It's career fair season ~ list your tips here

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>This one's not a tip but it's what my friend told me:</p>

<ul>
<li>If an employer, while you're talking to them, jots a LOT of notes down for you, that usually means you're in/they will be calling you</li>
<li>go to separate info sessions / events that the company hosts on campus. That way, when you meet the rep at the fair, you can say "oh, I went to your seminar last weekend and <em>suck up</em>..."</li>
<li>if you're a girl, tie your (if long) hair in a bun because it psychologically looks more professional/smart. I actually see it quite a bit.</li>
</ul>

2

<p>Please don’t bring a backpack. You probably use one at school, but the career fair is not the place to show off your fancy backpack.</p>

3

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<p>Employers code your resume. Each company has a different encryption system that means different things (for example a triangle might mean you want to work in NC, a star might mean you score 4 out of 5 on “overall impression”). Sometimes they right down what you wore to remember you later if you’re going to a presentation session (though they’ll only do that if they sticky note your resume - a common practice because sticky notes can be destroyed while HR usually files resumes). </p>

<p>The most important thing you can do during the career fair is to be memorable (in a good way). Recruiters have been saying the same thing over-and-over for 8 hours. They’ve talked to probably 200 people each. Especially at the end of the day, they thrive for something different or interesting. Your career fair resume is a good place to have interesting hobbies or skills (but not your interview resume - that should be different).</p>

4

<p>Research the companies you’re going to be talking to. Any that you’re specifically targeting HEAVILY research so you know what kind of jobs they have open, where there operations are, what they do, and a little about their corporate culture. They want to see that you’re interested in them. Also, ask if they are having any info sessions or on campus interviews any time soon.</p>

<p>Go over your resume with a professor that is experienced at this kind of thing. They can help you word things in a way that makes you look better.</p>

<p>Dress nicely, smile, give them a firm handshake, don’t act nervous, and NEVER act bored or uninterested. Appearances go a long way at to who gets remembered (positively or negatively) when they are going over the resumes that night.</p>

<p>If you’re applying to jobs in different industries or different types of jobs make a resume for each one. I was applying to several steel companies for technical position and a food company for a managerial position. The steel companies got one resume that highlighted my technical experience while the food company got a resume that highlighted my leadership and communication abilities.</p>

<p>Think hard about what you can put on your resume and what it says about you. A last second addition on my resume was that I coached an intramural flag football team. I wouldn’t have added it but my “activities” section was a little light so I threw it on there. For the management position I ended up spending about half of my interview just talking about that, and I’d probably have never thought to mention it if they hadn’t brought it up from my resume. If you did volunteer work, participated on a team for something, or any other activities like that have that on there and be ready to talk about it.</p>

<p>Be patient. You might have to stand in a line for several minutes to talk with the company rep. Those few minutes mean nothing compared to the opportunity you’re getting to actually talk with someone with at least a little pull in hiring for a company you want to work for. Be polite and patient, and then when it is your turn you’ll get to talk.</p>

<p>You’ll get told ‘no’ at some point, especially if you’re looking for internships. Thank them for their time, walk away, and don’t dwell on it.</p>

<p>Don’t limit yourself too much, especially if you’re looking for internships. Sometimes companies that you wouldn’t normally think of have positions that are related to your major, and sometimes they don’t but they have interesting opportunities anyway. The worst that can happen from you talking to a company is that you decide you don’t like what they have to offer and then you’re no worse off than you’d have been otherwise.</p>

<p>Go alone. If you go with a friend and they only want to talk to a couple companies they might try and get you to go before you’re ready. </p>

<p>Print off about twice as many resumes as you think you’ll need. You might see a booth that sparks your interest or a company might ask for two, and you’d rather waste a little ink than be empty handed at a career fair.</p>

<p>You’re going to hear a LOT of "apply on our website"s. Be prepared, keep talking to them about what the company is like, and then apply on the website. The way I see it, the more BS I had to go through to apply for a job the more unmotivated applicants would drop out along the way, and the better my odds were.</p>

<p>DON’T IMMEDIATE POCKET THE BUSINESS CARD. Look at it, and keep it in your hand until you walk away. Don’t let them see it in your pocket. This is pentapully more important for foreign businesses. It is a huge faux-pas for some people for some reason.</p>

5

<ul>
<li><p>Oh, another thing - when you’re lining up to talk to someone, avoid the HR person. They have the most power to decline a candidate but the least power to hire. Besides, they don’t really know anything about engineering, so it’s all a script from them.</p></li>
<li><p>One way to be memorable: when you’re in line, listen to what the recruiter says to the person in front of you (their spiel). Then, when you talk to the recruiter, tell him or her that you heard everything and there’s no need to repeat. Then ask interesting questions about the company. Recruiters like not having to repeat.</p></li>
<li><p>A few things not to do: show up in anything other than a suit, have a resume on printer paper (gray is the least common color I see), ask uniformed questions (e.g. “So what does your company do?”). There’s probably more, but I’ll come up with later.</p></li>
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6

