Recruiter Tips & Tricks: On campus resources
September 22nd, 2011 | Published in Google Student Blog, Uncategorized
Introduction: Last week, lead engineering recruiter Jeff Moore shared some insights into starting your job search. In the third installment of our Recruiter Tips & Tricks series, Jeff highlights the on-campus resources that will help you in your continued search for the perfect job.
As college students, you have an immense number of resources at your fingertips—and you don’t even have to leave your campus. Heck, to access many of these resources you don’t even have to leave your dorm room, though I don’t advocate living the life of a hermit if you want to be successful in your job hunt.
Here are a few places right at school to help you get started. This list is by no means exhaustive and every campus will have its own unique resources, so make sure you know what is available to you!
Career center - This may seem obvious, but your campus career center should be your first stop on your job search. Did you know there might be more than one career center on your campus? On some campuses there are department specific career centers, in addition to your central career center. Visit your career center website to see who’s recruiting students at your school and the types of positions they are offering, or check the online calendar of events. Many career centers host regular workshops in addition to the employer hosted events on campus. You may also be able to schedule an appointment with a career center advisor for more advice on your resume, to conduct a practice interview or get guidance your job hunt.
Know the rules - Many campus career centers have guidelines for recruiting on campus. You should be able to explore your options and get the most of your job search. Don’t settle for an offer just because it’s the first one you receive. If you feel like a company hasn’t given you enough time to make a thoughtful decision, ask for more time. And make sure you know what your career center policy is on offer deadlines. Many schools actually require companies to give you time to consider all your options and ask them to refrain from pressuring you to accept an offer on the spot. Take the time to understand these guidelines and respectfully ask potential employers to follow them.
Career fairs - We’ll talk more about how to navigate career fairs next week, but you should definitely make notes of any career fairs on campus and plan to attend them. Many campuses have multiple career fairs focused on different majors, so be sure to pick the appropriate fairs to attend. Remember: there may be more than one...and it might not be a bad idea to attend them all!
Corporate Affiliate Program - Sometimes this program is run by the career center, sometimes it is run by your department. Either way, these are the folks that communicate with employers and help them plan their on campus activities. They often know who is hiring and may be able to connect you directly with representatives from the companies you are interested in speaking with. This may also be where you find a calendar of all employer events on campus. Be sure to attend these! Attending on campus events are a great way to find out more about opportunities, learn about interesting technologies, get insight into company culture and talk to alumni from your school who are now in your dream career.
Faculty & TAs - Talk to your professors! They don’t bite, we promise. Professors, lecturers and TAs are great resources. Many of them may have connections with the companies you are applying to and some of them may have worked at those companies themselves. Companies like Google love faculty referrals, so if your professor or TA can speak to your work, ask them to refer you.
Student groups - Every campus has loads of student groups and if you aren’t already involved with one, you really should be. From affinity groups like the Society of Women Engineers to honors organizations to sports teams to Greek life, there is something for everybody. Besides all of the social benefits of student organizations, many of them have career-oriented activities to help members find jobs. Some of these groups even have established relationships with employers and often have alumni or recruiters come to group meetings to talk about opportunities. I know there are a certain campus groups that when I see them on a resume...I’m excited to talk to that person! Plus, remember what I said last week about networking? Networking is the most important thing you can do during your job search and student groups are a great way to network with new and interesting students.
Departmental advisors - Many departments will have internal advisors for students to consult on everything from coursework to research to employment. There is usually an undergraduate advisor in addition to a graduate advisor and they could be faculty or staff or both. Set up an appointment with your advisor to talk more about career opportunities and campus activities and resources that may help you network or further your job search.
Alumni - Your alumni network is a treasure trove of former students like you working at companies all over the country and the globe. Visit your alumni database and check out where alumni from your major or area of interest are working. Then, see if they’re willing to chat with you about opportunities in the field. If I sound like a broken record on networking...it’s true I keep repeating this point over and over again because it works!
