People say, when it comes time to find a big job, it’s all about who a person knows. On Thursday, a select amount of students from Sonoma State will get the opportunity to do that networking to get to know employees from Young’s Market Company. 

Young’s Market Company is a large, family owned distributor of wine and spirits that has been around for over 125 years. They originally began operating in Southern California and have now expanded further north in California as well as in Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Wyoming.  

Erin Hill, the Senior Recruiter of the Human Resources Department at Young’s Market Company, is looking forward to this event. 

“I think networking and getting a prospective from industry professionals is always a wonderful thing,” said Hill. 

Over the years, Young’s Market Company has hired many SSU students. A few alumni will be at the event to talk about their experiences thus far with Young’s Market Company. 

This will give current Sonoma State students a greater chance to see exactly where they could be a few years from now from the prospective of people who used to stand right where they do now. 

The company has multiple potential career paths people can choose from. “The most popular path is going into our sales world and starting with an entry-level Sales Rep Merchandiser position, to gain the foundation and company exposure,” said Hill. 

Young’s Market Company does offer a very small internship program, usually taking only one or two interns per year. They do this mainly to be able to give the students the hands-on learning time and experience that they each individually deserve. The internships are paid and typically last two or three months. 

Sonoma State is the first CSU to hold an event like this thanks to the recruiting success Young’s had on campus. There will be an overview of the company and how they operate as well as information for students to learn more about entry-level positions with the company and potential career paths.

The event on Thursday is by invitation only. It was opened up to all majors, but the primary focus being business and economics, athletics and communications. Young’s Market Company is expecting to have a turnout of 40-50 students. The event itself will be taking place in the Overlook Restaurant of the Student Center. Interview attire and a resume are both required for entry into the restaurant. 

Junior Nikki Lougee is excited for this event. 

“I think it will be a great opportunity for me to put my foot in the door of a potential career path,” said Lougee. 

Career Center Director Sarah Dove has been responsible for putting together this event. In the School of business and economics, they make sure to hold both on and off campus events like this throughout the year to connect students with industry. 

“Our November Career and Internship Expo and the SSU Career Fair are the two largest venues at SSU,” said Dove. 

This particular event pulls interest in from the Wine Business students. There are so many different types of career paths one could take in the wine and spirits industry, so it is an amazing opportunity for those who get to attend.

“Young’s Market Company seeks students with a strong results-orientation, excellent communication and organization skills, and enthusiasm to join the wine and spirits distribution industry,” said Dove. 

Hopefully, this event will further help upperclassmen interested in the industry learn more about what they want to do in it as well as make connections. After all, it’s all about who a person knows.