I went to a job fair today. It started at 10 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m. I arrived around 10:30 (I was going to pre-register on-line but the site was closed already) and waited in a long line to register (the line went through a serpentine maze almost like going to an attraction/show). Good thing I brought a book to read.
I looked professional (you could say that I dressed the part). I wore khakis, shirt and tie, with my brown shoes. My tie matched my pants and the geometric blues on it accented my blue shirt. One of the organizer commented that "everyone looked sharp."
Registration was easy. I handed them my resume and they stamped my hand with a red star. I was looking for a job (for when I graduate) in the writing and publication field. It was really rare. Most of the jobs available were for sales. The writing jobs available were corporate insider newsletters and medical news.
I also talked with these two newspaper company. Once again they were looking for sales/distribution. For a typical reporter job, they would only hire those with a five year experience in copy-editing in another smaller metropolitan newspaper.
***Typical quagmire for college graduates: how do you get 'experience' when companies are only hiring those with experience?
I did talk to a career counselor. She liked my resume. She gave me a minute advice on how to improve it. My internship and my capstone project (honors program) would really make it more 'impressive'. She reassured me by saying that experiences were not limited to paid jobs.
As I waited in line to talk to representatives from one booth to another, I heard prospective employees give their sales' pitch. At the beginning I didn't have one but by the time I gave my seventh resume I developed one.
I wondered how many of them would actually look at my resume. Later on I met up with my friend at starbucks and chilled there for two hours (to reflect about the event).
***It would be nice if they were to just look at the resume. Like an artist's work, let the resume speak for itself. It would save everyone time.
Posted by Michael Diezmos at January 17, 2006 8:41 PMIt can be brutal out there, Mike.
You are much more than your resume, and co-workers will spend their time with you, not a piece of paper. So face-to-face professionalism and personality count.
Smaller papers will hire people with less experience. When classes are back in session, I'd be happy to talk with you -- drop by my office sometime.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at January 18, 2006 9:17 AM