Giving Back and Keeping in Touch: The Other Side of Recruitment

Olivia Grev graduated in 2016 with a dual degree in marketing and supply chain and operations management. She currently works as a consultant at West Monroe Partners in Minneapolis where her projects focus on process optimization in a variety of industries. Her long-term goal is to be involved in supply chain sustainability within the food and beverage industry.

“As a student, I found all my internships through the career center,” she says. Grev was a supply chain associate at Land O’Lakes, a marketing and operations coordinator at Seven Sundays, and a sourcing management associate at General Mills. All three companies recruited from the Carlson School either on the Edge website or at career fairs and events.

Grev says she used the resources offered by the Undergraduate Business Career Center almost as soon as she started her academic career. “As a freshman and sophomore, I attended a lot of the informational events on how to go through recruiting at a business school,” she says. “I utilized career coaches and the BA 3000 class [Career Skills] to polish my resume and interview skills when I applied for internships.”

Every advisor that Grev met gave sound advice and direction for her career, she says. “They were able to inform me about not only companies, but organizations or activities at the U of M that would help me hone in on my interests and skills,” she says.

They also helped her tap into the school’s alumni network, which Grev says was the most valuable asset. “Talking with alumni gave me more insight into the culture and career opportunities at companies than any recruiting activity ever could,” she says. “The genuine conversations I had with alumni were what ultimately drove my internship and career decisions because we were really able to focus on whether those companies would be a good fit for my personal and professional goals.”

She also thinks the school’s continued access to big Fortune 500 companies is incomparable. “The Carlson School is in such a great location. Not only do you have the entertainment of a large city within arm’s reach, but you also have so many professional connections to tap into,” she says. “There were so many opportunities for me to engage with companies that were on campus throughout the school year, whether it be a sponsored event or open house in the Atrium. It was a great way to learn more about the companies in a casual setting.”

Now an alumna, Grev has had the opportunity to play on the other side of recruitment, such as interviewing candidates and assisting with events on campus sponsored by West Monroe Partners, including its Consulting 101 boot camp that it sponsors through the UBCC. She is also a mentor in the Carlson Mentorship Program to freshmen and sophomores who are deciding on different majors or internship opportunities.