Recently, I wrote about my 12 tips for career fair success. After attending our university's Career Fair last week, I would like to now share my 13th tip for Career Fair success based on what I observed. It's to have an open mind and explore opportunities with as many employers as possible. Look beyond the big, brand name companies. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find. I spent a large portion of my time directing students to employers they hadn't considered approaching, and they were happy that I did because they found out about internship and job opportunties they wouldn't have otherwise. Remember too that all companies have cross-functional departments so don't just focus on the industry they're in. For exmaple, if a software company is recruiting, you might think that they only want MIS or computer science majors. But a software company also has a marketing, accounting, finance, and operations department.
Also remember that, while your major and academics are important, employers are also looking for transferable skills when looking to hire an intern or grad. One woman I met at an employer table told me that she had majored in English and was now working in a sales development role. So start expanding your horizons when exploring your career options. You'll be glad you did.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Networking 101: 12 Tips for Career Fair Success
Tis the season for college recruiting and the requisite career fairs. Are you ready? If not, let me share my tips and strategies on how to effectively network at these events and increase your chances of landing an internship or job. Networking is a necessary part of the job search, and the primary way that people obtain jobs, but it's something that most college students dread. Networking isn't easy and it doesn't come naturally for most people. But, as with many things in life, it is a skill that can be developed and perfected with practice. Essentially, the more you do it, the more at ease you will feel.
Here are a dozen tips to ensure your career fair success:
1. Have copies of your resume printed on quality resume paper which you can buy at any office supply store. Employers may or may not accept resumes but you should have them in case they do.
2. Keep your resumes in a portfolio (which you can also buy at an office supply store for under $15). These portfolios come equipped with a notepad, pen, calculator and pockets to store business cards.
3. Speaking of business cards, you may want to consider buying some of your own, particularly if you are a senior. You can get free business cards at www.vistaprint.com (there may be other companies too). Make sure to keep them conservative.
4. Dress in business attire (or business casual, depending on the type of career fair and the industry) and be well groomed. First impressions count.
5. Make a plan of which companies you want to talk to at the career fair so that you don't waste time. Some of the more popular companies may have long lines.
6. Do research about the companies you are interested in - at the very least read their website but you might also research them in online company databases, such as Hoovers. What you don't want to do is approach a recruiter and say, "So tell me, what does your company do?" You may say, however, something like, "I've heard a lot of good things about your rotational program. Can you tell me more about it?" The key word here is "more," implying you already know something about it. Or you can say, "What kind of skills/qualifications are you looking for in a candidate for your rotational program?"
7. If you're nervous about approaching employers, start with a company that you're not really interested in. That way you can test drive your networking skills and get the jitters out before you approach the recruiter at your dream company.
8. Approach each recruiter with a smile and a firm handshake, minus the sweaty palm. If you have a tendency toward sweaty palms, keep a tissue in your pocket and use it in between handshakes.
9. Introduce yourself and start off with some basic information about yourself such as your year in school, major, concentration, etc. Some people will then launch into their "30 second pitch," but the more natural approach is to let the other person say something about him/herself. Then you can go into your pitch, highlighting your experience, skills and accomplishments.
10. After speaking with each recruiter, thank them for their time and say something like, "It was a pleasure to meet you and discuss the internships available at your company." Make sure to get a business card!
11. After you walk away, go to a discreet part of the room and write notes about your conversation with the recruiter, which you will use in your thank you note.
12. Send a thank you note to each recruiter you spoke with and follow up on any promises you made. For example, if you mentioned you would send them your resume, make sure you do it. Do this even if you feel that you aren't interested in the company and/or the position. Why? Well, first of all, it's good business etiquette but, secondly, you never know when you might meet that recruiter again at another career fair or during an interview.
By applying these tips for career fair success, you'll be sure to make the most of this networking experience!
Here are a dozen tips to ensure your career fair success:
1. Have copies of your resume printed on quality resume paper which you can buy at any office supply store. Employers may or may not accept resumes but you should have them in case they do.
