Five Career Tips for College Freshman

If you are a college freshman, time is on your side. How, you may ask. Well for one, hopefully the job market will be better in four years. And for another, you have 4 years to do all of the things you really need to do to set yourself apart from your classmates and the millions of other people that are competing for jobs. I know some college grads that are working in liquor stores or as cashiers in clothing stores. I don’t think this is where you want to work when you graduate (not that there is anything wrong with that). You need to position yourself now to be in the best bargaining position 3 and 4 years from now. Now is your chance to get ahead of the game rather than wishing you had been more diligent. So where to start? Take a read. Continue Reading

Videos and PowerPoints From FedCollege Recruiting Conferences on 12/7 and 12/8/2011

On April 1, 2011, Steve Tiufekchiev of RECSOLU and I co-organized the first FedCollege recruiting conference for federal, state, and local government employees who were involved in the hiring of college students for internships and recent graduates for entry-level jobs and other career opportunities. The conference was at The George Washington University’s Marvin Center in Washington, D.C.

Partnering with RECSOLU on this non-profit venture was a natural as Steve and I work well together and RECSOLU’s services are quite complimentary to the job postings, targeted emails, banner advertising, targeted cell phone text messaging, and other job board services sold by CollegeRecruiter.com. RECSOLU is a leading recruiting software, solutions, and services company, whose clients include more than 100 major corporations. Their packaged solutions enable their clients to achieve their college recruiting goals more effectively, with less staff time, greater efficiency, greater accuracy, and less cost.

We had hoped for 50 attendees to the April conference and were pretty happy when we ended up with 72 attendees. It was apparent to us that we should host another but we didn’t want to end up with even more attendees so we split the conference into two days with corporate and non-profit employer representatives scheduled for Wednesday, December 7th and government employer representatives scheduled for Thursday, December 8th. It was a good thing that we split the conference into two as we ended up with over 80 attendees between the two days. The smaller number of attendees per day really paid off as the sessions became more interactive than they would have been in larger rooms and attendees were able to meet and visit with each other much more easily. Continue Reading

What Employers Want in Students and Recent Graduates

Succeeding at Career Fairs

Career fairs can be a good way for those looking for a job, to meet a number of prospective employers at one place. Singapore has been having such events pretty regularly recently and those looking for a job should certainly take advantage of this.
While at the fair you will have a chance to briefly introduce and market yourself to employers. Many people just land up and the fair, with the intention to look around and just wander over to companies that look interesting. However, by being well prepared and following some guidelines, you can gain an advantage over other job-seekers and get one step closer to a second interview.

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Recruiters Helping Candidates Succeed at Job Fairs

The popularity of job fairs waxes and wanes with the economy, and in our current downturn, these gatherings are back again with a vengeance. From big cities to small towns, job fairs are being organized by national job boards, local chambers of commerce and all sorts of organizations in-between. And there’s no doubt that bringing together employers that have available jobs to meet with eager job hunters is a great concept.
The catch from the employers’ perspective is in making sure that candidates have the correct expectations before they head off to a local fair. As a participating recruiter, everything you can do to help prepare candidates for the experience will make the day that much more valuable for you and them.
When a laid off project manager was preparing to attend a recent job fair in a New Jersey suburb, for example, he focused on the same things he thought about when he first attended job fairs 10 years ago: the look of his suit, the quality of his resume, and the best way to avoid traffic while getting to the hotel ballroom. Things have changed, and he was in for a big surprise.

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The Career Fair – How Not to Look like an Idiot in 5 Easy Steps

During the campus recruiting process, companies will often make themselves available at a career fair. While these all work a little differently, the basic premise is the same: representatives from each company stand around a large room, pass out information and collect resumes. Even if you have already submitted your resume by some other means to these companies, and especially if you haven’t, it is imperative that you attend this function and generate some face time. However, this is not as easy as it sounds.
On the day of the career fair the recruiters from the companies will be inundated by you and every other accounting student in your class. You have two goals. First, you must make yourself known to the recruiters and obtain at least one business card. Second, you must manage NOT to give the wrong impression or you will risk your resume being “accidentally left behind.” Below are 5 tips to make sure that you achieve both these goals.

