From the Recruiters…

It’s career fair week! If you’re an upperclassman looking for internships or careers, you probably already knew that. But if you have time to read this blog between standing in lines to talk to recruiters and trying not to think about how your heels are causing you to lose circulation in your toes, then you may learn a few helpful tips straight from a recruiter. I’m lucky enough to currently be enrolled in GS 415, a job seeking strategies class that specifically focuses on helping graduating seniors brand themselves in an employer-friendly fashion. Yesterday, we had a guest speaker who was here for recruiting events answer questions for our class on anything you should know before a job fair. Although these aren’t true for every recruiter, it was helpful to hear the opinions of one.

• GPA isn’t as important for some companies. If your GPA is poor, don’t hesitate to put your program GPA on your resume rather than your total GPA if it’s better. This can be calculated by obtaining your major requirements sheet from the guidance office, writing down your grades, and then totaling your GPA from those scores.

• Campus involvement is really important. Recruiters were college students once too, and know that outside of classes you do have free time. What recruiters want to see is that you did something in this time.

• Your resume should be flawless. This is the only sample of writing that they have from you, so it needs to be absolutely perfect if you want them to know that you have good written communication skills. If you’re 22 and still don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re,” that’s probably not a learning curve that the company is comfortable with.

• Lastly, make sure you’re using the services at your disposal! If you’re reading the LACD careers page, that’s a good start. Make sure you’re having your resume reviewed by reliable sources, practice approaching recruiters by having mock-interviews, and network all you can on campus.

If you follow these tips, you should have a successful career fair! Take advantage of all the opportunities that Purdue offers, you never know which interview could actually lead to a full time job.