It’s fall. Forget that the leaves are changing colors, apples are getting ripe, and Halloween is just around the corner. It’s on-campus recruiting time. If you’re a freshman, this is the time when over 100 companies come on campus to give presentations about their company and conduct interviews for internships, co-ops, and full time jobs. Even if you think you’re too young for an internship, it’s not a bad idea to check out one or two presentations, just to get an idea of what’s to come and grab some pizza.
As a returning student, I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I spent last September through March feverishly applying and interviewing for internships, only to start working in May, and have it end in August just so the cycle can start all over again this September. It’s truly vicious.
The worst part of it all is that, as students, we have it good—really good. The CDC is there to answer questions and double-check our resumes, amongst other things. Employers come right here to campus to advertise their companies and recruit for jobs that we’re qualified for.
Even better, the NSBE/SHPE Career Fair is scheduled for this weekend. Again, the two groups worked hard to bring over 100 companies on campus to talk to RPI students. These are companies looking for people with our degrees and experience.
And still I’m complaining.
I’ve gone to the career fair every year, I’m not sure why—swag, that free stuff companies give away at these events, is only fun for so long.
Nearly every company I spoke to last year told me to submit my resume online. I even had one person give me my resume back! Don’t they understand that I came to give them my resume? Hopefully this year will be different, especially since I need a full-time job to pay for my time at RPI.
For me, the whole process is a set up for failure. Take for example, interviews. I have to dress up in this stiff, uncomfortable suit—I hate dressing up. On top of that, I have to answer ambiguous questions with deep meanings that I’m not aware of. It’s inevitable that I’ll answer these questions incorrectly. The standard interview question that everyone can expect is “Tell me about yourself.” Every time they ask it, I must answer it wrong. What do they want to know? I could babble on about my family and dog, but I don’t think that’s what they’re after. I wish interviewers would just tell me what they want to know. I’m going to guess they’d like to hear about my past academic and work experiences. Why can’t they ask just that?
So, along with the rest of campus, I will prepare for this weekend’s career fair. Hopefully, I’ll score an interview, or at least not get my resume handed back to me this year.
