D.R.I.V.E. for Success Career Fair Creates Growth Opportunities
9/23/2016 4:49:00 PM | General
Not everyone who comes to The University of Alabama has their life plan mapped out by the time they hit campus and senior swimmer Emily Zapinski is no exception. So when she attended last year's career fair hosted by the Crimson Tide's D.R.I.V.E. for Success Career and Leadership Development department, much like the one they held again this week, she wasn't looking for anything in particular, but toward the end of her visit, something found her.
"I mingled and talked to a few companies," Zapinski said. "Target had a booth near the end of the procession, and I decided to introduce myself and talk with the recruiter, Anne Pell. Target's culture is extremely personable and diversified, so the recruiter was easy to talk to and get to know."
Towards the end of that conversation, Pell and Zapinski exchanged contact information.
"She gave me her business card and email address and I gave her my resume," Zapinski said. "From there, it was straightforward. I had two online tests, a resume submission online, and three phone interviews with different members of the company. They put me through the same interviews that they would administer if they were hiring this position full time."
The experience of going through a full blown interview and all that entails was valuable enough, but Zapinski got an internship with the company, and that's where the learning really began.
"I worked as an executive team lead intern for the Target location in Tuscaloosa," Zapinski said. "I was one of three interns placed in a specific department within the store and we were trained to run the store."
A business management and Spanish major, Zapinski found herself putting what she'd learned in the classroom to work in the store.
"I was able to use skills I had learned to help run the store efficiently and increase the sales," Zapinski said. "There is a large Spanish speaking community in Tuscaloosa, and I got to use my knowledge of the language to assist the guests when they had questions."
The internship gave Zapinski an in depth look into and industry that she previously knew little about, which is what an internship should do.
"The pace was fast and exciting," Zapinski said. "Retail is an industry that works around the clock to deliver the best value to the guests."
A captain for the Crimson Tide as a junior, Zapinski found she not only learned about retail and how it ticks, but several team building exercises that she could bring back to her Crimson Tide team.
"I do well in a team environment, and I actually brought some Target tricks back to the swim team," Zapinski said. "For example, every morning at Target they start with a team huddle and we recognize people for specific work that they did the previous day. Now, every Saturday morning after practice, the women's team verbally recognizes each other in the huddle to keep up motivation."
Zapinski counts her Target experience as invaluable and it all came about because she took advantage of the opportunity Alabama Athletics' D.R.I.V.E. for Success department made available to her and made it to the end of the row at a packed career fair.
During the latest D.R.I.V.E. for Success career fair, 30 organizations, including Target, Coca-Cola Bottling, Regions Financial Group, Mercedes Benz, Procter and Gamble, the Federal Reserve Board, Walmart and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were on hand. Representatives from the UA Graduate School, the UA Law School and the UAB School of Medicine were also on hand touting the benefits of an advanced degree.
There were also more than 150 junior and senior student-athletes on hand, all looking for the right opportunity for them to take the next step forward in their lives.
