Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/799779
March/April 2017 11 N&V: During the interview, what ques- tions or experiences made you think this might be a good fi t? Smith: Some of the questions they asked were, "What are your goals for the next fi ve years? Where do you want to be? Where do you see yourself?" At the time, I was fresh out of college and fi ve years seemed like a really long time. It really got me thinking about the future. I'm not sure I had the best answer, but I knew that I wanted to grow with a com- pany, work my way up and do my best at every position that I held. They Chose E&S Millennials born after 1980 N&V: How did you fi rst cross paths with Clark Associates? Smith: During my senior year in col- lege, I went to a local career fair and Clark Associates was there. Before the career fair, you got a list of all the com- panies that are going and I did some research on Clark's website. One of the fi rst things that caught my eye was that, even back then, they were one of the fast- est growing companies in Pennsylvania. N&V: Where did you go to college? Smith: Lebanon Valley College. It isn't a huge college so we didn't have a lot of onsite career fairs. The one that I attended, the Central Pennsylvania Employment Consortium, was one of the larger local college fairs and there were a lot of companies in attendance. N&V: Besides Clark, were there any other companies that caught your eye? Smith: There were a couple but honest- ly I can't remember most of them. Quite a few of them told me to apply online. Hershey Foods and Entertainment was one of them. There were a large number of employers there that didn't have job openings. That stood out to me because I was thinking, "I came here to get a job and there aren't that many." N&V: So, Clark was one of the few com- panies that was hiring at the time? Smith: Yes, they were. N&V: What was your major? Smith: I majored in English and minored in Business, so I was pretty open as far as what I was applying for, and I made that known at the career fair. N&V: How long did it take to get a response from Clark? Smith: Two days after the career fair I received an email from the director of Customer Service, Chelsey Texter. She said, "I received your email from the career fair and I was wondering if you would be interested in applying for the position of customer solutions special- ist." I thought, "Well, it's not exactly what I am looking for, but I need to get my foot in the door," and I knew I could do the job. I had worked in the Registrar's offi ce on campus and I was used to working with people. N&V: Tell me about the interviewing process and your perception of Clark. Smith: It was similar to what I had envisioned for life after college. It was a professional environment, and I could tell it was fast-paced because I was invited to interview right after the fair. Then I was asked back for a second inter- view, either that same week or the next, so I could tell that they needed someone and they were really interested. N&V: When you say fast- paced, are you referring to the workplace environment or response time? Smith: When we were applying for jobs, several of my friends would comment on how long it took to get a response. So, just know- ing how quickly Clark was able to move was impres- sive. continued on page 12 the job. I had worked in the Registrar's offi ce on campus and I was used to Tell me about the interviewing process and your perception of Clark. It was similar to what I had envisioned for life after college. It was a professional environment, and I could tell it was fast-paced because I was invited to interview right after the fair. Then I was asked back for a second inter- view, either that same week or the next, so I could tell that they needed someone and they were • Company Growth Potential • Performance-based Promotion • An Innovative and Fast-Paced Environment • Professional Development • Work/Life Balance "I really appreciate having a healthy balance. Being able to focus on my work without having to completely ignore or sacrifi ce my personal life is really impor- tant to me." --Emily Smith SMITH Company Growth Potential 5 M U ST HA VE S . . .