THE Job SEArCH THE Job SEArCH Job SEArCH STrATEGiES Networking

THE Job SEArCH THE Job SEArCH Job SEArCH STrATEGiES Networking Description: Networking means connecting with people in a field or organization in which you wish to work, to ask for information, not a job. Networking, including informational interviewing, is the job seeker’s equivalent of market research. A key strategy to networking is asking every contact for more contacts. Advantages: Effective way to access those jobs that are never advertised through want ads or websites. It’s an opportunity to gather important information on the hiring process, the work style/culture, and corporate values. Many jobs are filled by an employee referral, and sometimes jobs are created to take advantage of your skills and experiences. Networking is one of the most effective ways to find employment. Disadvantages: Networking is time consuming and requires a certain amount of comfort to contact individuals and set up the informational interviews. Contacting Employers Directly Description: Connect with employers via telephone or email to inquire about job opportunities. Tactful persistence may help you get noticed by a busy manager or Human Resources Department. Tactful persistence also lets the employer know that you are very interested in the job/company and may distinguish you from other candidates. Advantages: A great way to target specific employers that interest you and may not post their jobs. Disadvantages: Since you will be contacting employers who do not know you, it’s likely that your response rate will be very low. Employers tend to prefer employee referral candidates rather than “unknown” candidates. There’s also a great likelihood that no position will be available. After identifying fields and job functions that interest you, the suggestions below will help you contact employers with more ease: STEP 1. TARGET 5 TO 10 ORGANIzATIONS: Develop a list of organizations that may be a fit for you. Directories such as Wetfeet and Vault guides, and the Stanford Employer Database, all of which are on the CDC’s website, can help you identify organizations in your field of interest. STEP 2. LOCATE CONTACTS WITHIN AN ORGANIzATION: Identify specific individuals within an organization that can connect you to hiring managers or the appropriate contacts. The tips below may help you identify contacts: a ) Use the CDC’s Stanford Employer Database. A majority of the employers that recruit at Stanford will have their contact information in our database. Typically those listed in the database are human resource professionals, who can route candidates to the appropriate hiring managers. For public sector employer information use the CDC’s On-line Public Service Employer Database. b ) Try calling the company headquarters or office of the Vice President of the division in which you are seeking a position. Ask for an annual report and the name and title of the head of a specific department in which you’d like to work. STEP 3. CONTACT THOSE INVOLVED WITH THE HIRING PROCESS: Your primary goal is to establish contact with a hiring manager or human resources representative to introduce yourself and get a sense of any possible opportunities. You can either send an email or make a telephone call. One strategy is to send an email to the contact person, then call about a week later to follow up. It’s a good idea to develop an introductory script before calling: “   Ms. Walker, my name is Morris Jackson from Stanford University.  I sent you an email recently, and I am calling to make sure you  have received it. Do you have a few moments to speak with me? I  will graduate from Stanford in June with a degree in International  Relations and have experience interning in the marketing department  of a growing international company moving into the Latin American  market. I am fluent in Spanish and very interested in Global  Enterprises. I am hoping that you can help me learn more about  possible job opportunities with your organization.”  Cardinal Recruiting (CDC’s On-Campus Recruiting Program) Description: Students schedule interviews on-campus. Approximately 250 employers participate each year. Advantages: Convenient way to interview with employers. Disadvantages: Narrow selection of companies and opportunities. Job Postings in the Want Ads and on the Internet Description: Employers will post jobs in newspapers, on their website, and on Internet job boards. You read about the jobs and apply. Advantages: Easy to find and apply to jobs. Disadvantages: Many employers do not post their jobs in the newspaper or on job boards. Also, the typical job posting receives a great deal of attention and publicity. Candidates often compete with hundreds of other applicants and may have difficulty distinguishing themselves. Employment Agencies Description: These companies will refer you to job openings and will typically be compensated by the employer. Advantages: Requires little work on your part and allows you access to opportunities you might not have found on your own. Disadvantages: An employment agency makes money when they place you into a job. Often your personal interests are not their top priority. If you have good qualifications, and you have an interest that corresponds with their opportunities, you might find these agencies helpful. If not, then don’t expect much assistance from these organizations. Tip: Avoid agencies that require you to pay a fee for them to place you. Career Fairs Description: Students have the opportunity to meet with representatives from different organizations. Employers will have different agendas. Some want to collect resumes to screen through later. Others will use career fairs to publicize their upcoming recruiting events and promote their organization. Advantages: A great way to gather information about companies, learn about job opportunities, and make contacts. Disadvantages: A small variety of companies participate in career fairs. There is limited time to talk to each employer. 