With every glance I take at the list of participating companies at the upcoming RPI spring career fair, I can’t help but feel like the event is becoming just as important as its fall counterpart when considering the quest for the perfect job. And with the spring fair this year being more crucial than ever for all students, I decided I had to write this article and give out all the juicy ins and outs of career fair etiquette.
A few months ago, the company that I had been on co-op with asked me to join the ranks of their recruiters to help at their booth for RPI’s fall career fair. Not overly enthusiastic about the request, I still agreed, knowing that I would at least get first dibs on all of the sweet free stuff. But after the day was over, I was extremely glad I had participated, not because of the bags of free crap I was about to sell on eBay, but because standing in the recruiter’s shoes for six hours really made me realize what they were looking for in job applicants. I saw first-hand exactly what recruiters want—not just what they tell you they want in brochures. I am here today with five easy tips to help you on your career fair excursion to try and land that job, make your parents proud, and justify your $120,000 education.
(1) Know what you want to do. There was nothing more gut-wrenching than watching students come up to myself and other recruiters at the career fair, shake hands, give a great welcome, a smooth resume pass, and then when the recruiter asks them what they want to do for the company, have a response like, “ehh, whatever you got.” This is not what recruiters want to hear. They can do nothing with this response; they have no direction to point you in, nothing to continue the conversation with, and no pile to put your resume in, except the one that goes nowhere. I’ve seen 4.0’s get turned down with a response like this. Don’t let it happen to you.
Be sure that when they ask you, “What do you want to do?” that you are ready with something that not only interests you, but also applies to the company you’re talking to. Don’t go up to Estee Lauder with an aerospace degree. They don’t need you there, and you don’t need to be there. If you answer with something that the company specializes in, this will stem further conversation with the recruiter, and you can show him just how much you know about thermal radiation vents on a LEO spacecraft, at which point he can point you in the right direction. Also, know if you want an internship, a co-op, or a full-time position, and put it on your resume. This will save time, and get you points with the recruiter.
(2) Know where you want to be. Almost as bad as hearing someone who doesn’t know what they want to do is hearing someone who has no idea where they want to be. Believe it or not, many of the jobs offered by companies are location-specific, so when you figure out that the BAE offices in your hometown aren’t where they build the helicopters, don’t ask for a helicopter job and refuse to move out of your parents’ basement. If you have no preference, as with many students (“as long as it’s not Troy” is a common response), make that clear during your talk with the recruiter, or place it on your resume. Even better than no preference is knowing what you want to do in the company, and stating that your preferred living area is where the company does that type of work. This may require upwards of five minutes of late-night Internet browsing before the fair. While that means you would have to pause Halo 2, it makes a world of difference.
(3) Talk to the people who can get you a job. When I was working the fair, I was more like a screener than a recruiter. However, the people I brought to the recruiters for “further analysis” were considered extra carefully because that basically meant we, the student screeners, were giving them our stamp of approval. So this means that if you’re confident about what you want, don’t mess around with student screeners. Wait in the longer line to talk directly to the real recruiters and show them your stuff. If you’re less confident about your approach, talk to a student recruiter first—they can tell you which recruiter is representing which fields, and can even give you some tips. Whatever method you choose, make sure you talk to the person who can actually get you a job. After all, you didn’t roll out of bed and look online for how to tie a tie just for the fun of it.
(4) For the love of God, get your resume critiqued. The first rule of getting a job through RPI is to use the Career Development Center. The staff at the CDC has one job: to get you a job. There is no one on campus who is better at this than the CDC. One of the best services they offer is the resume critiquing sessions. Someone will sit down with you, one-on-one, and go through the format of your resume with you, making suggestions and notes. It is a great service that not enough people use.
To the recruiter, the format of an applicant’s resume is everything. When I was screening, I saw many resumes that were in need of a serious overhaul, no matter what the words on them said. Another thing is, recruiters hate bright paper, colored ink, and normally could care less about fancy resume paper, so don’t go all out on printing. Just make sure that it’s very readable, and that information is easily spotted and concise. In addition, figure out how many companies you plan on talking to, and print three times that many resumes. It’s amazing how fast resumes go at a fair, and if you have too few, you will be out of luck in no time.
(5) You’re not too young to go! I remember when I was a sophomore at the career fair looking for a summer internship, I was amazed at how many companies told me I was already too experienced to be in their internship program, and that they were looking for freshmen only. No matter what year you are at RPI, it will only help you to put on some nice clothes and go to the career fair with a handful of resumes. Even if you have no idea what you want to do after college, the fair may help clarify your thoughts. You’ll get to see what certain companies are doing, talk to everyone and anyone you want to about your future, and find out what they can offer you. When I was screening, the most intriguing conversation I had of the day was with a freshman who was interested in summer internships. So even if you think, “I’ve only been here a semester, I’m not going to get a job,” don’t sell yourself short, because anything can happen.
Overall, with these five insider edition career fair tips, a morning shower, dry palms, and fresh breath, I’m sure you’ll be able to intrigue at least one of the many companies available for conversation at next week’s career fair, regardless of your GPA. As long as you show your dream company that you have passion for your dream job, you’ll find that the annual RPI career fairs can be a very beneficial experience.