<p>I learned a few tricks too. Go to a company you are least willing to work for first. Thats your warm up session. Unfortunately, some companies dont take resumes and waste time, so you dont really have to wait for them to tell you something thats posted on their website.</p>

<p>GP, printer paper is bad? I thought a colorful resume would look odd in a bad way.</p>

7

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<p>He means print it on resume paper, not just plain white printer paper. Resume paper generally is made partially of cotton and is very thick and “official” looking. It is also not very cheap.</p>

8

<p>College career fairs are a tough environment. Have fun with them and learn as much as you can about the emploeyrs. But also remember that your fostering a life long interest in those companies. Just because you don’t get interviewed today doesn’t mean that you’ll never work for that company.</p>

<p>For example, my current employer came to the career fair but wasn’t hiring. Three years later, they hired me.</p>

9

<p>Resume paper isn’t that expensive. Look for 32 lbs or heavier, in off-white, ivory, or gray. Linen is nice, as is laid paper. Regardless, don’t put it on 20 lbs 92-bright paper.</p>

10

<p>Well I didn’t mean it would break the bank, but it is like 5 times the price of ordinary printer paper.</p>

11

<p>Any dis-advantages to showing up early first thing and leaving early? I do this sense… </p>

<p>I don’t like crowds and loud noise (omg the CF here is chaotic big)
Employers are fresh and excited at the beginning, as am I
After a couple hrs. everybody is tired of the talking n’ bustle and want less to be there</p>

<p>but I’m worried if there are disadvantages to this I"m not taking into account, what do you think?</p>

12

<p>coming early and starting off spectacularly can definitely be memorable</p>

<p>i don’t recall 90% of the people who came to speak to me at the last career fair i attended</p>

<p>but i remember the first guy i spoke to, he stood out by far - well spoken, composed, interesting (too bad he didn’t make it past first round interviews)</p>

13

<p>It is kind of a win-win/lose-lose as far as I see it. In the morning, the interviewers are more enthusiastic and not burnt out, but you won’t be as fresh in their mind at the end of the day potentially. In the afternoon, they have more time to get burnt out for the day, but you will be fresher in their mind. Me? I always preferred mornings.</p>

14

<p>Do you think the resume on normal v.s. resume paper is a big issue? I’ve never done printed on special paper. Maybe that’s why I’m having no success in finding an internship. Haha.</p>

15

<p>Having your resume on printer paper is as bad as walking into an interview wearing jeans. </p>

<p>I have known some people to automatically disqualify anyone with printer paper, but most don’t. Regardless, having a resume on printer paper shows 1) lack of attention to detail (very important in engineering), 2) lack of seriousness about the interview process, 3) lack of attention to social norms, and 4) lack of planning to either research or procure the proper paper. All of this reflects very poorly on you. People tend to be more forgiving for freshman and less forgiving for juniors and seniors.</p>

16

<p>Printer paper vs resume paper may be a region specific thing. At my university, nobody used resume paper and people considered it to be old fashioned to use resume paper. </p>

<p>The reason why is that (in 2003) a lot of resumes when straight into a scanner where they placed them in an electronic file. The concern with using resume paper is that it might interfere with the scanning process and cause your resume to not scan as well.</p>

<p>I can say that companies that you actually want to work for aren’t going to hire you because you used the right kind of paper for your resume. The company you actually want to work for is going to hire you based on your skills and engineering potential.</p>

17

<p>I honestly don’t know anyone who used anything other than printer paper. They might prefer it but I don’t think it’s as big a deal for most companies as GP is making it out to be. Besides, I’d rather not work for a company that was going to be that anal about things.</p>

18

<p>Most engineering companies HAVE to be anal. If every detail isn’t perfect, that bridge is going to fall apart, or that space shuttle is going to burn up on reentry, or that plane is going to crash, or that car is going to have a brake pedal that sticks…</p>

19

<p>Working at the company that has both the space shuttle contract and sells commerical airplanes, I can safely say we’re not anal…we’re pretty laid back about things.</p>

<p>Straight out of college, I worked for a manager who was incredibly anal and it was not a fun experience.</p>

20

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<p>I attended career fairs all across the country in 2003. The vast majority of students at all schools used resume paper. </p>

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<p>What about wearing a belt that doesn’t match your shoes? That shows a lack of attention to detail and/or a low level of concern/interest in the interview. I’ve seen people rejected for that. </p>

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<p>I’ve literally seen deaths occur because someone confused in with cm (in one case) and a misplaced decimal point (in another). That’s an easy thing to gloss over when checking a report unless you’re a detail oriented person. Engineers should be detail oriented people.</p>