In this blog post, we will show an interview with one of Epsilon Chapter's alumni, Sam Van Tran. Sam is a Technical Recruiter and we will discuss how students should approach companies in finding new jobs and how to better prepare yourself when applying.
Hey Sam, thanks for taking the time to
answer some questions. We all know there are plenty of online guides telling
people how to find jobs, but it’s always good to hear from who actually helps
people find jobs for a living.
First could you tell us a bit about
yourself and your job as a Technical Recruiter?
I started working
as a Tech Recruiter at an agency right out of school. There I helped recruit
technologists for premier financial firms and a bunch of mature tech startups.
This included developers, systems engineers, IT support, and all the like.
Recently I moved over to AppNexus which is a really cool tech shop in the Ad
tech space where I am now doing internal IT sourcing/recruiting.
People always say first impressions count
the most, and for many college students the first impression is made at a
career fair.
How should someone prepare for a career
fair?
The best
impressions you can make are the ones where you speak up and start a
conversation with members of the company. Don’t just hand in your resume and be
forgotten. It’s your chance to turn it into a bit of an interview. Ask them
about their company, see what they have to offer, and listen for important
clues as to what they are looking for. If it happens that you’re the type of
person they are looking for, talk about some relevant projects that will match
their search.
One tip that's always thrown around is to
know the company you're applying for, this obviously applies for interviews but
how important is it for a career fair?
There's always a line of people behind you
and you only get a short moment to give your "elevator pitch" so how
should you express your knowledge about the company if you did research?
In my opinion,
it’s not important at a career fair. If a company doesn't have a well-known
brand, chances are they are there to pitch to you! They’re there to recruit
talent and they’re looking for eager and interested minds to sell themselves
to. Like I said earlier, start a conversation and learn more about the company.
Ask them questions about what they do and the challenges they face. If you did
your research, you should listen for cues that allow you to have a dialogue
around those challenges and possible solutions.
I've seen people go to career fairs wearing
all kinds of different clothing, especially since some students just drop by
between classes. I personally went with only a shirt and tie since I had no
suit.
Are full on suits really necessary? What
should you and shouldn't you wear to a career fair?
Are full suits necessary? No. With
that said, be comfortable and look presentable.
Whether applying online or at a career
fair, a lot of jobs have specific skill requirements.
How much do these companies really expect
you to know? Should you even put a skill on your resume if your only experience
is a single class in college?
Companies have
certain expectations at different experience levels. Sometimes they are
particular about the skills they’re searching for and sometimes they are just
covering the spectrum of potentials. Whatever the case, always put the skills
you are confident in. Whether it’s one class you took or 10 years of
experience, any skill listed on the resume is fair game to get questioned on.
If you're not confident in your skill set
in relation to a company's requirements, should you apply anyway?
I think the
better question you should ask is: if you apply for a position that you aren't qualified for, do you think the company will want to hire you?
Finally, do you have any last tips for
college students out there trying to find their first big internship?
Find an
internship that will allow you to do interesting and challenging work. Find the
ones that teach you new skills and offer an exciting story to talk about on
your resume.
