Today, a Co-Op fair was held at the University of Pittsburgh. The Co-Op program at Pitt consists of companies who higher students to work for them (full-time) for three separate 4-month (one semester) periods. Usually you alternate between semesters of work and school. A Co-Op is similar to an internship, but with a Co-Op there is a greater focus on long-term skill development.
I chose to be involved in a Co-Op because I like the idea of working for the same company (rather than working for a few different ones.) I hope that getting familiar with the employes, procedures, and system of a company will enable more learning to take place since I won’t be focused on memorizing procedures as much as I will the actual work. Also, participating in Co-Ops (and internships too) can lead to full-time employment, which is always a good thing.
So, with high hopes and resumes in hand, I attended the Co-Op fair today. I’m inexperienced when it comes to job fairs, so I did some research and got advice from others on how to be successful. Here are my thoughts on how not to fail at job fairs.
1. The Resume
Building a good resume is essential. When I say resume, I am talking about the actual piece of paper with ink printed on it. However, I think that more importantly, a resume should be something that reflects who you are, and what you have to offer. It can be hard to make a good resume, especially without a lot of applicable experience, so another vital part of building a resume is actually building skills to put on it.
2. The Look
Appearance is important. If you are serious about getting a job, then you should look like it. Also, when you are competing with everyone else to get a job, you don’t want a silly thing like your clothing to disqualify you from getting a position. Even if you don’t think that it’s important to look nice, a prospective employer might, so make sure that you look presentable.
3. The Conversation
One of the most difficult things at a job fair, for me at least, is knowing what to say and when to say it. The initial “hello” can certainly be awkward. Some good advice that I’ve received is to give an “elevator speech” about yourself when you first meet someone.
An elevator speech, like one that you would give on an elevator, is supposed to be a short statement about who you are, what you do, and skills that you have. After this initial information you could transition in to how your skills apply to the work the company does, or why you think that you would be a good fit for the company.
4. The Body (Language)
I’m sure that you have heard this advice many times before, but body language is an important part of communication. When you are talking to someone, they want to know that you are interested in what they are saying. Looking people in the eyes, holding good body posture, and simply looking interested can go a long way during a conversation.
5. The Research
When going to a job fair, I would say that research is one of the most vital aspects of not failing. The first thing that you should do before going to a job fair is to find out what companies are going to be present. After you do this, figure out which companies you are most interested in (I would keep this list around 5-10 companies) and research what they do.
When you begin a conversation with a representative for a company, you want to make it seem like you are sincerely interested in what the company does (and hopefully you are.) Knowing what the company does will also enable you to ask revenant questions and tailor your approach based on your knowledge of the company.
6. The Escape
When walking around a crowded space with lots of employers, it’s hard to find the companies that are on your hot list. While searching for the companies that you want to talk to, other outgoing representatives may engage you in unwanted conversation, and waste your time.
A perfect example of this happened to me today. While entering one of the big ball rooms filled with company booths, I accidently made eye contact with a woman who was representing an engineering company. What happened next was not pretty. She extended her hand and began talking to me. I froze like a deer in the headlights, fumbling for words to speak. I seriously looked like a nervous idiot trying to ask out a pretty girl. My whole game plan was thrown off, and I was stuck talking to a dumb engineering company that I knew nothing about. I broke off the conversation as quickly as I could, but the entire thing was still a waste of time.
When walking around, make sure that you only talk to people on your terms. Don’t make direct eye contact with anyone for fear of getting coerced into talking with them. However, if you do get involved in a bad conversation, talk as little as possible and attempt to break off the conversation as quickly as you can. Conversations always seem to go more smoothly if you are prepared for them, and have time to compose your thoughts. Don’t get caught off guard.
So, these are my thoughts on how to be successful when looking for a job at these types of events. I hope that they can help you if you ever attend something like this.
Have you even been to a job far? Had any good stories or other advice to add? I would love to hear them.
Excellent write up. I would have simply told that lady to bugger off or just walk away. I for one, never go to those things. Mainly because I don’t want to live & work in PA. The farther west I go, the happier I’ll be. Besides, I already have my own internship.