1 6 Stanford Career Development Center PrEPArinG for A CArEEr fAir What is a career fair? Career fairs, also referred to as job fairs, are usually one day events set up to connect large numbers of employers with job fair participants. Employers are there to recruit employees, so if you are interested in looking for a job or finding out more about a potential career, don’t miss out. Career fairs are typically sponsored by universities, professional associations, local employment agencies, or by a job fair promoter. Career fairs are usually free to those seeking employment. These fairs are held at local universities, hotels, and conference centers. To find out about upcoming events check your campus career center, the radio stations, and newspapers. The National Business Employment  Weekly’s event calendar lists many such events. Some fairs are targeted for entry-level, technical, education, or other specified groups and may be advertised through your campus clubs and organizations. What can I expect? You can expect anywhere from 10 to 350 employers represented at different booths or tables. Employer representatives are anxious to give away their organization brochures and other promotional materials (key chains, pens, notepads, etc.) they have brought with them. Their job is to meet as many attendees as possible and promote their organizations to YOU. It is likely that the table you want to approach will be crowded— be patient and observe. You can also expect a carnival type atmosphere with lots of background noise with which you will have to compete. Sometimes fair organizers will offer formal group presentations simultaneous to the career fair. This is a great way to learn more about a specific topic and also have a chance to introduce yourself to an employer/presenter and get some individual attention. Benefits of a career fair Consider a career fair to be one-stop shopping. What a luxury to have the opportunity to talk to numerous employers at one time and place. Some direct benefits of attending a career fair include: • n efficient and economical way to make contacts A • earning more about specific industries, careers, and organizations L • ctually talking to a company representative instead of just A mailing in or submitting an on-line resume • sking someone in the field for feedback about your resume, A education, or experiences • aking a contact within the organization M Of course, if a career fair is such a good deal then there may be hundreds to thousands of other people just like you trying to talk to employers. This is why it is so important to BE PREPARED to get the most out of attending a career fair. Some fairs allow time for employers to schedule interviews on-site, but many use the time to screen applicants or collect resumes to bring back to their organization. It is ideal to be able to engage the recruiter in a conversation so that they will remember you and your skills. Do not be discouraged if this does not happen; there can be numerous people to compete with in this setting. Use your time to collect valuable company information via conversation and distributed materials so that you can write an incredibly well informed cover letter stating your interest in an organization. The career fair can be separated into three stages: 1) BEFORE: the preparation stage Do your homework. Contact the organization sponsoring the fair to find out some of the following details. • s there an admission fee? I • ow many organizations will be represented? H • s there a published list available ahead of time or on the day of I the event? • ow will the employers be organized? Alphabetical order, by H industry, etc.? • hat is the starting and ending time of the event? W • hat is the appropriate dress? W • re there any special procedures to follow to participate? (i.e., A submit resume ahead of time) Put together your resume. You may have a dichotomy of interests and in that case it may be ideal to have different versions of your resume. Be realistic in your preparation time and remember that it is most important to have a well-polished resume that shows off your education, skills, and experiences. Be sure to have your resume critiqued by at least three people. It is better to attend without a resume than to NOT attend the career fair at all. You can always pick up pertinent information about an organization to use in a follow up letter of inquiry or application. Have a plan. It is very easy to feel intimidated at such an event. Wandering around aimlessly will only enhance this feeling. Have a plan—even if your only plan is to explore. This will help you to have some idea as to which organizations you want to approach. An example of a plan may be geographic, industry based, or by the majors requested. Many organizations will publicize the types of majors or job titles they are seeking. Be open-minded and flexible; you might be surprised at what you find. • ring a pen, folder, note pad and/or some sort of log sheet to B keep you organized. • highlighter can be useful to help indicate which organizations A you want to target on your employer list. (If you forgot yours, don’t worry, you can always find an employer giving one away) Bring your pertinent questions. Your questions will depend on your goals (career exploration vs. job search). Sample questions may include: • hat qualities and background are you looking for in employees? W • am currently a freshman so I have I some time to plan ahead, I what courses would you recommend someone take before being hired as a __________? • hat is the application process for your organization? W • o you have a business card I can have for future reference and D contact? Dress appropriately! Professional is best unless it’s a more casual event. 