“Internship Opportunities and Interview Strategies with Von Maur”
Written by Brett Byers
At Von Maur, Alyssa Perales-Urbaitis oversees campus outreach and recruitment. Her role genuinely includes everything related to hiring, training, and internships. Perales-Urbaitis earned a degree in merchandising from Iowa State University in May 2022. She wasn't sure what she truly wanted to accomplish because there are so many opportunities in merchandise. After graduating, she immediately enrolled in the Corporate Training Program after meeting Von Maur at the career fair.
Perales-Ubaitis began her career as the department manager of gifts and lingerie in a retailer in Illinois. Then, she got the chance to relocate to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she worked as an interim floor manager and keyholder at the Grand Rapids office. She claims that forming relationships with both customers and staff is her favorite aspect of working at the company. Before relocating to the Quad Cities to assume the position of Women's Plus Buyer, she spent roughly six months there. She got to view the inner workings of the company and exercise her analytical side of the brain in that role. She began working in this role on March 23 and has loved connecting in whatever manner she can with the students. In her year and a half with Von Maur, she has worn a number of hats, and she is appreciative that she has had the opportunity to learn about all facets of the company. Perales-Urbaitis likes to bake, watch reality TV, and take road trips whenever she gets the chance to spend her free time!
On November 1, 2023, Alyssa Perales, the Campus Outreach and Recruiting Manager of Von Maur, joined The Vault to provide insights into the company and relay interview skills from her experience in the fashion and retail industry. Perales, who obtained a merchandising degree from Iowa State University, has been working for the company for approximately a year and a half, and has been with the outreach and recruiting team for nine months. There, she oversees the hiring processes within the company, and scouts college students for internships and entry-level positions.
She began her presentation by providing a history of Von Maur, explaining the growth of the company since its establishment in 1872. Currently, the company has 37 full-line department stores across fifteen states (not including its ownership over specialty boutique chain Dry Goods) and is only planning to expand.
Additionally, Perales explained the services that Von Maur provides, particularly the personalized customer service that they pride themselves on. With this being a crucial aspect of the brand, the job of interviewing and hiring new associates is especially important in order to keep that value upheld.
With her extensive experience as a recruiter, Perales provided specific interviewing tips and tricks to the audience. She gave advice applicable outside of the retail industry, covering the before, during and after process of preparation.
Before the Interview:
Research, Research, Research!
Prior to the interview, Perales established the importance of researching the company you are interviewing for. She stated that the more knowledgeable you are about the company, the more evident your commitment to the position is, and the more appealing of a candidate you will be. More specifically, she suggested researching the company’s values and questions typically asked during their interviews. This will allow for more insightful answers, which will make for a more successful interview.
Practice
It is equally important to practice before the interview. Perales suggested reflecting on key situations and notable people that stick out from your personal work history. She also mentioned the importance of having extracurriculars on hand in case they are needed during the interview. Once the questions and responses have been crafted, she recommended practicing them with other people. This will not only make you feel more confident and comfortable with responding to questions in real-time, but will also potentially allow you to gain feedback as well.
During the Interview:
An applicant should always strive to be relaxed, confident, and enthusiastic, and Perales further outlined the importance of asking insightful questions to the interviewer. “Not only should the recruiter be interviewing you, but you should be interviewing them as well,” she remarked. As a recruiter, Perales explained that this demonstrates engagement and interest in the position and proves that the applicant can carry a strong conversation by directing questions back to the interviewer. Further, it determines if the position is a good fit for the applicant.
Moreover, Perales explained an example of a real behavioral-based interview question asked at Von Maur and almost every other interview: “Tell me about a time when…” She explained how to answer this common question using the ‘STAR Method.’ First, you explain the situation and what it entails. Next, you reflect on the challenge or task you completed and how you were able to accomplish it. Lastly, explain the outcomes of the situation. With questions like these, she emphasized that it’s equally important to admit your successes as well as your shortcomings and how you grew from them.
Lastly, it is well-known that dressing professionally is a key aspect of any job interview in order for the recruiters to take you more seriously. Perales noted, “I don’t dress for a job I’m interviewing for; I dress for the job above that.”
After the Interview:
After the interview, Perales mentioned the importance of thanking the interviewer, whether it be through an email or handwritten letter. In the note, she suggested further explaining your interest in the position, asking if they need any more personal information, and providing interview-specific information in order to demonstrate active engagement in it.
With Perales’ expert advice, these steps will help an applicant be better prepared for an interview, whether it be in the fashion and retail sector or not.
To conclude, Perales explained three great opportunities at Von Maur that are open to current University of Wisconsin-Madison students in their sophomore, junior, and senior years. These include a paid store management internship, a paid merchandising internship, and a corporate training program.
Edited by: Roan Vaughan, Melanie Gubernik, and Sophia Buckholtz
DEI Reviewed by: Katherine Rubinstein