The Sales Leadership Career Fair will be held September 12 from 4-6 p.m. on the fourth floor of Spartan Stadium.
Attracting students from all sorts of backgrounds such as marketing, supply chain management and kinesiology, the Minor in Sales Leadership is an award-winning program with a 100 percent job placement and high entry-level salaries.
“It helps you grow not only as a salesperson, but as a leader as well,” kinesiology alumnus Andrew Zeigler said.
With more than 50 employers attending the event, students have plenty of opportunities to create meaningful connections. Marketing graduate Carlos Enriquez attended the fair in 2022 and said that interacting with sales professionals is one of the many perks of the minor.
“I’ve been able to get more comfortable talking to people and I’ve built my network immensely,” Enriquez said. “I think those two things have been great for the development of myself as an individual, but also as a young professional.”
Madelyn Fluery, a human development and family studies alumna, can certainly attest to the benefits of the minor.
“The sales minor is what connected me with my current job at TEKsystems, since they sponsor the program,” she said. “I am really lucky that I found the position and had such a great network of support.”
Fluery wasn’t the only student to walk out with job opportunities. Emma Vanloon, a recent Creative Advertising graduate and former president of MSU’s Global Sales Leadership Society, scored a summer internship after attending the event.
“The sales fair ended up landing me five or six interviews for internships,” she said. “One of these companies I interacted with was Ally Insurance. I began the first steps in my internship and full-time position at the sales fair.”
Pursuing this minor, according to Vanloon, is not only worthwhile because of the networking possibilities, but also the personal and career growth.
“I owe all of my professional development experiences to the Sales Leadership Minor and Global Sales Leadership Society,” Vanloon said. “In the sales program, we learn by doing instead of just watching and listening. I have learned the importance of integrity, professionalism, drive, leadership and resiliency.”
Above all else, this event and minor drives students’ success.
“Do not go into sales if you are looking for a job,” Fluery said. “Go into sales if you are looking for a career.”
By Stella Govitz