Opportunity Job Fair 2013

Opportunity Job Fair, or OJF, was established in the mindset of bringing quality employers to high potential students. OJF stands for a two way relationship: one where the recruiters are looking for students and one where students are looking for recruiters. If you're reading this, chances are you are a Stanford student getting ready for OJF this weekend. You might be scared of not being great enough, or not having a good enough resume, or might just be confused on what to actually do at such a job fair. The truth about this, is that a lot of students are scared and feel unready for the job fair. I wrote this guide to help students have a successful time at OJF and score the job, internship, or research position they are looking for.

There are 3 steps to securing an awesome opportunity at this fair.

Step 1 - Preparation 

Make sure you have an awesome resume ready. Recruiters will typically spend less then 30 seconds looking at your resume. It is imperative that your resume then show key projects and experience you have in your field so that employers will know what you can do. To get good tips on resume building, go to http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/cdc/Stanford_CPH_12-13_06-Resumes-CoverLetters.pdf. That link will provide you with professional templates of resumes and cover letters. Upload your final resume to CDC so that companies can have an updated resume to look at. 

The second part of preperation is to know what companies are going to OJF. You can find this list by logging into your CDC account at cdc.stanford.edu. Look at the links on the right side and select the link for the Engineering Opportunity Fair. Here, there will be the list of all the companies attending with a list of all the jobs they are offering, and what majors they are looking for. Begin to see who is offering what you want, and begin to make a list of these companies with the offered positions you want. Also, APPLY TO THESE COMPANIES ONLINE OR AT CDC.STANFORD.EDU BEFORE GOING TO THE FAIR. A lot of these companies will be doing onsite interviews this weekend and will be looking at people that have applied online already. This is a good way to get an interview before even getting to the job fair.

Now, with this list, create a personal resume for every company that you are interested in. Put an Objective in the resume stating the following : Objective : To work in [so and so company] as a [x-type of worker/engineer]. For example, if I was applying to be Aerospace Engineer for Boeing, I would have my Objective be Objective: To work in Boeing as an Aerospace Engineer. These resumes will look so professional and personal to the companies and will stand out more at OJF.

The last, and most difficult part of preparing is getting your elevator pitch ready. An elevator pitch is a 30 second concise speech where you quickly summarize yourself. A good template to follow for this elevator pitch is: 

"Hi, my name is [so and so] and I'm a [freshman,sophomore...] studying [so and so major]. I'm interested in [blank]. I've done [blank]. I hope in my future career path to [blank]. 

You can even change the last three sentences and hit on different points. They important thing is that these last three sentences need to be about specific projects you've worked on, or topics that you've studied and are really interested in. This elevator pitch is to show the recruiter that 

I know, the typical Stanford student can go on for hours about what they've done, the people they've helped, and the projects they've worked on. You have to find the top 3 key projects and work you've done so you can demonstrate to the recruiter that you are a good match for their company. Let me give you a fake elevator pitch of mine. 

Hi, my name is Travis and I'm a Computer Science major focusing in Human Computer Interaction. I've focused my work onto designing new and innovative technologies to better interact with the user. At Generic Startup Company, I designed and created the way that photos were shared between users that increased our user base by 1000 users in a week. At this job too, I learned that I really liked more of the design and management portion than the times I had to work directly in the code.

Practice this elevator pitch till you can say it perfectly and nonchalantly. Make it sound not stuffy, or something rehearsed. You want this to sound natural. Practice with a friend till they are impressed by your amazing accomplishments. 

Apart from your elevator pitch, start answering common interview questions on your own time. You will be asked about a time that a project didn't work out, and what you did. You'll be asked about a time you worked in a group, and how did you handle group mistakes. To see more common questions, go to http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm. 

The important thing about these questions is that they are looking to see past behavior trends and current behavior trends. They want to make sure you are a productive person who works well with other. Make sure your answers highlight these good qualities and that you sound as great as you are!

Lastly, begin to build up a list of projects that you've worked on that you can talk to about to companies. A good way to talk about these projects is to talk to the recruiter about them in the following fashion : 

A project I've worked on is [so and so]. I completed the project by doing [so and so] and worked with [so and so]. If I could do this project again, I would change [so and so].

Step 2 : Fair Time

You are now ready for the fair and to get that job you want. Like a runner must do some practice runs before a marathon, you will need some practice recruiters before you go on to the ones you are interested in. Find some random company and practice the following steps till you get it down. Then perform the following process for every company you are interested in.

Step 1 : Approach recruiter and deliver elevator pitch. If recruiter is busy, don't check your phone or act bored. Wait patiently and listen to what questions the recruiter is asking because they are most likely going to ask you the same thing.
Step 2 : The recruiter should be asking you for your resume around this time, unless they only take electronic resumes. They will ask you some key points about your resume. Be ready to talk about anything on your resume.Step 3 : Fully engage the recruiter by talking about those projects you've worked on. Remember to talk to them in the following way about your projects : A project I've worked on is [so and so]. I completed the project by doing [so and so] and worked with [so and so]. If I could do this project again, I would change [so and so].Step 4 : Cleanup. End the conversation politely and make sure to get their card or email. Make a note on that card of what you specifically talked about, you are going to want to follow up with them later. Get some free swag if you want some and head to your next company. 

Step 3 : Follow-through

Like every tennis player follows through with their hit, you need to follow through with every recruiter you talked to in the fair. Send them a short email detailing about what you've talked about and what you're interested in working on at their company. Make sure it's polite, professional, but not stuffy. A good example  is the following :

Hi Jane Doe,
We talked earlier today about job opportunities at Applied Materials. I was the junior studying computer science who was really adamant about using distributed file mining for genetic research. I had talked about the project I worked on in which I created a new tool for my research lab. I wanted to reach out and let you know I am deeply interested in opportunities with Applied Materials. I really would love to build my professional career with your company that focuses on industry and research. 
Thank you,  

Travis Sanchez 

Professional Director of SSCLES

Conclusion

Follow these three steps, and you will show the recruiters how awesome and smart you are. If you ever got too nervous or stressed out about this fair, just take some deep breaths, and remember, you're a Stanford student. And remember, YOU are smart and worthy of the awesome job you want!