2) DURING: the actual event Hand out your resume. Have plenty of copies of your polished resume easily accessible (if you choose to distribute your resume). You don’t want to have to put down all the “freebies” you collected to hand someone your resume. If you have two versions of your resumes, color-coding them can be very helpful. Gray, white and off-white are all good choices. A new trend is for employers not to collect resumes on site but to just refer you back to their web-site for on-line resume submission. Try and use the face time at the fair to gather pertinent information to enhance your application. Thank employers for any brochures or promotional materials you are given. This is not a time to pick up stocking stuffers or birthday gifts for your family. Be reasonable with your consumption of recruiter giveaways. Collect business cards and jot down a fact on the back to jog your memory when you write a follow-up letter. THE Job SEArCH cardinalcareers.stanford.edu 1 7 THE Job SEArCH Approach an employer representative and introduce yourself. Don’t sit back and wait to be approached. Shake hands, make good eye contact, and tell the employer your name, major, and interests. The more focused you are the better. If you are unsure how you would fit into the organization, ask the employer open-ended yet specific questions. What qualities do you look for in employees? What kind of  summer internships are available? Create a one-minute commercial as a way to sell yourself to an employer. This is a great way to introduce yourself. The goal is to connect your background to the organization’s need. In one minute or less you need to introduce yourself, demonstrate your knowledge of the company, express enthusiasm and interest, and relate your background to the organization’s need, and end with a question. This is meant to be a dialogue NOT a monologue. Other dos and don’ts: • e assertive without being rude B • e sensitive to others waiting behind you B • ealize that recruiters like to talk to groups R • aximize your time at the career fair M • bserve other students/employers for clues O • on’t ask about salary and benefits D • on’t monopolize someone’s time D • on’t ask, “What do you have for my major?” D • on’t exhibit a lack of direction and focus D 3) AFTER: the follow-up You are only as good as your follow-up! Keep track of those organizations and representatives with whom you spoke. Send a thank-you letter to those representatives you wish to pursue. This will set the stage for future correspondence. CArEEr fAirS SPonSorED bY STAnforD’S CArEEr DEVELoPmEnT CEnTEr Unlike most career fairs, Stanford’s Career Fairs are usually casual. Even employers tend to dress down. Although informal, do remember that these are potential employers and distasteful dress and decorum is not appropriate. When getting dressed for the event, keep in mind the industry and type of position you desire. Stanford’s Career Development Center sponsored career fairs are free to job seekers. Participating employers are made available prior to the event on the CDC Web page. The employer information includes the type of position being sought: technical vs. non-technical, full-time, part-time, or internships, and Visa status. • all Quarter—The Fall Career Fair and Energy/Environmental F Career Fair both held in October. The International Career Fair and MedTech Career Fair held in November. • inter Quarter—The ME Design Career Fair, Construction W Management/Structural Engineering Career Fair, and Liberal Arts Career Fair all held in January. The Winter MedTech Career Fair and Entrepreneur Career Expo held in February and the Silicon Valley Nonprofit Career Fair held in March. • pring Quarter—Spring Career Fair held in April. S inTErnSHiPS/SUmmEr Job SEArCH STrATEGiES CDC rESoUrCES CDC Job and Internship Database Log in to Cardinal Careers to access internship listings and to participate in Cardinal Recruiting (on-campus interviewing). cardinalcareers.stanford.edu/login iNET Internship Network Stanford has joined with seven leading universities to form the Internship Network (iNet) Consortium, leveraging our combined connections to offer you access to a wider range of internship opportunities. cardinalcareers.stanford.edu/login Career Fairs A variety of career fairs sponsored by the CDC, are held throughout the academic year. These fairs can provide you with general career information, help you develop contacts and find an internship, summer or full-time job. cardinalcareers.stanford.edu/recruiting/job_fairs.html CDC Resource Library The CDC Resource Library has a variety of books, online directories, periodicals, career guides, and media materials to help with your internship search. Internship Resources in the library include: • ault Top Internships V • erguson’s Career Resource Guide to Internships and Summer F Jobs - Vols. 1 and 2 • ational Internships Guide, internships.com N • Internships-USA Online, internships-usa.com For more information on library resources visit: cardinalcareers. stanford.edu/research/crc.htm International Internships If you are interested in an international internship, check out the International Careers webpage and read the section on Short-Term Work Abroad Programs. Also check out the programs and resources offered by the Bing Overseas Study Program and the Overseas Resource Center. cardinalcareers.stanford.edu/icareers Reciprocal Career Services Reciprocal Career Services enables you to use career centers of private universities in or near the cities in which you’d like to work. Contact the university career center you’d like to use and ask them if they offer reciprocal services for Stanford students. If you are eligible, call the CDC Front Desk, (650) 725-1789 to start the process. ConTACTinG EmPLoYErS DirECTLY There are many employers that are have internships, but do not advertise or list their positions through the CDC. In this case, identify a list of employers you’d like to work for and contact them directly (either via email and/or phone). The following resources can help you identify organizations: • Cardinal Careers (Search by “Employers”) • CDC Public Service Database • CDC International Careers Web Page 1 8 Stanford Career Development Center