Ah, the season is here everyone, the job hunt is on and everyone is clawing at the chance to intern or find their first job post-grad. Whether you’re attending the job fair in person at State College or an event like Succes in the City in NYC, the time is now to get your resume up to date and brace these recruiters. But for those who are scared to take the first step plunging into recruitment season, VALLEY is here to give you what you need.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Recruitment
Inside a recruiting space, it may feel very overwhelming listening to all of these voices and not being able to pinpoint who you want to speak with or what your intentions are. But here are some small ways to calm your nerves while speaking to them:
- Do: Plan out your route
- If given beforehand, plan out what companies you would like to visit on this tour while you attend… it allows you to plan your route ahead of time. By doing this, whether it be going to the smaller companies first and taking the names and cards of recruiters from larger companies’, it allows you to still leverage your time and still be able to connect one-on-one.
- Don’t: Discuss salary on the spot
- While we all know we love a good paycheck, discussing payment with any recruiters especially if you don’t know if you are discussing the job itself is bad. You want to play it as cool as you possibly can (at least you’re at the offer/signing stage). Throughout the process, if they start to explain more to you, then you might be able to segue yourself on the topic of funds but BEWARE, steer clear of this conversation if needed.
- Do: Understand your goals
- Going into any job space you have to understand your goal. Whether you’re a sophomore for an internship looking for more experience, a junior begging for experience they didn’t get their sophomore year or a senior looking for full-time work. Each avenue that we navigate down is a different pathway to our success. While we do not want to put pressure on ourselves, walking into this room understand what you want to accomplish and achieve currently. How is this new job avenue going to affect you in life post-grad? Without understanding your goals you’ll never be able to be direct with an employer about your future endeavors.
- Do: Elevator pitch
- You should be able to express how you’re a great candidate to potential companies in one minute or less. From sharing your passion, dreams and ways you’re trying to build your career inside college. How are recruiters supposed to get to know the real “you” without an elevator pitch?
- Don’t: Be negative
- Negativity in life is already tough to go through but showing a recruiter negativity from your previous job is not good. Especially if you’re asked a question about your previous job or school and why you left, you never want to share the full true story of why you left any specific place. This new experience is a chance for you to start fresh and new and recruiters don’t want to think that you are not able to trust their employees.
- Do: Dress to impress
- Coming to any interview feeling like your best self is key. A cute outfit is a great way to look, feel and act like you’re ready to take on the world. Whether you’re in a matching colorful pantsuit, tweed skirt or satin blouse you can fight back any situation with just a little bit of self-love.
- Don’t: Come unprepared
- Coming unprepared to a recruiting event is the worst thing you can do for yourself while on the job hunt. You have to approach these situations delicately and make sure that you’re being the best version of yourself and that comes with being prepared. From knowing your elevator pitch, dressing to impress or even having extra virtual resume copies down to email recruiters who could not be at the event matters. Being over prepared and providing yourself a space of comfort in this room is key.
What tips will you bring with you to your next job fair? Let us know by tagging us, @VALLEYmag, on Instagram with your product picks!
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