UVM Career Services Blog

After the Job Fair

Posted on October 18, 2012 with No Comments

You came to the Job Fair, talked to employers, dropped off resumes and collected some business cards. Now what?

• Follow up! Let employers know that you appreciated meeting them and express interest in their organization’s opportunities.
• Learn more! Explore the company’s website, follow the company on Linked-In and evaluate fit with your interests.
• Prepare for an Interview!

Still looking?

Catamount Job Link

Part Time Jobs & Internships

Information for Specific Career Fields

Internship Hop: Thursday, October 31^st 1:30-4pm, L/L E-Building (Career Services)

The I-Hop is a Resource Fair to help you identify opportunities!

We’re here to support you:
Drop-ins: L/L E140, Monday – Thursday: 1-4pm
Davis Center Drop-ins: Rosa Parks Room, Tuesdays: 11am-1pm

~Kala

What Employers Want

Posted on October 11, 2012 with No Comments

So you want a job or an internship.  You have worked hard, polished your resume and ironed your job fair shirt.  So now what? What is the secret to what employers really want?

Keep to the basics.  Employers seek people who present themselves well, are well informed and are interested in being actively involved.

Here are a few strategies on sending the right message at the fair and afterwards:

Prepare: Know who is coming and with whom you want to talk and share your resume & skills.

Dress: to signal you want to work and be taken seriously.

Practice: introducing yourself, your skills and interests.

Positive & Personable: Remember employers are people. Start a conversation and show your interest in what they do for a living.

Follow Through: Persistence pays.  Collect business cards and follow up via email or LinkedIn.

It is all in the conversation!  Keep learning, practicing and exploring the avenues for your job journey.

~Holly

Job Fair Follow-Up: Insights from an Employer

Posted on March 27, 2012 with No Comments

Organization: Enterprise Holdings
Representative: Randi Blender, Talent Acquisition Manager

The Job Fair is over! What do you suggest that students do to follow up?

When I meet someone at the Job Fair, it’s always nice to receive a thank you and see his/her online application.

If a student secures an interview from the Job Fair, what should they do to prepare?

Learn as much as you can about the company, explore their website, connect via LinkedIn to learn more. Get prepared to interview: ensure you have a suit or appropriate outfit and transportation, practice answering interview question and build your confidence. Think, what kind of person does the company want to hire and what are your strengths, why should someone hire you?

What if a student wasn’t able to attend the Job Fair or didn’t connect with a particular recruiter?

Get the list of employers and reach out to employers. From my perspective, if someone didn’t make it and had interest I would think he/she would call or email me, apologizing for missing the fair and express interest in learning more about the opportunity and how to get started with applying.

What do you recommend that students do next to find jobs and explore careers?

Do informational interviews and be prepared with questions. Think of friends’ parents, your own mentors, coaches, and professors. Ask them about job searching and how they landed where they are.  Call a staffing agency, ask them questions about the job market, and ask for a referral. Search Linked In and seek out connections and learn more about career paths and companies.

He Got His Job Through the Job Fair; So Can You!

Posted on March 16, 2012 with No Comments

Guest Blogger: Owen Manahan, ‘10
Job Title: Management Trainee
Employer: Consolidated Electrical Distributors (CED)

1. You got your current job after attending a UVM Job Fair.  What do you do and what do you like about it?

I was hired by Consolidated Electrical Distributors after meeting them at the UVM Spring Job Fair.  CED is one of the largest electrical distributors in the country and is a Fortune 500 Company.  I am currently about halfway through their industry leading management trainee program.  This training program is unique and has offered me the opportunity to learn about every aspect of both CED, and the electrical industry as a whole.  I really enjoy the day-to-day interactions with customers, as well as the in depth views of how such a company works internally. In the past two years I have also had to opportunity to travel extensively for trainings and have met some fantastic people in the process.  It is exciting to know that within just a few years of graduating from UVM I will have the opportunity, and be prepared, to manage a multi-million dollar location.

2.  What did you do to prepare for the Job Fair ahead of time?

Before the career fair I looked up most of the companies that I was interested in online, though I will admit I did not find too much about CED.  We are a privately owned company, so there is not as much information publicly available when compared to other companies of this size.  I also made sure I had my resume ready to go and a few questions prepared to ask.

3.  Why do you think that you stood out to CED as a strong candidate?

I think some qualities that made me stand out to CED were strong communication skills, a sales oriented mindset, and the fact that I wasn’t just looking for any job right out of school.  I was looking for a company that could offer a career.  After the fair I followed up with an email, and was contacted a few days later for an initial phone interview.

4.  What advice do you have for students looking for jobs and internships?

My advice to students heading to a career fair would be to take some time beforehand and look into who is going to be there to talk to.  There are so many different types of businesses represented that it can become a little intimidating trying to find one where you think you will be compatible.  Conversations at fairs are often very brief and surface level, so if you have a little bit of knowledge about a company going into it, you can prepare yourself with questions that will give you a better opportunity to dig deeper into what they are all about in just a short amount of time.  That being said, if you don’t have time to do any background checking, or can’t find the information you are looking for, don’t be put off.  A career fair is the first step in opening a conversation, so don’t hesitate to go up to anybody there and just start talking!

The Spring Job Fair is Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 2-5pm, 4^th Floor, Davis Center

See Who’s Coming to the Spring 2012 Job Fair
Job Fair Preparation and Tips

Is the Cover Letter a Thing of the Past?

Posted on February 23, 2012 with No Comments

In a world where time is of the essence, many students ask whether or not they should use a cover letter for an internship application. Over the last few years this question has also been a discussion with Human Resource professionals and Career Counselors alike. At the end of the day, the answer is still up for debate. Below are 5 reasons why you should use a cover letter for your applications:

1. Writing a cover letter gives you the opportunity to reflect on the many reasons why you are a qualified candidate before you go into an interview.
2. It’s a marketing tool to help you explain why you are a good fit for the position and how your experiences qualify you.
3. It will demonstrate your communication skills, which is the #1 skill set employers look for.
4. It builds rapport between you and the organization.
5. And finally, a solid cover letter allows you to tell your story in a fashion that is unique and personalized which in the end, can help you stand out from the crowd.

The only time you wouldn’t send a cover letter is when a company has specifically asked you not to. This is a tricky way to see if you can follow instructions, so be mindful of this when applying.

For more tips, watch this video about cover letters.

~Danielle