UC Berkeley Career Center Peer Corner

Preparing for a Career Fair

Welcome back! Although we have just started school, you probably have noticed many students walking around campus in their best business attire, hair nicely combed, and with a portfolio in hand.  Errrhh, that’s weird, wonder where these folks are going? Well if you weren’t aware, recruitment and employment has kicked into high season! Yep, that’s right there are various career fairs happening almost every week on campus.  Why so early you may ask? Well these employers are especially interested in Cal Students and want to recruit as many junior associates or other entry-level positions as soon as they can before they lose you to someone else once you graduate.  Not to mention, it also gives you a sense of relief knowing that you have something lined up for you after you graduate.   

Even in this tough economy, there are jobs out there waiting for you.  However, it’s not as easy as standing in line and filling out a form to get that job.  There are some important preparation steps to take before you even step foot inside that career fair or participate in on campus recruiting..   

The following are some great tips that can help you get the most out of a career fair:

1. Research the company.  That doesn’t mean just read the job description, but really investigate.  See what they are up to. Are there upcoming projects that you can see yourself really being into? Have you conducted informational interviews with people in that company to truly see if that's a place you could see yourself?   

2. What’s your pitch?  It might seem quite scary to go into a room full of people especially people who are scouting for future employees and try and make yourself stand out.  Here’s what I have to say about that: be yourself, and let the recruiter know who you are, what you’re interested in and how you can possibly seeing yourself be a great match to their company.  Recruiters are there to be the friendly face of the company, so don’t be afraid of them.  Their job is to be as nice as they can to recruit as many applicants as possible.  Their friendliness makes it easier on you to make a great impression.   

3. Always be friendly.  The Recruiters are your inside point person to all the positions that are going to be available.  Inside one company, there are so many different kinds of careers and positions that it's a good idea to just check out a company even if it is not the exact company or industry you were interested in.   

4. Dress professionally! Recruiters can tell when they see that you have put effort and thought into your outfit.  You’ll also stand out compared to the other students who just are in campus casual clothing.  You want every opportunity you can get to make that lasting positive first impression!  

5. Have lots of copies of your resume on hand! Once you make that bond with a recruiter, its always best to back it up with a resume.  Make sure you proof read your resume and if you have time have it checked and reviewed by a career counselor or a peer advisor!  

6. Have fun! The more fun you have inside that career fair, meeting people, learning about new job opportunities, scoring free swag, the easier and less nerve wracking this whole searching for a job thing will be. 

Hope these few tips will help you out and be sure to check out all the career fairs and even grad school fairs that we have coming up this semester!  

Enjoy your semester and always remember that the career center is a resource you should utilize while at Cal.

Blog written by Chika Kondo, 3rd year Political Science and Society & Environment Major

Click here to find out more about our career fairs

There is No Such Thing As "Speed Networking"

Sometimes, the best networking practice is to assume the role of a person who does not even know the meaning of networking.  In other words, not acting like you are trying to network or push to receive any sort of benefit from the person you are talking to is an effective way to stand out to professionals and potential colleagues.  By approaching the idea of “networking” with key people through a different frame than the average job hunter, you will be one of the faces he or she remembers long after you hand them your resume.  Asking unexpected, even unrelated, questions at a career fair or getting to personally know someone on a non-career level over coffee are just a couple examples of networking practices that may not involve the discussion of work at all.

 “It is not what you know, but who you know” is a common quotation brought up when people speak to the value of networking, and it is backed by the fact that most jobs today are still staffed through connections and prior relationships.  In the end this is understandable, as recruiters are swimming in stacks of fine-tuned (and even professionally crafted) resumes and cover letters that can be most-differentiated by a personal reference.  People today, however, and eager college students in particular tend to think this simply means they should meet and talk to as many people as they can while being as enthusiastic as they can to each recruiter.  Oftentimes, however, they come off too strong or become just another face in the crowd.  Maintaining a laid-back persona while asking unique questions will often take you farther than a perfect GPA or impressive leadership position.  These recruiters work day in and day out hearing the same things from the same type of people, and being that breath of fresh air will make you memorable.

A few examples of how to stand out to a job recruiter at a career fair or networking event include: asking how their day has been (you will be surprised, many people don’t take the time to ask this simple question), and if they look like they enjoyed answering that question you can go a step farther by briefly mentioning an eventful thing that has happened to you; talking slow and showing a relaxed smile will ensure that you look at ease rather than strained, stressed, or overeager; talk to them as if you are meeting a friend of a friend for the first time—do not jump into the nitty gritty details about finding a job or what the company has to offer—give them more background about yourself (for example, tell them why you are interested in this particular career field and explain why you want to learn more about it through them).  In the end, maintaining a balance between looking genuinely interested in what the recruiter is saying and looking relaxed enough to actually ponder the things they say to you will go a long way.  If you walk away feeling like you would want to be your friend if you were the recruiter, you’ve done your job. That is the practice of forming a true “network” of relationships with professionals.

