Student Perspective: Networking Tips for the Engineering & Technology Career Fair

When granted only 3-5 minutes of an HR professional’s time, don’t waste it. Being intentional in your conversation with such a brief allotment of time is essential, and most people love a straight-shooter. In these nerve-wracking instances it’s extremely natural to start discussing yourself, what you’re studying, why you came here to study it, and so much more, which can become irrelevant. However, you will quickly realize that your time is up and all that you may have gotten across is that you’re another student interested in the company’s bountiful work. Recruiters already know why you’re visiting their booth to talk to them as complete strangers; you’re there for opportunities as everyone else is. Make their lives easier by:

1. Introducing yourself genuinely and very briefly. If you make it to an interview, that means HR assuredly wants to know more about you. Accordingly, spend those first few moments directly explaining what you would hope to bring to their company with your background. As in, be well-read in the roles the recruiters are visiting for and verbally align yourself with the qualifications. Be as concise as possible.
2. Follow up. Don’t just send a thank you email – those are boring and there are many that get ignored. Send that email at the top of the week and at the top of the morning after recruiters have had a weekend to recover from a busy week. Please remember that they are human, too! Reiterating how badly you want a position in a thank you message is not the way to go. Instead, structure your messages in creative ways to let recruiters know you’re interested in an ongoing conversation. The Wasserman Center can help you with this.
3. If you really love the company, but don’t hear back from the same recruiter after several attempts, it’s OK! There are several other recruiters you can reach out to after doing further company research. Be mindful of not using completely generic/repetitious messages, as recruiters often work closely with one another. Additionally, your responses may be collected by a common domain for that company, so ensure you use professional etiquette at all times.