#NSBE45: Optimize Performance, Maximize Experience
Students, please remember that you have more to give recruiters than you realize. Through showcasing your skills, experiences, projects, mindset and curiosity, you will stand out in your own unique way. You have to be a divergent thinker and seek out questions that aren’t being asked and people that aren’t being talked to. This is how you fill the gap.
1. Connecting before and after
It’s just as important to connect with professionals and recruiters before the conference, as it is after.
Before:
- Get your foot in the door before others! Go the extra mile by sourcing out who will be representing their company during the career fair, find a way to engage with their content, reach out to them for an informational interview or ask them a thoughtful question that would make you memorable.
- Out of the hundreds of eager candidates that wait in line, you can use your early interaction to remind them of who you are, what you bring and why they should consider you.
- “I remember talking to you on LinkedIn about…”
- “I loved your recent article/post/video about…”
- Find ways to make yourself seem less of a stranger! If you were in their position, what would make someone stand out to you? Think about it, tap into it and tailor your experience!
After:
- Now, you know that hundreds of students and young professionals will be reaching out to recruiters after the conference, to either thank them for the interview or to keep in touch with them for a potential opportunity in the future.
- Connecting with a recruiter/professional after the conference, takes a lot more effort and creativity. After a recruiter has met 100's of students over the course of the conference, what would make them remember you?
- When interacting with a recruiter, leave them with an interesting fact, thoughtful proposal/idea, engaging question, that will make them remember all of the above, or at least seeing your name will jog their memory.
2. Interviews
When you see and act like your interviews are conversations rather than interrogations, you will perform better and leave a greater impact.
Whether you have an interview scheduled during the conference or you’re flying out for an interview at a corporate location, follow this short checklist to better optimize your experience.
- Background research: It’s important to conduct deep research on the company or organization you have an interview with, or are aspiring to get interviewed by. Go beyond stating how you resonate with their core values or mission statement. What is one thing/activity that sticks out to you about the company? Any latest news that caught your eye?
Kamara Swaby, University Recruiter at Microsoft talks about the importance of doing your research!
- Questions: more often than not, you are going into the interview knowing that you would be getting asked certain questions. Come prepared with thought-provoking and outside of the box questions. Use that opportunity to know about your interviewer too, make the conversation two-way.
- For example, rather than asking a self-focused question such as: what growth opportunities exist in the company for an intern? Flip the switch, and make it about them by asking, how has your perception of leadership or personal work ethic been impacted through this company’s mission?
3. Resumes
- Tailor your resume by looking deeply into the description. You have to know how to beat the ATS System. Have you added relevant experiences? Have you copied and pasted important keywords from the job description?
- Adopt an executive resume. An executive resume demonstrates action/results driven and includes key terms tailored towards your field. Executive resumes show recruiters your strategy to accomplish goals.
- Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]
Rafael Williams, Technical University Recruiter at Microsoft shares his thoughts about optimizing your resume.
4. Elevator pitch
- At #NSBE44, there were about 13,000 people in attendance. Large, right?! You might have tens of companies you want to visit, but remember that there are also thousands of students with the same desire, hence, you will not have all the time to yourself. So, how do you tell a recruiter/professional/student about yourself succinctly, yet powerfully? Elevator pitch.
- Read more on a successful elevator pitch from Students of LinkedIn.
5. Proposal
- To keep the conversation even more intriguing, come in with a “I want to be of value to your company” mindset, and not a selfish one. Develop a thoughtful and well-planned proposal that highlights a valuable suggestion you will bring to the company, and shows the grand idea from planning to execution to delivery. Let the recruiter/interviewer see that hiring you will be of immense value to the company.
- Like Michael Benjamin suggests in the video below, come in with a PowerPoint Presentation about your plan to improve the company, and ensure your research is done thoroughly.
- It is all about embracing your story, sending your message across and showing how you provide value.
We believe if you put to practice all 5 tips at #NSBE45, or any other conference, you are well on your way to standing out and creating a memorable experience.
Would you like to see more articles like this from us? Let us know! Share this with a friend/someone you believe this will be of benefit to! See you at #NSBE45!