Friends & classmates - Last, but most certainly not least, talk to your classmates and friends. Where did they intern this summer? Where did their friends intern? What do they say about their experience? Would the be willing to refer you? I think you get my point. Networking!! Did I mention I’m a broken record?
Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comments, message me on Google+, or use the hashtag #googleoncampus on Twitter or Google+ to share anything I missed!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Here are a few places right at school to help you get started. This list is by no means exhaustive and every campus will have its own unique resources, so make sure you know what is available to you!
Career center - This may seem obvious, but your campus career center should be your first stop on your job search. Did you know there might be more than one career center on your campus? On some campuses there are department specific career centers, in addition to your central career center. Visit your career center website to see who’s recruiting students at your school and the types of positions they are offering, or check the online calendar of events. Many career centers host regular workshops in addition to the employer hosted events on campus. You may also be able to schedule an appointment with a career center advisor for more advice on your resume, to conduct a practice interview or get guidance your job hunt.
Know the rules - Many campus career centers have guidelines for recruiting on campus. You should be able to explore your options and get the most of your job search. Don’t settle for an offer just because it’s the first one you receive. If you feel like a company hasn’t given you enough time to make a thoughtful decision, ask for more time. And make sure you know what your career center policy is on offer deadlines. Many schools actually require companies to give you time to consider all your options and ask them to refrain from pressuring you to accept an offer on the spot. Take the time to understand these guidelines and respectfully ask potential employers to follow them.
Career fairs - We’ll talk more about how to navigate career fairs next week, but you should definitely make notes of any career fairs on campus and plan to attend them. Many campuses have multiple career fairs focused on different majors, so be sure to pick the appropriate fairs to attend. Remember: there may be more than one...and it might not be a bad idea to attend them all!
Corporate Affiliate Program - Sometimes this program is run by the career center, sometimes it is run by your department. Either way, these are the folks that communicate with employers and help them plan their on campus activities. They often know who is hiring and may be able to connect you directly with representatives from the companies you are interested in speaking with. This may also be where you find a calendar of all employer events on campus. Be sure to attend these! Attending on campus events are a great way to find out more about opportunities, learn about interesting technologies, get insight into company culture and talk to alumni from your school who are now in your dream career.
Faculty & TAs - Talk to your professors! They don’t bite, we promise. Professors, lecturers and TAs are great resources. Many of them may have connections with the companies you are applying to and some of them may have worked at those companies themselves. Companies like Google love faculty referrals, so if your professor or TA can speak to your work, ask them to refer you.
Student groups - Every campus has loads of student groups and if you aren’t already involved with one, you really should be. From affinity groups like the Society of Women Engineers to honors organizations to sports teams to Greek life, there is something for everybody. Besides all of the social benefits of student organizations, many of them have career-oriented activities to help members find jobs. Some of these groups even have established relationships with employers and often have alumni or recruiters come to group meetings to talk about opportunities. I know there are a certain campus groups that when I see them on a resume...I’m excited to talk to that person! Plus, remember what I said last week about networking? Networking is the most important thing you can do during your job search and student groups are a great way to network with new and interesting students.
Departmental advisors - Many departments will have internal advisors for students to consult on everything from coursework to research to employment. There is usually an undergraduate advisor in addition to a graduate advisor and they could be faculty or staff or both. Set up an appointment with your advisor to talk more about career opportunities and campus activities and resources that may help you network or further your job search.
Alumni - Your alumni network is a treasure trove of former students like you working at companies all over the country and the globe. Visit your alumni database and check out where alumni from your major or area of interest are working. Then, see if they’re willing to chat with you about opportunities in the field. If I sound like a broken record on networking...it’s true I keep repeating this point over and over again because it works!
Friends & classmates - Last, but most certainly not least, talk to your classmates and friends. Where did they intern this summer? Where did their friends intern? What do they say about their experience? Would the be willing to refer you? I think you get my point. Networking!! Did I mention I’m a broken record?
Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comments, message me on Google+, or use the hashtag #googleoncampus on Twitter or Google+ to share anything I missed!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter