Who We’re Hiring At…SAS

Kayla Woitkowski
Senior Manager, University Outreach and Recruitment

Through innovative analytics, BI and data management software and services, SAS helps users turn data into better decisions.

What qualities are you looking for in the “student of the future”? Why?

We always talk to our team about the three intangibles of student recruitment: passion, having the right attitude and having the right aptitude. Those are three things you can’t learn. Passion is a really big deal, because that means you’re focused in an area or discipline because it’s truly what you enjoy – and you can’t train someone to be passionate about computer science or analytics if they’re not.

A positive attitude is a big piece as well, because you can’t train someone to be a glass-half-full kind of person. We need someone with the willingness to receive feedback and learn and grow from it. Does this person have a way of looking at problems as opportunities they can overcome? How does this person view a hurdle – not as something insurmountable, but as something that can be crossed.

For aptitude, we’re focusing on someone who is insatiably curious, who asks questions, who doesn’t settle for the status quo, who has a willingness to continue to learn. The start of a career is the start of a journey – in the workforce, to be successful, you have to be curious and to challenge yourself. At a tech company especially, it’s imperative.

What makes a resume stand out?

As SAS, we are looking for individuals who are well-rounded and not only aligned with our culture, but going to add to our culture. We want our employees to have passions outside of their day job, to build relationships with their coworkers, so we’re looking for students who have done that with their NC State experience. Anything can make a student stand out as being unique and different: being part of student organizations, an intramural team, creating art – and we’re also looking for volunteerism, because what makes SAS great is people who are always wanting to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

And of course, depending on the role, there is going to be a certain level of skills we’re looking for on a resume. But we’re also looking at well-roundedness and activity around campus, which can be more important than specific technical skills.

What are the most important things CALS can do to build you the future employees you need?

Foster collaboration. Once you come into the workplace, it’s all about helping the company accomplish their goals and mission, and you do that as part of a team – it’s not so much about your individual accomplishments. Helping students understand that will really help them translate their work into success in the workplace.

Communication skills in general are also very important. Now is the first time you have four generations in the workplace at the same time, and that means you have four different levels of communication and experience that all play in to how interactions take place. The ability to flex your communication style depending on who’s around you – and understanding that communication styles can vary based on company culture as well – are very important for students to understand.

Students also need to be prepared for the fact that in the workplace, a lot of learning is done on your own. The ability to learn and research independently is critically important to accomplishing your goals.