Career fairs are just right around the corner. Soon enough, you’ll be going up to recruiters, shaking their hands, and giving them your 30 second pitch that took you forever to craft. That sounds great and all, but recruiters have to hear hundreds of students per day doing the same old thing. How are you ever going to stand out? Here are some great tips to help you beyond the pitch.
- Open up the hand shake with a conversation starter:
Ask them how their day is going so far or how long it took them to travel to Penn State. Anything besides the hand shake leading into the 30 second pitch will give them a breath of fresh air.
- Write down notes:
Once you get the conversation started, be sure to have a pen and notepad in hand. Recruiters will be giving you so much information and what good is it to forget everything 5 minutes later? Take notes!
- Ask GOOD questions:
So near the end of your talk with the recruiter, be sure to ask some general and personal questions both about the company and the site the recruiter works on. Questions should be asked in a way where it’s not public information (already on their website). You can ask about recent news about the company, what made you join the company, or what type of candidate you’re looking for.
- Get their contact information:
The best possible outcome is for the recruiter to give you their business card, but if that doesn’t happen, ask for either their email or their full name. If they give you their full name, always connect with them on LinkedIn and follow up. This is common etiquette and shows the recruiters that you’re truly interested in the position.
