The Latino Business Student Association hosted their first annual United Latino Student Interview Summit on April 15 in the O’Brien Center at Mihaylo. During the event, students had the chance to practice their interview skills with various companies and possibly land an internship.
Sponsored by Verizon Wireless, the summit hosted 10 LBSA chapters from around Southern California, and students participated in workshops hosted by companies like Enterprise, Honda, Stanley Black & Decker and the United Parcel Service.
The first half of the event consisted of two workshops: Verizon Wireless hosted a workshop titled “Before and After the Interview: How to Prepare and Follow Up.” Enterprise Holdings hosted a “How to Work a Career Fair” workshop. The second half of the event featured interviews between the companies and students.
Prior to the event, participants had the opportunity to choose which company they would like to be interviewed by. The interviews lasted 15 minutes with five extra minutes for receiving feedback.
Tanya Oliva ’15, LBSA President
“Many of [the students] came out very happy with their experience overall and mentioned that the greatest benefit from the mock interviews was receiving feedback and advice from the recruiters,” says Tanya Oliva ’15, LBSA president.
Throughout the event, LBSA members networked with fellow attendees and recruiters. A few students were even offered internships from UPS and Honda.
UPS broke away from the traditional in-person interviews by setting up a webcam with a Chicago-based representative to conduct their interviews.
“CSUF LBSA worked diligently to put forth a great event and to display the young emerging professionals we have at Cal State Fullerton,” says Edward Sosa ’15, LBSA vice president.
Oliva says it has been a gratifying experience watching the outcome of their tremendous efforts to improve this organization. She has seen first-hand the growth of their members as individuals and future leaders in business.
The Latino Business Student Association was established at CSUF to create business leaders through professional exposure, community involvement and social interaction. This organization is based on networking, community involvement and diversity.
“We have great connections with individuals from a variety of industries,” says Sosa. “Some of our members have also received internship offers from our general speakermeetings.”
This organization hosts weekly meetings where they often invite business professionals to come present and network with the students. They are also actively involved in the community. They recently raised more than $1,200 for Relay for Life, and they are partnered with Habitat for Humanity, Kids 2 College and the Orange County Food Bank.
“Many of our members leave with internships, jobs, confidence, professional skills, connections and ever-lasting friendships,” says Oliva.