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My name is Jia Yee, and I am a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. I am currently a Gleim Campus Rep and studying for the CPA exam. Throughout my undergraduate career, I completed three internships, each of which allowed me to utilize different recruiting techniques.
By completing these internships, it became apparent to me that the most work in a business major occurs during the latter years once students begin looking for internships and full-time positions. It is during this period that students must leverage their skills and the people around them to build relationships and enter an increasingly competitive and demanding job market.
Recruiting is understandably daunting. You are up against hundreds of highly qualified candidates for a singular position. And to complicate matters further, each industry has its own recruiting timeline. It is common for students to build spreadsheets simply to track application openings, deadlines, career fairs, and networking calls. With all this information overload, it can be difficult to narrow in and focus on your individual goal. Therefore, understanding how to go about the process is crucial to maximizing your networking and recruiting success.
In this post, I’d like to discuss a few pieces of advice from my own professional journey, and share advice I’ve received from professors and mentors.
I think a common perception when starting the recruiting process is to treat it like speed dating. You enter a career fair, walk up to the first recruiter you see at a company that seems marginally interesting, spit out all your qualifications, throw a resume in their hands and walk away, likely never to think about that interaction ever again.
While I agree with the idea of casting your net as wide as possible, this technique may not work for everyone. Recruiters attend dozens, if not hundreds, of events across multiple campuses. If you were in their shoes, the chances of you remembering a single face you interacted with for a few minutes many months ago is small. This isn’t intended to be discouraging, but it is the hard truth. The key is to separate yourself from the crowd of hopefuls.
Prior to recruitment season, thoroughly vet each company you want to apply to. Then, your starting point could be contacting alumni from your university working at the company you’re interested in. On-campus career fairs or tabling events are great places to find alumni because there is a greater chance the company will send alumni to connect with students. Reach out to associates or middle-management employees and get a good understanding of what working there would feel like. What sets one business analyst position apart from the next is the company culture and its people, so dig around and think about whether you can see yourself staying long-term. Also make sure the career trajectory aligns with your professional goals, such as offering support to pursue licenses, further education, or global assignments.
When you connect with a recruiter, don’t approach it as a transactional relationship and only think about what you can gain from building this connection. Get to know the recruiter as a person, and even if the opportunity falls through or you decide not to pursue anything with their firm, you still have a great connection with someone that might help later. While looking for internships and communicating with so many companies, it’s easy to forget that they are also people with interests and hobbies.
This one is old but true; first impressions are absolutely important. Think about the last person you met for the first time: what is it that you noticed first? Their clothing? Their voice? Their aura? Each aspect of you will be picked up by a recruiter, and it’s your responsibility to ensure you appear as professional as possible. You don’t need to change your image, but appearing polished, prepared, and presentable will complement your resume and contribute to the identity you want to portray.
It’s important to note that you generally do not need to be worried about overdressing. If you are still unsure, you can always layer your clothing to dress up or down an outfit. For events such as speed networking, career fairs, or company visits, your baseline should be business casual or professional. Occasionally, the university or firm will list a dress code on the invite, so be on the lookout for that as well.
Business professional means a blazer and dress shoes, not sneakers or sandals. If applicable, you should also wear a tie. Personally, I also try to avoid sleeveless tops to eliminate any doubt on whether a top is business appropriate. I also stay away from crop tops or anything that will hit above the waistline of the trousers. I would consider any shirt that can be tucked in as a safe bet.
Too many times a student will come up to a table with a stack of papers in their hand, and offer a resume that’s crumpled. You want your resume to appear as polished as you are trying to present yourself. You should be continually updating your resume as you gain new experiences or skills, and make sure your most current experiences, graduation date, and GPA are included. Carefully review it a few days before any event for spelling or grammatical errors.
You will also need something to hold your resumes. Your best bet is a padfolio, but any sturdy folder will do to avoid holding just a stack of papers. If you have business cards, those are perfect to bring as well. I would also bring a writing pad and pen to have something to write down people’s names and contact information.
I can’t stress this enough: always, always, always follow-up with your connections. Following-up is more than being polite, it also potentially starts a long-lasting relationship and an ongoing conversation about your interests and career goals. Oftentimes at university events, each person speaks to the recruiter for only a few minutes, so you likely won’t be establishing any life-long friendships. But, if you take the time to be intentional with your goals and keep the recruiter updated with regular check-ins, you might find what you are looking for.
At the end of every interaction, you should ask for some sort of contact information, usually in the form of a business card, email address, or LinkedIn profile. After interviews or networking events, you should then reach out within 24 hours to thank the recruiter or interviewer for their time. Some people even send handwritten thank-you notes, but an email will also work.
Even after the recruiting season has ended, you should still keep in contact with those connections. LinkedIn is often a great place to stay active since people periodically post updates about their firm, industry, or any career milestones. Take the time to interact with their posts, or if you live in their area, you could conduct a few coffee chats in your spare time. Keep those relationships alive, and they may think of you as a first choice based on your goals.
So there you have it: the three most valuable pieces of advice I received from my mentors and professors about networking, and my own tips on how to implement this advice. Recruiting can be a long and daunting process, but well worth it in the end if you end up in a field you’re passionate about with a company that you fit into. Good luck to everyone in their professional careers!
