CALS Career Services Blog

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Last night at the career fair, you made loads of great contacts and collected business cards from each of the recruiters you spoke with. Now what? Today, take some time to follow-up with each of them.  Refresh their memories about who you are – maybe add something that you talked about to make you stand out.  Remember, they saw many students last night and may need some help remembering you.

When you follow-up, make sure to thank the recruiter for their time and reinforce your interest in the organization. If you didn’t fit with the positions they had last night, ask them if they would forward your resume on to someone in their company that would be interested.  This thank you should be in business letter format and pasted directly into the email.  You can then attach your resume (PDF format) so that they have an electronic copy.

The next thing you should do is connect with them on LinkedIn.  Chances are they have a LinkedIn profile and this is a great way to stay connected with them in the future.  You never know when you will be able to use a contact in a company.

If a recruiter asked you to complete a profile on the “careers” section of their website, make sure you complete this step as soon as possible. Recruiters will ask students to take this extra step for a few reasons – often they are not able to call you for an interview if your resume has not come through their website. It’s a legal issue for their company – not a “brush off” to get you to leave the booth.  You would be surprised at how few students will actually take this step when asked. Recruiters do check on this and if you take the 20 minutes to complete your profile and upload a resume – chances are that you are serious about working for their company.

Students who have a firm understanding of the importance of following-up stand out from the crowd. Don’t let the business cards sit on your desk – send a few quick emails and hopefully land a few interviews!

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The big day has finally come.  Today we put on our suits and set out on our quest to  find a job or internship.  Tell everyone about the Spring Career and Internship Fair going on today from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at the Kohl Center.

Here are a few things you need to know about today’s career fair:

Again this year, we are using QR codes to help you at the career fair.  There will be a QR code on large signs as you enter and on the cover of the guide that will lead you to an electronic copy of the career fair overview including table numbers, maps and decriptions.  We hope this will make it easier to view and reduce the amount of paper you have to shuffle through.  There will also be QR codes at all employer tables.  These QR codes take you to company websites so you can research the company while standing in line or off to the side.

If you use Twitter, tell us all about your experience with the hashtag #UWCF. We will be tweeting too, so feel free to ask questions with the hashtag and someone will answer you with what to do.

When you arrive make sure you have your campus ID ready to swipe at the door so you can check-in.  Coat racks are available for coats and book bags.  There will be a complete list of companies and descriptions available to you at the door, including a map of all the company booths in the Kohl Center (as indicated above, it might be easier to use the QR code).  Employers submit job titles when they register for the event – keep your eye out for this because it’s useful when determining  questions for each employer.

The walkway can get very crowded at times especially by the door.  The best strategy to avoid standing in line is to come early and go to booths that tend to have a line first.  You may have to wait a few minutes to talk to the recruiter, but the lines will only get longer as the evening progresses.

Make sure you check out some employers that may not have come to the fair to hire your major specifically.   Companies don’t hire only one major – they likely hire numerous majors depending on the business unit.  They may have a job opening for your major in the future.  It doesn’t hurt to ask.

The biggest bit of advice for a career fair is to come with an open mind – ready to meet new people and “get your name out there”. All connections have to start somewhere – we look forward to seeing you at the fair!

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Day 5 is all about Interviewing Techniques. You should check out our website for a “Career Spots” video on the art of interviewing.   We also have a Last Minute Preparation walk-in workshop today from 11 to 2 p.m. in 116 Ag. Hall. At this workshop you can get a list of employers attending the career fair, ask last-minute questions and print your resume on FREE resume paper. Today’s events are sponsored by Covance.

Many people struggle with interviewing, which is why it takes a lot of practice to get comfortable in this setting.  With the Spring Career and Internship Fair less than a week away, I thought we should explore what you should and shouldn’t do in the interview.

Selling yourself in an interview is very important.  Sales is all about knowing the right things to say.  Knowing what your audience wants to hear.  Selling yourself can be the difference between you getting the job and appearing unprepared in an interview.

I was listening to someone talk about their job and heard them say a very smart thing about sales.  The person was explaining that the store she worked at was very low in the percentage of people wanting to give out their emails to the store.  She thought about how they typically asked the people for the emails.  “Can I have your email address please?”  This person went on to say that people often would not give out their email address because they did not want all of that junk mail they would be getting.  The worker said they should change the question to, “can you confirm your email address please?”  The number of emails increased drastically.  This is a great example of how sales can impact your daily life, including your chances of getting a job.

Relating this to an interview – how you answer questions and present your resume can have a huge impact on your interview. When it’s your turn to ask questions – you might pose the questions “what does your ideal candidate look like for this role”? As the employer describes what they are looking for – add in how your past experiences are directly related.

The first thing you need to do is know your audience.  Find out who you are interviewing with. This is also where company research can be very important.  Looking up what the company strives to do in the future may give you a great view of what the employer who is interviewing you is all about.  For instance, if the company sells a particular type of product, the person interviewing from probably has extensive knowledge in this area.

I have heard stories of people over-looking this very important step and then failing miserably in the interview.  Employers want to know you are interested in their company and that you are a good fit.  The best way to satisfy both  is to come prepared to the interview.

