First-Years' Guide to the Career Fair (taught through Parks and Recreation)

The Tufts Career Fair is next week.

If that statement scares you, and if you're a first-year, this article could SAVE you.

This big event is happening on Wednesday, September 30 from 11:30 to 2:30 in Gantcher gym (where Fall Gala was). The Career Fair can be overwhelming and intimidating, but that should only be the case if you have no idea what you're doing. Hopefully after reading these steps and tips, you'll have the confidence of a junior/senior (but without the actual pressure to find a job *thank goodness*). 

Confession: The only two times I've gone to the gym were for Fall Gala and the Career Fair...what is exercise?
(Career Center)

Before the fair

1. Update or create your professional resume! You and the delete button are really going to get to know each other during this process...Although there are some aspects of high school that can still be used in a first-year's college resume, (i.e. GPA, related experiences, outstanding achievements) most of your resume will need a MAJOR college makeover. 

My high school resume
(www.buzzfeed.com)

Thankfully, the Career Center is having three resume critique events, Sept. 24, 25 and 28 (Click here for details) Of course, you can also go to the Career Center's drop-in hours for resume critiques.

2. Make it work! This event is all about first impressions and interactions, so presentation is key. If you put effort into a professional outfit, employers and recruiters will see that you are serious about wanting to speak with them. Luckily, for first-years, you don't necessarily need to wear a suit, but definitely no gym clothes (even though we're in Gantcher) and no sloppy looking clothes. (Tip: wear comfy shoes walking TO the fair, and change them before you start meeting employers--let's not relive the struggles of walking in heels to Fall Gala)

Looking good can make a municipal building look like a runway
(www.vulture.com)

One perk of really dressing the part is that there will be a LinkedIn photo booth taking professional head shots that you can use for your professional profile. (Because, unfortunately, no employer wants to see a selfie as your LinkedIn profile pic...)

3. Get the Career Fair App! Use the Tufts Career Fair Plus app to get all the information you need for the fair. With the new app, you can add career center events to your phone's calendar, find career fair tips, see a list of employers and view a map of employer tables.

The app is perfect for organizing your plan at the Career Fair - use the app's list of employers, filter your search by job type or major, and favorite the ones you're interested in seeing. Read their bio on the app and link to the company website. Then, use the map to know where their table is located. It's called the Job Hunt, right? You got to strategize your attack!

At the Fair

1. Take it all in...Get a feel for the setting. It can be intimidating to be around so many recruiters, but there's no need to rush right into it. Notice where everyone stashes their backpacks and extra stuff before heading out to fair. Also, the Career Center will have a table right at the entrance to answer any questions or concerns you have. 

If you feel like this at the Career Fair, come by the Career Center table. Please.
(fictionalcharactermbti.tumblr.com)

2. Actually talk to someone. Whether you're at the career fair to look for an internship, or you just want to see what the fair is like, don't waste an opportunity to practice talking to companies. You should have a general "Elevator Pitch" practiced or at least in mind with information like:

• You name, class and (prospective) major
• Things in your background that relate to the particular employer (activities, interests, projects, research, work, volunteer experience...)
• Questions to keep the conversation going such as: Could you tell me a little more about the internship program that you mention on your website? What skills/experiences do successful interns have? 

This should not be your main selling point...
(www.cosmo.ph)

If you have no idea what to say to a company representative, this is your opportunity to listen in on other people's conversations with employers and learn. Afterwards, you can step aside, take a few minutes to research the company, and come back later to talk.

3. Be mindful. Be aware of your body language. (just be an attentive listener - good posture, good eye contact, and try to hide the fear in your eyes...) Also, be considerate to other students who want to speak with the employer. If you see a huge line forming behind you, don't be a jerk. Ask for a business card to continue the conversation later (Tip: write down notes about the conversation on the back of the card!).

Don't be a jerk, cuz Andy's allergic.
(giphy.com)

After the fair

1. Reflect! Think about what opportunities sounded cool and what companies you liked. Also research the company or the person you found interesting, too, before you forget.

Be true to your interests. Be Ron Swanson.
(uproxx.com)

2. Follow through! This can be done in two ways (neither of them use a basketball)

One: Write a follow-up email to the people you talked to thanking them for meeting with you and attach a resume. Don't let your resume be lost among the pile - make an impression whenever you can before you lose the connection.

Two: Apply to the internship that they are offering. Just so you know, adding your resume to the pile at the fair doesn't count as applying for the job. Some employers at the career fair will take your contact info and send you an application, but most times, YOU are going to take the first step. If this frightens you, come by the Career Center for a cover letter writing session and any other application support you need!

Don't come barging in with your resume three years later - Follow up immediately!
(www.indianapolismonthly.com)

3. Excel! For companies you're consider applying for, create a spreadsheet that organizes all the steps you should take, events they are holding, and any general notes about the company's hiring process. Here's a Sample spreadsheet made by the Career Center.