2. Keep your resumes in a portfolio (which you can also buy at an office supply store for under $15). These portfolios come equipped with a notepad, pen, calculator and pockets to store business cards.
3. Speaking of business cards, you may want to consider buying some of your own, particularly if you are a senior. You can get free business cards at www.vistaprint.com (there may be other companies too). Make sure to keep them conservative.
4. Dress in business attire (or business casual, depending on the type of career fair and the industry) and be well groomed. First impressions count.
5. Make a plan of which companies you want to talk to at the career fair so that you don't waste time. Some of the more popular companies may have long lines.
6. Do research about the companies you are interested in - at the very least read their website but you might also research them in online company databases, such as Hoovers. What you don't want to do is approach a recruiter and say, "So tell me, what does your company do?" You may say, however, something like, "I've heard a lot of good things about your rotational program. Can you tell me more about it?" The key word here is "more," implying you already know something about it. Or you can say, "What kind of skills/qualifications are you looking for in a candidate for your rotational program?"
7. If you're nervous about approaching employers, start with a company that you're not really interested in. That way you can test drive your networking skills and get the jitters out before you approach the recruiter at your dream company.
8. Approach each recruiter with a smile and a firm handshake, minus the sweaty palm. If you have a tendency toward sweaty palms, keep a tissue in your pocket and use it in between handshakes.
9. Introduce yourself and start off with some basic information about yourself such as your year in school, major, concentration, etc. Some people will then launch into their "30 second pitch," but the more natural approach is to let the other person say something about him/herself. Then you can go into your pitch, highlighting your experience, skills and accomplishments.
10. After speaking with each recruiter, thank them for their time and say something like, "It was a pleasure to meet you and discuss the internships available at your company." Make sure to get a business card!
11. After you walk away, go to a discreet part of the room and write notes about your conversation with the recruiter, which you will use in your thank you note.
12. Send a thank you note to each recruiter you spoke with and follow up on any promises you made. For example, if you mentioned you would send them your resume, make sure you do it. Do this even if you feel that you aren't interested in the company and/or the position. Why? Well, first of all, it's good business etiquette but, secondly, you never know when you might meet that recruiter again at another career fair or during an interview.
By applying these tips for career fair success, you'll be sure to make the most of this networking experience!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Keep your references in the loop
I got a call yesterday from an employer looking for a reference for a student, and I was totally caught off guard because the student hadn't told me about it. First of all, I couldn't recall who the student was right on the spot since I work with thousands of students, and this particular student had a very common last name. Luckily, after a few minutes of awkward silence on the phone, I searched my memory and was able to remember him. But then I had to quickly scramble to remember what I knew about him. I asked the recruiter if he would mind if I took a minute to look up my counseling notes in our student database, and he agreed. After a few more minutes, I was finally able to provide a reference to the recruiter. But was it the best reference I could have given him? Probably not. Plus now the recruiter knew that the student hadn't contacted me beforehand, which could create an unprofessional impression.
All of this could have been avoided if only the student had given me a heads up that the employer would be calling me for a reference, what position he was interviewing for, what the employer was looking for in a candidate and what he wanted me to emphasize about him in the reference. That way, I could have strategically developed a targeted reference for him that would have been much better than my ad hoc, top of mind response and would have increased his chances of landing the job.
Moral of story: Let your references know each and every time you are using them as a reference for a job so that they won't be caught off guard like I was and will be able to provide you with the glowing reference you deserve.
All of this could have been avoided if only the student had given me a heads up that the employer would be calling me for a reference, what position he was interviewing for, what the employer was looking for in a candidate and what he wanted me to emphasize about him in the reference. That way, I could have strategically developed a targeted reference for him that would have been much better than my ad hoc, top of mind response and would have increased his chances of landing the job.
Moral of story: Let your references know each and every time you are using them as a reference for a job so that they won't be caught off guard like I was and will be able to provide you with the glowing reference you deserve.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Resumes: First impressions count
First impressions count on a resume, so what does yours say about you? Does it say that you're sloppy, detail-oriented, scattered or professional? Of course, it's the content of your resume that employers care most about but if your resume doesn't look appealing and inviting, they may never get to your content. Recruiters will automatically be drawn toward the resumes that look professional and readable.
