CNGA LooseLeaf February March 2019

14 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  February/March 2019 student. “If a student is motivated by money, that is what they look at. Another student may not want to work in Denver, even if the financial offer is higher there. They will decide to take less pay to live in a place that is more desirable to them,” she clarified. “Oftentimes, traditional students really care if the companies are involved in the community and what that looks like. Many companies don’t talk about those opportunities for giving back. Even if those are for an hour a month, that’s something that is really attractive to young professionals,” she said. “From the feedback we are getting lately from our students, they are really interested in knowing that there’s a training period. They really want to know they will be supported in knowing how to do their jobs better,” she said. “The best internships I’ve seen are where employers assign students a mentor, so students clearly know who to go to for support.” Prospective and new hires want to know clear expectations, and if there is an onboarding process. “We coach them to ask about onboarding, because it often sets a very strong foundation. I coach students to think about what their top three curiosities are that attract them to companies, so that becomes part of their questions at these events. Often they are most concerned about what does the work week look like, what is the company culture, and in six weeks how do I know if I will be successful in this position. It’s really individual and depends on if the student has previous work experience in the field,” she shared. To prepare students for hiring events and interviews, she visits various classrooms to make presentations about how students can present themselves to potential employers and how to network. Plus, she and graduate students are available to help students one on one to go through the job search process. Before attending a fair or mixer, students and alumni can visit CSU’s centralized career search system called Handshake, https://app. joinhandshake.com, where they can see which employers have registered to participate. Then, they can research about those companies and prepare for meeting their representatives. Handshake is also a portal for students and alumni to search for jobs, and employers can post job openings on it for free. Crocket frequently refers students to job listings on trade association websites like the classified ads on CNGA’s site, coloradonga.org . Plus, she recommends hortjobs.com and connectingcolroado.com , managed by the Colorado Workforce Center and state Department of Labor and Employment. Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Professional Mixer and Recognition An event where employers can meet students, staff and faculty while networking with Colorado State talent. Heavy appetizers and desserts provided. Wednesday, February 27 4:30–7:00 p.m. CSU Alumni Center 701 W. Pitkin St., Fort Collins, Colo. For information, contact Beka Crocket at beka.crocket@colostate.edu. Photo courtesy of CSU » continued from page 13