Post by Claire Lee, 3rd Year Business Administration Major
 

How To Get The Most Out Of A Graduate School Fair

        The graduate school career center fair is just around the corner and you are probably wondering how you can get ready for the fair, what to do at the fair, and how to follow up.  Here are some suggestions.  Checking out Callisto is the first step: there is a Graduate School Fair tab you can click.  Once there you will find the names of all the universities that will be represented at this event.  Also, since the graduate school fair is a two day event, check which schools are there on which days to make you see graduate schools of interest to you.  

        Even though it is not a career fair or internship fair, it is still important to dress nicely when going to the graduate school fairs and practice giving a strong handshake.  If possible I would encourage you to be at the graduate school fair once it starts, that is if your schedule allows it, because that is when you have the most chance of having a nice chat with the representative of the university you are most interested in.  Remember to ask for business cards or ask the representative to write down the best way to reach him/her if you should have future questions.  Realistically students will not have enough time to visit all the tables and build a strong connection with all of the graduate school representatives.  Keep it in mind that there will be many other students at the graduate school fair wanting to have time with graduate school representatives as well.  I encourage you to plan ahead! Think about who you are going to talk with, what questions you are going to ask, and do some research on the universities if possible.  In addition, coming up with a set of questions to ask graduate university representatives is  a great way to start a conversation and show that you are serious about attending a specific university.  Some sample questions are:

• I went on the university website and found information about this program, is there more that you can tell me?

• Is there any financial assistance offered to students? 

• What are specific program requirements? 

 

        Finally, once the career fair is over follow up with the university representatives by sending an e-mail thanking them for the time and help.  Reiterate your interest in the program and explain what types of involvement and/or coursework you have been involved with that will help support your interest in a specific career goal.   Sometimes asking more questions about the program itself can be a great way to have the university representative continue speaking with you after the fair.  If you know when you will be applying mention that as well. Those are at least a few suggestions on how to approach a graduate school fair, just remember to have a fun!

Post by Rosario Jimenez, 4th year Ethnic Studies major.

At the Career Fair: Approaching Employers

After celebrating with friends and family, and gaining 5-10 pounds after the holidays, it soon will be time to get back to Cal for yet another semester. On the docket for this Spring are numerous Career Fairs that present great opportunities for finding that perfect job, internship, or simply more information about your interests from various industry professionals. However, Career Fairs can be quite tricky and intimidating for many. You walk into a room to find dozens of employers, hundreds of Cal kids in full banquet attire running around from table to table, and lines that look like there is a bread shortage in the country. Don’t be alarmed – the Career Center is here to help you prepare for a successful Career Fair experience! Here are some personal thoughts to keep in mind to help you successfully navigate these events:

First off, completely forget about all the other Cal students; none of them are going to give you a job/internship, so worrying about what they do is completely irrelevant to your objectives. Come prepared, bring resumes, dress reasonably (no sports attire, but full prom regalia is not necessary either-you’re in college after all!). You can go online in advance to sneak a peak at the employers who will be in attendance, which will save you time so that you can approach those you are interested in first. For those individuals who have specific interests in terms of what they are looking for, zero in on those employers. Assuming you have specific interests for a valid, well-developed reason, you should have no problem initiating conversation, “Hello, my name is X, I am extremely interested in Y.” This is usually enough to get the ball rolling. If you are not sure of your specific interests, you can go the route of asking the employers about the kinds of opportunities they offer. Always inquire if the employer will be wiling to look/take a resume. Some will refuse due to their policy (don’t take it personally), but some will happily accept them. Employers accepting resumes usually make notes about your conversation on the resume so they can remember you. This is a great way to leave a personal impression, but also make sure to grab a business card as well to follow up with a brief “thanks for chatting with me at the career fair” note.

It is always important to remember that the employers are people too, and chatting with them as such is a big plus in your exploration process. Ask them what they do for the company specifically; some may hold positions that will give you more material for conversation. I once started a great conversation with an employer because of the free umbrellas they were handing out at their table……I mean who doesn’t want a free umbrella? If you stand there and list off questions as if you were a futuristic automaton devoid of any pretence at a human conversation, the employer might be put off. If there is a gigantic line to speak with someone popular, and of interest to you, try and wait it out or arrive early in the morning because as most of us know, Cal students are definitely NOT morning people.  Bring your resumes and your smile with a touch of human conversation, and you’ll be able to get the information you need and your name across which will hopefully get you to that next step. This next step is also something which you should ask about, as in “I’m really interested in the position (which we just talked about), what are the next steps?” Also check out this great ARTICLE and these general TIPS as well!

Good luck to all of you! Don’t forget to look at the list of upcoming Career Fairs for the Spring and mark your calendars now! And remember, if you have any questions at all, please post them in “comments”. We Peer Advisors are here to help!

by Peer: Andrew Neginskiy: 4th Year, Psychology