an additional role as a social media intern, allowing me to promote the camp to families while deepening my connection to a place that means so much to me. Camp has shaped me into the person I am today, helping me develop essential life skills and build lasting relationships. Working at Hidden Pines isn’t just a place—it’s a part of who I am.

I turned to Carlson School’s career coaches for guidance on my long-term career strategy. Through my work in Design Your Life, I had already clarified my values of growth, connection, and opportunities to develop my marketing skills at a high-level organization. With this in mind, the coaches helped me weigh my options, discussing how an internship at Cargill would provide exposure to corporate marketing at a global level. I realized that this internship was an essential step toward the kind of career I envisioned for myself…just a year earlier than expected. I called my former boss at Hidden Pines to inform her of my decision. It was an emotional conversation, but she was incredibly supportive, reassuring me that I was making the best choice for my future.

But, why Cargill? While Hidden Pines will always be special to me, Cargill represented an opportunity to grow in ways I’ve never imagined. What drew me to Cargill was the company’s mission (‘nourishing the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way’). I’m passionate about sustainability, and I believe marketing is a powerful tool to highlight Cargill’s efforts to create resilient systems in areas like food, beauty, and oils  and build long-term partnerships with customers. This role will allow me to contribute to that impact on a global scale while gaining valuable hands-on experience. Not only is Cargill the biggest private company in the world, they are also the leader in global food production. Cargill continuously invests in digital transformation and sustainable supply chains, areas that align perfectly with my passion for ethical marketing and technology-driven solutions.

The moment I accepted, I received LinkedIn connections from my future team, along with congratulatory emails and a warm welcome that confirmed I had made the right decision. Cargill even invited me to visit headquarters for a tour and lunch in early February. Meeting my team in person, exploring the beautiful office, and discussing upcoming projects made me even more excited to start in June.

This experience reinforced the importance of resilience, preparation, and leveraging college resources like career coaches and Carlson’s curriculum. I learned that stepping outside my comfort zone and taking initiative in conversations can open doors I never expected. My advice? Step outside your comfort zone and believe in your full potential. Landing an internship—especially at a competitive firm like Cargill—requires effort, relationship-building, and the courage to go the extra mile. If you put in the work, the results will follow.