HPU Talent Acquisition Expert Dee Ann Turner Mentors Students

Dee Ann Turner, High Point University’s Talent Acquisition Expert in Residence and former Chick-fil-A vice president for talent and sustainability, mentored HPU students during her recent visit to campus.

HIGH POINT, N.C., March 11, 2024 – High Point University students learned more about how to deliver legendary customer service, prepare for job interviews and land jobs from Dee Ann Turner, HPU’s Talent Acquisition Expert in Residence and former Chick-fil-A vice president for talent and sustainability.

“Winning the hearts of customers is the ultimate goal,” said Turner. “Whatever business you wind up in, you’re in the people business. When you’re going to win the hearts of customers, it all begins with the culture of care.”

During her March 7 visit, Turner described three ingredients that businesses need to create a remarkable culture:

• Meaningful purpose
• Challenging mission
• Demonstrated core values

A single employee who cares about customers can make the difference between an amazing customer experience and a poor one, she said. To avoid toxic company cultures, everyone in the organization must follow the principles of those core values. Businesses also should consider the quality and character of candidates as they select talent rather than simply hire to fill a quantity of jobs.

To provide more ways to ace the interview and land the job, Turner shared the stage for the first time with her son, Trevor, a 2016 HPU business administration alumnus who is completing his MBA at the University of Georgia and working at restaurant software solutions company Crunchtime. Trevor offered insights about the value of networking and ways the current interview process has changed to incorporate Zoom and other remote options. He encouraged students to take advantage of HPU programs, such as Access to Innovators.

“I remember many classes with the professors here, but when we had sessions with Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix, and I got to learn exciting stories about his career, I think those were some of the things that stood out and impacted me,” said Trevor. “I have friends who went to other colleges and who didn’t experience what you get here at High Point University.”

His mother shared her contact information with students and told them not to feel intimidated about networking with professionals, especially those who visit campus because they care and want to help.

“Since she was in a talent and acquisition role, the biggest thing for me was seeing how I can shape myself and my goals to be able to be in a role and be successful in that sense,” said Ari Sommer, a freshman finance and marketing major from Charlotte, North Carolina. “Also, the whole interviewing aspect really helped because I’m in that phase for internships and jobs to learn what companies are looking for when they’re hiring and how to stand out. When I’m going into a company, I’m making sure I’m really aligning with their values and that their mission is something I’m also passionate about.”

Quadir Phillip, a sophomore marketing major and sales minor from Camden, Delaware, said his biggest takeaway was hearing how Turner selected talent during her 33-year career with Chick-fil-A. He said that message would help him share more of his personal experiences when the time comes for him to be interviewed or later to conduct interviews for a company.

“As a sophomore going into my first corporate America internship, I am learning how to align my goals with their mission statement and the vision of the organization,” said Phillip. “A big takeaway is just starting my corporate journey, applying her set of skills, using that as an intern and continuing until I retire.”