One of the most nerve-racking challenges every college student must face is finding a worthwhile career after graduation. In today’s tough economic climate, the competition can be stiff. Events like Fall Career Days give Penn Staters a chance to connect with potential employers and find out about their hiring needs, but to be successful at these kinds of events, where you’re competing with hundreds of your fellow Penn Staters, you should do some pre-event preparation. Today, I offer my advice on how to convince an employer that you are in fact the right fit for that dream internship or career. I largely credit successful career fair networking for the two internships I’ve completed with New Pig Corporation, so I hope that you can learn something useful!
I am spending very little time discussing appropriate attire and appearance. This is NOT where you want to stand out from the crowd; be sure to look the cleanest, sharpest, and most professional you possibly can. Try to dress like the best looking business executive you’ve ever seen. Enough said.
Even though you may only spend an hour or two at the career fair speaking with recruiters, the process is in fact much more detailed if you actually want a job. As countless other career resources will say, be sure to research each company you plan to visit and take some detailed notes. I recommend listing a brief summary of the company, noting what they list as major accomplishments and why they think they are a good company. This will be a talking point for something I will bring up a bit later.
Most importantly, make a (potentially hefty) list of bullet points that portray your value to their company. You may be the brightest political science major ever who will someday sit on the Supreme Court, but a financial services firm will tell you to take a hike. Think of your skills and education as a brand that requires effective marketing and salesmanship to succeed. Sell your brand by knowing the product (yourself), why it will work best for the company, and precisely how it can outperform other products (the kids standing behind you in line to talk to the same recruiter). Remember: this bulleted list will be different for each company you visit. Lastly, prepare at least two or three thoughtful questions to ask the company representative, even if you may already know the answer. Curiosity and a will to learn are huge and will only help you.
This next piece of information is the most crucial to landing your job, in my opinion. It’s not something many career services professionals will mention often. Heck, it doesn’t even have anything to do with your education or experience. What seems to work wonders is the simple ability to talk with recruiters like normal human beings as opposed to being sweaty-palmed robots extending r�sum�s as fast as they extend handshakes. These poor souls have to stand at a booth for 8 hours, regurgitate the corny company mission and history they heard when they were hired themselves, and then listen to nervous college students go through their rehearsed routines like clockwork: “Hi, I’m _____ and I’m a _____ studying _______. Here’s my r�sum�; what can you do for me?” I like to go to the BJC when things slow down a bit and it’s not a madhouse, but not so late that the recruiters are staring at their watches for the last hour counting down until they can pack up the booth to leave. Approach the person confidently but with a humble smile. Then simply go on with a tiny bit of small talk such as: “Hi there! I’m Luke; it’s great to meet you. So, did this place get busy today? How was the food? I thought it looked pretty tasty.” Talk about anything that you feel is suitable to the personality of the recruiter. Make her laugh if it seems appropriate, or keep it at “hello, how was your day?” for someone who looks a bit sterner. Regardless, don’t let the small talk go on forever. You’re there for a reason and having casual conversation is only a smooth segue to getting down to business.
Here is when you may pull out your research and r�sum� to say something like, “I was checking out your company and thought that ________ is really interesting. Could you tell me more about it?” (Keep eye contact, listen intently, pay attention) “Wow, that’s cool. I actually did something very similar for a class I had last semester.” There you have it. You’re officially “in” with the recruiter and viewed as, at the very least, a person they wouldn’t absolutely hate to work with on a daily basis. Now it’s up to what your brain has been capable of in the classroom and in previous work environments. If you can essentially just elaborate on your r�sum�, you’re home free. Don’t get discouraged if companies are not immediately interested in you. They are ultimately trying to make money, so if you won’t bring profits, they will pass on you. The point is to try this method on many firms so your chances of success greatly increase. Have no fear!
Thanks for reading this lengthy post in addition to my previous entries this summer. It’s been a pleasure writing for LAUS and I truly hope I could provide you with useful help or at the very least a bit of entertaining insight. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at ldp5042@psu.edu. I am happy to speak with anyone and everyone. Finally, don’t forget to go out there and show the world who we are and what Penn State is. Best of luck in everything you pursue.