Here are some ways to increase the probability that your resume will be read:
1. Make sure to use enough white space; don't squeeze too much text into too little space.
2. However, don't leave too much white space at the bottom of our resume which would convey that you don't have a lot of experience; spread the text out evenly down the page.
3. Use at least a 10 point font size but nothing larger than 12 point.
4. Use bolding, italicization, and underlines to make your resume look interesting.
5. Don't use cutesy graphics (one time I saw heart symbols on a student's resume) or unusual fonts to get attention; when in doubt, err on the side of being conservative.
6. Be consistent with formatting within your resume; for example, if you bold one company name, make sure you bold them all.
7. Use bullets to describe your work experience, not paragraphs.
8. Absolutely do not have any typos or misspellings! Your resume could easily be discarded into the "no" pile because of one typo, and wouldn't it be a shame to be disqualified for that?
Here are some ways to increase the probability that your resume will be read:
1. Make sure to use enough white space; don't squeeze too much text into too little space.
2. However, don't leave too much white space at the bottom of our resume which would convey that you don't have a lot of experience; spread the text out evenly down the page.
3. Use at least a 10 point font size but nothing larger than 12 point.
4. Use bolding, italicization, and underlines to make your resume look interesting.
5. Don't use cutesy graphics (one time I saw heart symbols on a student's resume) or unusual fonts to get attention; when in doubt, err on the side of being conservative.
6. Be consistent with formatting within your resume; for example, if you bold one company name, make sure you bold them all.
7. Use bullets to describe your work experience, not paragraphs.
8. Absolutely do not have any typos or misspellings! Your resume could easily be discarded into the "no" pile because of one typo, and wouldn't it be a shame to be disqualified for that?
Monday, July 12, 2010
Your Facebook friends can help you find a job!
SimplyHired.com, a vast database of jobs and internships that culls postings from numerous job search sites, recently launched a new integration feature with Facebook, and it's really simple to use. All you have to do is go onto www.SimplyHired.com, click on the Facebook logo, and log into your Facebook account. Then click on "allow" and you will see a list of your friends and the companies they work at. By clicking on the company name, you will see a list of any jobs at that company that are currently posted on SimplyHired. If you are interested in applying for a particular job and would like to enlist the support of your Facebook friend, simply click on their picture and an automatic email is generated telling your friend that you are interested in applying for a job at their company and would like to learn more about it. You can change the content of that email if you wish.
I have been explaining this new feature in my recent counseling sessions and some students seem a bit reluctant to use it. Their first concern is that their Facebook friends will know that they are using it. That's absolutely not true. The only way they would know is if you were to send an email to them about a specific job. The other comment I frequently hear from students is that none of their friends have jobs or none of them have jobs at companies they would want to work at. But how would they know unless they tried it? So let's say you have a friend who works in a retail position. Although that might not be the job you want, your friend might have connections to management within that company.
I would say that this feature is definitely worth looking into. It's a pretty easy and non-intimidating way to ease into networking. For more info and a brief video tutorial, please visit the following link: http://blog.simplyhired.com/2010/07/simply-hired-video-series-facebook-integration.html.
I have been explaining this new feature in my recent counseling sessions and some students seem a bit reluctant to use it. Their first concern is that their Facebook friends will know that they are using it. That's absolutely not true. The only way they would know is if you were to send an email to them about a specific job. The other comment I frequently hear from students is that none of their friends have jobs or none of them have jobs at companies they would want to work at. But how would they know unless they tried it? So let's say you have a friend who works in a retail position. Although that might not be the job you want, your friend might have connections to management within that company.
I would say that this feature is definitely worth looking into. It's a pretty easy and non-intimidating way to ease into networking. For more info and a brief video tutorial, please visit the following link: http://blog.simplyhired.com/2010/07/simply-hired-video-series-facebook-integration.html.
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