A great way to prepare is simple internet research.  Get associated with the company mission and some of their products.  Perhaps find something that you have in common with the company. This can provide a talking point in the interview.

If you know someone in the company you should talk to them.  These people would be able to tell you what they like about the company and possibly more about the company.  It would be a way for you to get “inside information” about how the company works and treats its employees.

Things to find out about the company include key people in the organization, company size, locations, structure of the company, competitors, and the history.  You should also try to find out who is interviewing you and maybe some information about their projects in the company. LinkedIn is a great tool to use here.

When you find what the company is passionate about look that up as well.  The company may be a seed or fertilizer company and may be looking at the possible advantages with precision agriculture.  Or your company may be a biofuels company that primarily uses corn for its biofuels, but wants to look into other alternatives.  Maybe you are interviewing for a company that is on the forefront of biotechnology.  These are just examples of topics a company could be interested in and examples of topics you should understand when going into an interview.

Before going to an interview you may also want to find recent newspaper clippings or articles the company is featured in.  This will give you a good understanding of the news-worthy things the company has done lately.  This will also get you more acquainted with the company.

Creating questions for the interviewer is also essential.  You should come prepared with questions like, “what are the working conditions like, are they fast-paced or slower?”  These are very important questions that will help you to decide whether  you would be a good fit for the company.

You should also make sure you stand for the same things the company stands for.  A big part of being able to sell yourself is you believing it as well.  For instance, if you are interviewing with a company that provides a product or service you would never use – or that you have a fundamental problem with, why are you there?  It is not the right job for you and they will be able to tell that straight from your interview.

As far as selling yourself in your resume, don’t sell the things that you can do, (like shovel snow) but instead sell your skills.  Employers do not want to know that you can shovel snow, but rather the fact that you used your ingenuity to create a new snow plowing attachment to put on your 4-wheeler and used your business sense to build up a profitable business in your local neighborhood.  It’s the skills that matter most in this situation – not the task.

Always make sure your resume pertains to the position you are applying for.  Sell yourself with the experiences that really matter to the employer, not with the experiences that are irrelevant.  You can always make your resume smaller and make it pertain to the position at hand.  You wouldn’t sell a florist a shovel telling them it is good for shoveling snow, but rather it is good for digging holes for flowers.

The most important thing when it comes to selling yourself is giving the employer reassurance that with your help – they will have a greater chance of accomplishing their goals. This might be associated with money or image or new and innovative products. Whatever it is,  don’t explain to them what you hope to gain in this experience, but rather how your experiences can make their company better.  For example, tell them about how your design skills can get them more customers, not about how you hope that you can get more design experience from working here.

Interviewing is very important-take today to look at your interviewing style and ways you can improve.

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We are on our fourth day of the “10 Days of Career Services” and the topic for today is the Public Service Fair/Resume help.  The Public Service Fair is today from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in Union South (TITU).  In preparation for the Spring Career and Internship Fair next Monday (Feb. 4th, 4-8 p.m.), we are also helping you prepare your resume. Today from 1:30-4:00 p.m. there will be Walk-in Resume Advising in 116 Ag. Hall. The Dietetics and Nutrition Club will also be hosting a “Careers in Health and Nutrition” workshop at 7:30 p.m. during their meeting.

The Public Service Fair was created to help students get connected with organizations in the government and nonprofit sectors.  The organizations at this fair are looking for full-time, internship and/or volunteers. It’s a great way to network with organizations and start researching possible careers. There are currently about 70 organizations attending.

Here are some tips to resume writing:

Start Early: Over the years, I have learned it is best to start your resume as early as possible. Make sure to jot down important dates and events you participated in.  Waiting the week before an interview is too late to start your resume and can lead to grammatical errors. Once you have your resume started, make a point to update it after every semester. This will ensure your resume is ready whenever you need it.

Everything has to gain its spot on your resume:  You should think of your resume as piece of real estate and every square inch is important.  Everything you add to your resume needs to add more value than what was there before. This is especially important when trying to keep your resume to one page.  You need to critically analyze your resume and pick out what an employer would want to see. When giving resume critiques, I often answer tough questions based on what I would want if I were an employer.

CAUTION: two page resumes: One of the most common questions we get at CALS Career Services is if a resume needs to be one page. In short, no it does not “have” to be, but there are employers out there that are against a two page resume. Most of the time it is because they feel two page resumes tend to have “fluff”. employers also want to see information that relates to the position they are looking to fill. Every employer is different, but most are looking for a resume to be a tailored – strategic document. For a BS candidate – this can often be accomplished in one page.

Make your bullets do the talking: The information (bullets) on your resume should make you stand out. Every bullet point should include three things: an action verb, a soft skill and a hard skill. Action verbs are verbs you use to being the bullet. Soft skills are characteristics that are transferable to other jobs, such as leadership and organization. Hard skills are characteristics that may not be transferable to every job, such as being able to count money. Having these three characteristics in your bullets will make your resume much more effective.

These are all important things to consider when writing a resume.  For more in depth information on creating your resume come into 116 Ag. Hall and grab a resume handout located in our handout section to the right when you come in the glass doors. You can also get information from our website.

Once your resume is complete, make sure to put it on BuckyNet.