My final piece of advice? You got this! At your first career fair, you have room to learn and room to make mistakes, so put on that suit jacket your mom made you bring and go forth!

Career Fair? Please, you got this.
(www.buzzfeed.com)

Thanks for reading!

Nina Joung
Class of 2018

Read More

Things TV Taught Me About Career Development

By now, if you’ve read a few of my blog posts, you might know some things about me. First of all, I love sitcoms. Second of all, working for the Career Center has made me see themes about personal career development in places that I would never think to look. I think you can guess where I’m going with this, but in case you’re the Joey of your friend group, I’ll make it clear: here are examples of how some of my favorite TV characters of all time battled career changes and self-doubt, withstood the trials and tribulations of the working world, and came out on the other side as successful (and, just as importantly, funny) individuals. Of course, I’m willing to admit that there are some questionable logics in these characters’ rise to success, but if we suspend disbelief for a little bit, we can truly appreciate the lessons that these characters have taught us.

*SPOILER ALERT*: What follows may spoil some major plotlines in the TV shows Friends, 30 Rock, and Parks and Recreation. More importantly though, if you haven’t watched every single episode of Friends by now, you need to re-evaluate your TV (and possibly life) choices.

Case 1 – Rachel Green, Friends

In the first episode of Friends, we meet Rachel as the naïve runaway bride who moves to New York in an attempt to prove that she can make it in the real world without her parents’ or fiancé’s money. Despite her culture shock (the episode where she turns all her white laundry pink… classic), Rachel transforms from a coffeehouse waitress to a smart and successful executive in the fashion industry. How does she do it? To be honest, Rachel owes her friends big time – from helping her mail resumes to leaving exorbitant tips despite her ineptitude at pouring coffee, the rest of the Central Perk gang was a big support system for Rachel over the years. Rachel teaches us that it’s important to have a support network in place, and that this network is crucial to keeping your sanity during the job search process. When Rachel gets turned down for a job she desperately wanted (The One With All The Poker), her friends play along when she suddenly decides to up the betting in the poker game in an attempt to vent her frustration. So no matter how much you questioned her haircut, be sure not to question Rachel’s career development, because she got by with a little help from… well, you know.

The things I would do to be in one of these group hugs.

Case 2 – Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

If I had to pick one TV character that I idolize over all others, it would be Leslie Knope. So high-achieving, so persistent, and so optimistic no matter how much the world tries to smack her down. In the last two seasons of the show, Leslie goes from working as deputy director of the Pawnee, Indiana Parks and Recreation Department to running the Midwest branch of the National Park Service to being elected the governor of Indiana – twice. If you watch the first season of Parks and Rec, you might doubt that Leslie will ever make it so far, regardless of her dreams to be the first female President. But Leslie shows us that if you persist, follow your dreams, and never stop striving towards perfection, you can accomplish anything. This sounds like a lot to ask from anyone, so if you’re looking to channel just a little bit of Leslie Knope into your life, try to adopt her enthusiasm for her work. If you don’t have any enthusiasm for what you’re doing (or what you think you want to do), you might want to consider going out into the world and exploring your options – just like Leslie helped her former intern April Ludgate to do in season 7 (refer to my post on the quarter-life crisis for details on that). At the very least, if you eat as much sugar as Leslie does, you might be able to power through that next all-night study cram.

Case 3 – Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock

Leslie Knope may be my TV character idol, but if I had to pick a real person that I idolize over all others, it would almost certainly be Tina Fey. She became the first female head writer of SNL, wrote and acted in Mean Girls a.k.a. one of the most culturally relevant movies of the 21^st century, and wrote, produced, and starred in a hilarious and wildly successful TV series. Much of the show features Fey, dubbed Liz Lemon, and her boss/mentor Jack Donaghy, a corporate business shark with ruthless determinism. When Jack starts to become disillusioned with his career, however, he plans to tank NBC in a last-ditch grab for power. Eventually, he names Kenneth, an NBC page, CEO and decides to leave on a journey to find his purpose in life – a journey that lasts about 30 seconds before he has his next great invention that catapults him back to the top of the business world. Jack reminds us of how foolish it is to give up too easily – the next great career move could be right up ahead, but if you give up, you could miss it. While it’s important to be aware of the infinite directions your career path could take, careful consideration is also necessary before you jump right into something new (in Jack’s case, a boat on which he plans to travel the world).

As someone who has worked on a farm, I take slight offense to this. But it's still really funny.

If you’ve really been paying attention to my blog posts, you know that I, like many of my peers, also love watching Netflix. Of course, I always regret doing it, because it’s so easy to get sucked into watching 4 hours’ worth of television and then I have 2 hours to do all of my homework. But the next time you click that little red ‘N’ (or, if you’re feeling old-fashioned, turn on the actual TV), think about what your favorite TV character would say to you about their career. You may be able to learn more from Michael Scott than you’d think. (Just kidding. You should probably ask Jim.)

Until next time,

Sean Boyden

Class of 2017

Read More