Hello, graduate students!

Ok, so we have a bit of a confession to make: we're cheating with this month's issue. We're devoting this edition of Future 411 to our upcoming Fall Career and Internship Fair in the UMC Ballroom on October 1st and 2nd. It is our hope that these interviews and articles in September will give you advice and tips to help you prepare for this big job search and networking opportunity coming up next month.

Read on for two informative colleague interviews -- both from members of our Career Services staff. Rachel Killam shares her expert advice as a Career Counselor who often prepares graduate students for career fairs. While one of our student employees, David Mast, provides some tried-and-true wisdom about career fairs and internships as a graduate student who's been there. This month's articles from The Chronicle of Higher Education and Science Career give tips about internships and career fairs, respectively, and Inside Higher Ed has advice about keeping your CV current for our academic job seekers. 

It is our hope that this edition of Future 411 serves as a helpful guide that will encourage you to put the Fall Career and Internship Fair on your calendar. Check out the list of employers attending and get ready to make some great connections that will further your career goals. As always, we welcome you to visit us at the Center for Community to meet with a career counselor, review your resume, and schedule mock interviews. Our doors are open to help you prepare to land your dream job!

What role do job fairs play in graduate students' career planning strategies? How are job fairs different from other search strategies and tools?

Career and internship fairs help students network with industry professionals, as well as learn what employers are looking for in potential candidates. I don't see fairs as the be-all and end-all of the search, nor do I see them solely as the place to find a job. Instead, it is most effective to approach fairs as part of the search process and as a way to build "recognition and repetition" with employers. Sixty to eighty percent of people find their jobs via word of mouth. It is not enough to apply for 100 jobs on line and hope that someone hires you. Attending a fair as part of a job search can help students begin to build a personal relationship with an employer so that when that resume comes across an employer's desk, the employer potentially recognizes the student's name because they have seen and spoken to them.

At what point in their search do you suggest that students attend job fairs and why? Are job fairs a better fit for some fields more than others?

I suggest students attend fairs as early as possible -- even if they don't know their career goals yet. Fairs give students the opportunity to ask questions about companies and how to stand out as a strong candidate. For instance, a student might know they will not be applying for a job for another year, however, they can start building "recognition and repetition" now, as well as learn what makes a strong candidate and develop themselves throughout the year so they will shine when it is time to apply.

What can students expect at job fairs and how should they prepare?  

Expect controlled chaos! Career fairs at CU-Boulder are Career Services most popular events and thousands of students attend. This can be very overwhelming, but there is hope! Students who get the most out of fairs come prepared. Do your research ahead of time by identifying companies who hire for your major or industries of interest and write out a few sentences about why you are interested in each company. When you approach a company at the fair, tell them why you are interested in them, tell them a little about you and your experience as it relates to their company, ask them questions about being a successful candidate, and then ask them for contact information. If they give you contact information, write a thank you within 24 hours, reintroduce yourself, and let them know you will be applying for their position. When you apply for their position, send them another email to let them know -- recognition and repetition.

What should graduate students do after they attend a job fair? 

Aside from the recognition and repetition steps, they can look for company information sessions, apply for jobs that recruiters suggest at the fair -- many recruiters will tell them to go to their websites to apply -- and sign up for on-campus interviews. Company information sessions are hour-long presentations about a company that are much smaller events -- 100 people or less -- where students are encouraged to talk with the recruiter after the information session as they would at the fair, adding to the recognition and repetition. To find out when information sessions are happening, log into Career Buffs, go to the Career Events tab, and search under Employer Information Sessions. On-campus interviews can be found on Career Buffs, under the On Campus Interviews tab.

What additional advice or resources do you suggest graduate students use to find and fully utilize job fair opportunities? 

Reframe the career fair as a place to build your network and learn about companies, not just a place to find a job. Preparation is key -- letting a company know you already know something about them will make you stand out right away. Then go have fun and be yourself!

Question: I came to graduate school right from my bachelor's, and am in the third year of a biomedical Ph.D. program that I'm not sure is right for me. I'm interested in getting some experience with other career options but with my lab schedule it's hard to find the time to apply for, and do, an internship. Do you have any suggestions?
 

Question: I want to get an internship but am not sure how to do it or if anyone would take me on since I'm an older person changing careers. 

Julie: It can be a challenge to get an internship when you don't fit the usual demographic. Internships are often associated with undergraduates, law students, or future M.B.A.'s who spend their summers in internships in order to secure full-time positions after graduation. But an internship can be useful to anyone who is attempting to change careers-in particular to doctoral students or postdocs trying to shift out of the traditional academic path. 

Jenny: We need to make one thing clear upfront: Many if not most internships are unpaid-that makes them difficult for anyone who needs paid full-time work, and most of us do. This practice is not without controversy. Read more