HIGH POINT, N.C., March 16, 2022 – High Point University offers students multiple opportunities throughout the academic year to network with and learn from employers. HPU’s Professional Selling Club recently hosted a three-day, on-campus recruiting event with employers in the sales industry to mentor and help students land jobs.
Sales managers from several companies came to campus on March 8-10 for a Speed Selling Competition, individual interviews with students, business dinners, class panel discussions and a Sales Career Fair.
“The Speed Selling Competition was very unique and something I wish I had the opportunity for when I was in college,” said Kyle Ajjan, director for business operations at Medix. “It gave the students in the program the opportunity to network, but also to put themselves out there and get out of their comfort zone. We have HPU graduates represented in our company nationwide, and we know the network and caliber of students that come out of this program. It’s exciting for Medix to have the prospect to work with some of these students in the future.”
HPU students say the opportunities they are given at The Premier Life Skills University are unmatched. The Speed Selling Competition, where students delivered their personal pitch, is an example of confidence-building experiential learning that HPU provides to students. Other full day events gave sales students and hiring managers a unique opportunity to build valuable personal relationships.
“Being at a university that provides students with this kind of exposure to recruiters is unparalleled,” said Lauren Strickler, a junior business administration major from Newburyport, Massachusetts. “I have not only grown in my confidence within myself, but I have also been exposed to numerous opportunities with amazing companies, and it all begins with Professor Larry Quinn.”
Larry Quinn is the chair for the Department of Marketing and Sales in the Phillips School of Business. He is also the director of the Professional Selling Program and part of HPU’s Access to Innovators Program as the Sales Professional in Residence.
“The employers were overwhelmed by the professionalism, the self-confidence and the preparation of our students,” said Quinn. “During the three-day event, several hundred selling program students had the opportunity to meet and build a true relationship with a senior representative from one of the sponsor companies. The sponsors were overwhelmed, and we were so proud of the High Point University students.”
In one of the class panels, sales managers from Tom James Company, Continental, Medix, Gartner and Experis IT offered students career advice. They answered questions on how to stay motivated, what the best piece of advice is for sales major and how to succeed while being ambitious.
“It’s not just about working hard to be successful in sales,” said Ryden Bell, sales manager at Tom James Company. “You need to know why you’re working hard. In the sales industry, you need to ask yourself why this client matters to you or why a project is meaningful to you.”
The Professional Selling Club will host another three-day career week event in the fall.