I’m writing in response to the column written by Logan Dobson, “Campus leaders, unemployed
 graduates” (April 11, pg.4) concerning his opinion that employers don’t appear 
interested in on-campus leadership experiences because he was not asked about these 
experiences during job interviews. While I appreciate the concerns Mr. Dobson voices in his opinion
 piece, and have heard them before from students, I would like to provide the employer perspective.

Employers value student extracurricular and leadership experience. An employer will ask you
 about these experiences in an interview when they are relevant to an employer’s business. If your
 description of the experience uses action verbs and key words in the employer’s industry, the employer 
will not only ask about it, he or she will want to explore your stories from that experience to help them
 understand what skills you’ve developed and what you’ve learned as a result of that experience. If, on 
the other hand, an experience description is vague and not specific, the employer will ignore it and
 move on to those experiences that he or she believes are more relevant. After all, an employer spends no
 more than 30 seconds scanning a resume.

I would encourage any graduating senior who expresses the opinion that Mr. Dobson does to
 visit his or her college’s career center. Please don’t stop
 participating in on-campus, extracurricular and leadership experiences. Visit your career center where 
you can learn how to translate what you’ve learned in those experiences into targeted, marketable
 accomplishments!

Ann G. Mills

The writer is the assistant director of career learning and experience and the GW Career Center