1. Approach with Ease - Typically there is some sort of receiving line where you will wait your turn to speak to the recruiter. Don’t be nervous! Most companies send their friendliest and most inviting staff to these events, so this is not the place to be intimidated. When it is your turn, shake hands with the recruiter and greet them with a smile. Introduce yourself firmly and hand them a copy of your resume.
2. Do your homework - Companies meet and greet so many students that think that they want a career in public accounting but don’t know why. You should know why a career in accounting is right for you and express that to the recruiter. Rather than simply saying “I want to be an accountant,” add some more information. For example, “I am interested in auditing public companies and gaining experience with SEC clients.” By letting them know that you understand their business, at least to some degree, you will separate yourself from those individuals who simply crave the Big 4 name on their resume. For more information to generate your own statement of intention, visit the Big 4′s websites located in the Appendix of this book. Study up on the different departments and lines of business and you will be sure to impress.
3. Ask a Good Question - After showing that you have a head on your shoulders, wow them again with a great question. People love to talk about themselves, recruiters included. Ask a sincere question such as “If you could offer me one piece of advice to be successful with (Insert Company) what would it be.” This will get them talking, thereby increasing your face time, and will show them that you value their input and advice. Further, they will subconsciously feel a vested interest in your success, as they have shared their advice, and will be more likely to put in a good word for you when they submit their resumes to their boss.
4. Keep it Brief - After a brief discourse it is best to be on your way. You do not want to be that guy (or girl) that stands around yapping for an hour, wasting everyone’s’ time (and there is always one). This will NOT leave a good impression. You are there to put your face to your resume and leave on a positive note. Once you’ve completed this there is no use taking the risk of saying something stupid.
5. Take a Business Card - As you leave, ask the recruiter for a card. Begin building a horde of these as they will be invaluable in the future. The contacts you meet at the career fair are excellent resources to bounce questions off in the future. They are typically not the same staff you will interview with and can be a valuable source of candid advice.

By: The Big 4 Guru – For More information, please visit http://www.big4guru.com
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Recruitment Spotlight: Open Houses

I frequently get asked about whether or not I recommend companies participate in job fairs to find qualified candidates. But open houses are often a more effective means of initiating face-to-face contact with a large number of potential recruits. In an open house, you invite candidates to an event at your organization’s offices or a neutral offsite location, provide them with background on your company, and conduct initial conversations to determine interest and fit. As open house events are expensive, you’ll want to look at them in terms of their bottom-line results and how many qualified leads you can realistically expect. Here are a few open house tips.

• Determine the purpose of the event. For example, will informal cocktails that will serve as a sophisticated introduction to your organization suffice, or do you want to leave the event with a group of pre-screened candidates in hand?
• Assess if it’s appropriate to line up a guest speaker, such as an industry name or one of the organization’s top executives. Such remarks can make an event more attractive to candidates.
• Advertise your event internally and externally, online and offline, and ask for RSVPs so you have some idea of the number of attendees.
• Resolve security issues for your visitors ahead of time, so you don’t have problems admitting people to your building.
• Serve refreshments that suit the mood and time of day of the event, and print plenty of copies of your strongest collateral material.
• Recruit enough employees to staff the event, handling traffic flow and responding to questions.
• Execute a plan for following up promptly with all promising attendees.

Article by Alexandra Levit and courtesy of Water Cooler Wisdom blog.

Tips for Working Out the Job Fair

The American Chronicle has an article giving 10 tips on how to make the best out of job fairs. Of the few important tips to remember:
take it easy and enjoy the day;
be ready to meet with the top 10 employers for which you’d like to work for and that will be present at the fair;

• try to look professional;
• bring many copies of your resume with you;
• bring a notepad to write down the names of the people with whom you‚Äôve talked;
• be ready to answer questions;
• ask for business cards; and
• follow-up after the fair.

Making a Job Fair Work for You, The American Chronicle
Article courtesy of WorkBloom, an employment blog incorporating a comprehensive career resources section, including the largest database of professionally written resume and cover letter samples on the Web.

Job Fairs – Still A Great Resource For Students

With the advent of social networks and online job search engines many students feel that attending job fairs is a thing of the past -¬Ä¬ì on the contrary my friends. Job fairs sponsored by your school are still key in advancing your career as a therapist. The face to face element of a job fair has far more impact than submitting a resume to a job posting. At a fair you are able to speak directly to a knowledgeable representative who is genuinely interested in getting to know your career aspirations. You, in turn, are able to judge if certain companies fit your future career goals. Since job fairs are still an important factor in one’s job search, CollegeRecruiter.com wrote a blog titled Job Fairs: Tips for Finding an Internship or Entry Level Job. The blog lists a ¬Ä¬úto-do list¬ù for students when they attend a job fair. It is broken down by things to do before the job fair, at the fair and after the fair.

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What Am I Going to Wear? (The Career Fair Dilemma)

Okay, so you went to the Career fair, you collected all your prizes, you went home and sorted through all your business cards and company information and now………the phone rings.
Someone has reviewed your resume again and after talking to you at the career fair, wants to bring you in for an interview!
YES! I knew that advice I gave you would pay off someday!
Okay, but now what……you already wore your best clothes to the career fair. You can’t possibly wear the same thing to the interview.

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