The only thing I wouldn’t do in the above, though I know everyone says I’m crazy, would be NOT to dress up. I’d come in a nice pair of jeans and a shirt. If an employer is gonna really hire one person over another by dress, that job isn’t for me.
said Sour Swinger at 10:23 am on Saturday, February 9
i’ve heard a lot of people talk about attire at school this week and most of them seem to agree with sour swinger. i, however, agree with nathaniel. if you can’t take 10 minutes to dress nicely, then as an employer it tells me maybe you won’t take the effort to show up on time, or maybe i won’t be getting the highest quality work — maybe you prefer the easiest/quickest solution instead of the more involved one. the most important thing about job fairs isn’t whether you have the most 1337 skillz, because (especially for an internship) they are planning to teach you on the job: they want to see whether or not it’s worth their time and money.
so even if you may end up at a company where you wear jeans and a t-shirt to work (which is fine), i think dressing up for an interview/job fair goes far beyond whether or not you’re comfortable wearing a suit. the fact you took the time to put on nice clothes, shave, and maybe get a haircut says a lot about your character.
said Mike Maksymowych at 11:41 am on Saturday, February 9
I will be attending a job fair in the spring so I’ll keep this stuff in mind. However the more important part about this article is that you made me laugh out loud twice during my reading of it, and also at the title. Excellent work.
said Justin Cady at 12:34 pm on Saturday, February 9
very nice write up buck. this should be digged.
said Xane at 1:18 pm on Saturday, February 9
Sour Swinger,
I would like to live and work in Pittsburgh if I can help it. I like it here.
And concerning dressing up, I don’t necessarily like it either, but I want to make a good impression on the people who I talking to. Even if they don’t really care about dressing up either, compared to everyone else, I look like I don’t care as much, and that’s the last impression I want to give.
Anyway, I interviewed with an awesome company yesterday, so something must have gone right!
said Nathaniel Buck at 2:04 pm on Saturday, February 9
@Nathan
Cool, what company interviewed you?
said Sour Swinger at 4:20 pm on Saturday, February 9
I interviewed with Ansys, a company that develops engineering software. The people that I talked to were great, and they said that they program in C#, which I would definitely like to learn.
I should be going in to their office in the next week or two for another interview, so hopefully everything works out. They seem like an awesome company and one that I would love to work for.
said Nathaniel Buck at 4:55 pm on Saturday, February 9
@Mike Maksymowych
For some reason my Google reader picked up your comment last. Your reasons on why one should spend the 10 min to get ready are good, valid points. I use to think the same, but then two different episodes changed my opinion.
One is my 7+ yrs serving in the Army. If anything, military has the strictest rules on wearing the uniform clean and crisp, having shined boots, etc. As a combat arms (infantry) soldier, I’ve noticed that those who need to prove themselves push more heavily on the super shined boots and super starch uniforms. Generally they are non-combat arms and pretty much suck at certain aspects of the military. Basically, they make themselves look fantastic so no one knows how ate up they really are.
Second, happened at my internship. The company I work for allowed me to help with the interview process for a system database position. Basically to gain experience and also because I was the only computer software guy besides one other database guy. There were some electrical engineers who coded, but they don’t count. What I noticed most was those whose resumes were lacking generally dressed up the most. (Kinda relates with the above paragraph) In the end, one of the guys who dressed up the least was hired. The company came right out and told me they really don’t care how the person dressed, so long as it wasn’t dirty and sleazy. They wanted someone with know how…not look how.
Hopefully that all explains where my viewpoints are coming from. Granted I’m sure there are companies who will find dress very important. You just won’t find me applying there. ;)
said Sour Swinger at 10:43 pm on Saturday, February 9
Sour Swinger,
I definitely understand where you are coming from. You and Mike both made good points to support your arguments. Showiness is definitely not a good quality, and people with the “look how,” as you said, are certainly not always the most qualified candidates. I think that in the end experience should count the most when selecting a person to hire, but if you lack experience (like me) dressing up can’t hurt.
Also, sorry about Mike and Xane’s comments getting held up. They were under moderation because that was the first time that they posted. Wordpress usually sends me an e-mail when this happens, but it didn’t this time.
said Nathaniel Buck at 12:39 am on Sunday, February 10
Solution: Attach a photo to your resume! Preferably something like this: http://www.retrorepros.com/images/posters/thumbnails/46525.jpg
said Duncan Spencer at 11:23 pm on Sunday, February 10
ahh, the timeless art of seduction.
love it.
said Mike Maksymowych at 7:04 pm on Friday, March 14