Doesn’t it seem like yesterday when you enrolled in college? Four years have flown by in a second, and now you’re in your senior year. You might have a few months left before you graduate, but trust me, it’s going to come soon. You and almost two million other people in the United States will graduate from college and begin looking for a job.
But you don’t have to wait to finish college. You can start looking ahead of time.
Every year, larger employers organize college recruitment fairs to find college students for a job, summer job, internship, or co-op opportunities at the company.
It’s a fantastic chance for you to secure your first post-grad job. However, the competition can be fierce, and you’ll be competing with thousands of other college graduates. That’s why you’d need to stand out from the crowd and attract a recruiter’s attention.
Here’s how to secure your first job when recruiters come to your college!
1. Do a Little Digging
If you know who the recruiter is, make sure you do a little digging beforehand. Visit their company website, take a look around the careers page, and check their social media accounts. You might find something of importance, like what they’re looking for when hiring new people. If many recruiters are coming to your college to hunt for talent, pick your top three and spend more time learning about their companies. Instead of handing out your resume to dozens of recruiters, engage in conversations with your top three employers and ask questions about the role. Always choose quality interactions over quantity.
For example, if the company focuses on artificial intelligence, dig a little deeper to find out the details. What are some of the challenges in their technology? What are some of the opportunities that they see in AI? Understanding their business can help you have an intelligent conversation.
Additional Reading: 7 Tips for Creating a 5-Star Video Resume
2. Update Your Resume
This one goes without saying. Still, it needs to be mentioned as many candidates often fail to ensure their resumes are error-free.
You see, recruiters receive a large number of resumes when hiring, especially larger corporations. As the recruiter doesn’t have time to read all the CVs that come in, they will quickly scan them. In fact, one study by TheLadders found that recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds reviewing a resume.
If a recruiter notices a mistake in your resume like a simple unclear date, you’ll be out of the game. If it says in your resume that you “have great attention to detail,” but spelled “attention” wrong, you might be kicked out of the running for an internship.
There are several resume red flags that recruiters hate, including:
- Listing your irrelevant hobbies
- Adding unimpressive skills
- Exaggerating your skills
- Typing errors
- Annoying buzzwords or keyword stuffing
The key to not landing in the “no” file is to make sure your resume is up-to-date and written correctly. Try printing it out to review or using a free tool like Grammarly to scan your resume for contextual spelling mistakes.
Additional Reading: How to Deal With a Toxic Work Environment: Signs and Solutions
3. Have an Idea of What Industry You’re Interested In
Being a generalist is a risky business. The majority of recruiters want campus recruits to have a clear idea of what they want to pursue in life, what industry they want to be part of, and the impact they want to have in a job.
It’s a smart idea to connect your college experience to your desired role. Think about your extracurricular activities, such as sport, debate, or voluntary work. You can impress your recruiters with what you’ve done during your college years and how ambitious you’ve been.
Make a great story of how the choices you’ve made led you to this moment. Communicate in an engaging way how the activities that you’ve done make you a great fit for the marketing internship position, for example.
If you’re unsure about which career road to take, visit your career center. Career counselors will be able to give you direction on what to pursue and how to secure your first job.
4. Be Authentic
In most cases, campus recruits feel pressured to “put on a show” and give the perfect answers, trying to win a recruiter’s attention.
However, many recruiters will appreciate more if you’re being authentic than giving canned responses and buzzwords. They’re trying to understand whether they’ll enjoy working with you and whether you’re genuinely excited about the opportunity.
When you try to hide your real values and character, it can be problematic for you and the company. If you put up a facade, the interviewer won’t get a true sense of whether you are a good fit for the company. Even if you make past the interview and get hired, the company might turn out not to be the right place for you. Not feeling like a great fit for a company can take a toll on your well-being.
That’s why it’s vital to stay true to your ideas, norms, and values. Get rid of your facade and have an authentic conversation with the recruiter. Ask meaningful questions that can help both sides understand whether you’re making the right choice.
Here are a few questions to ask:
- What is your company’s mission?
- What type of benefits do you offer your employees?
- What type of skills are you looking for?
- What are the challenges of working at your company?
Additional Reading: How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out
5. Finally, Don’t Give Up!
Even if one campus recruitment event doesn’t land you a job, don’t lose hope. Make sure you attend other recruitment events, network with people, and keep in touch with your career center.
Landing your first job after college comes down to:
- Researching your employers
- Updating your resume
- Having an idea of what industry you’re interested in
- Being authentic
- And never giving up on your job search
Now go get them, tiger!
