Career Exploration
One student's journey through the process of discovering a career.
The Fall Job and Internship Expo at UNC is coming up pretty quickly. This event is a great opportunity to both get exposure to different jobs or specific positions in those jobs and to ask representatives of real companies what they are looking for in potential employees to see if you measure up to their standards. One of the biggest challenges at a huge event like this is making a good first impression with an elevator pitch. In the span of about 30 seconds, I will have to introduce myself, name some of my strong points and ask the recruiter about what their company looks for – without sounding rehearsed. I am a very introverted person, so going up to random strangers and engaging in natural conversation is way out of my comfort zone. I am a little afraid that without a rehearsed speech, I will walk up to a recruiter and then completely forget what I am supposed to say or do. I also have a difficult time coming up with questions on the spot; they usually come after I have fully processed what has been said about 20 minutes to an hour after the event has ended. Appearing cool and confident will be yet another challenge for me, as I have many nervous tendencies like biting my nails or playing with jewelry that involuntarily occur when I am conversing with a stranger. However, this isn’t the real deal; I am just asking questions for a class, not actually getting interviewed. Facing these challenges now is great practice at low stakes for when all of these things really matter in a few years.
As far as questions go, there are 3 things I know for certain I need to ask: 1.“What majors does your company typically hire?” – As someone who still hasn’t settled on a major, this is crucial information. If I am really interested in the work a company does, this could help me decide one so I can potentially have an advantage getting a job when I graduate. 2.“What are the most important skills or traits you look for in potential employees?” – Knowing what a company is looking for in an employee is very helpful early on in the game. I may not have a specific trait a company wants at this time, such as being personable, but if I start working on it now, I can improve that ability by the time senior year rolls around and I am actually looking for a job. 3.“Why did you choose this company?” – Asking recruiter why they chose the company allows them to talk and let their opinions be known, making the conversation center around them and not me and allowing me to hear the best parts of the company from a current employee. Bonus Question: “Are internships available?” or “What kinds of internships are available?” – Sophomore and junior years are about when to start looking for summer internships and getting experience, and this is a great opportunity to do so, especially if I see a company I like. Of course, I will have to research the specific companies I am interested in before asking any of these questions to see if they have already been answered online. Asking questions that have easily accessible answers on the company’s webpage will make it sound like I don’t actually care about the company, which is not an impression I want to give.
1 Comment
Tamara
9/8/2016 10:19:23 am
Enjoyed reading your posts. Best wishes at the career expo and with your exploration.
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AuthorHello! I'm Tricia Bacon, a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill and a current explorer of potential careers. Archives
November 2016
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