Posted 12:00 pm, Fri., July 24th
We’ll never have as much time to prepare for the fall career fair as we do right now during the summer. Have you ever been advised to make sure you do your research on a company before visiting them at the booth? But how exactly do you do that? Keep on reading to find out!
First, Research Yourself.
Before you get into researching the company, it is important that you take some time to reflect on your interests and qualifications. When I started applying to jobs this summer, I admit that I was a little desperate to get any sort of job. This led me to mass-apply to companies for which I simply met the qualifications, but had little interest in. While this strategy could have led to at least one call back, the opportunity may not have been the right fit for me or provided me with the skills that I sought.
I suggest creating a list of specific fields, industries, or company sectors that you’re interested in or wouldn’t mind working in. With this information, you can use the filters on the job boards of Handshake, LinkedIn, and Indeed. This will help in narrowing the jobs that are presented to you and help you with choosing a company that is the best fit for you. If you’re having trouble brainstorming your interests, I suggest scheduling a career exploration appointment with a career advisor. Sometimes when another person asks you what your interests are, your answer will differ from what you thought to yourself.
Second, Research the Company.
Now that you’ve reflected on your interests and have narrowed down the job suggestions on your job boards, it is time to dive into what companies you’d like to work for. Vault is a great tool to learn about companies in specific industries. For example, consulting firms, tech companies, or even more specific like energy companies, or food and beverage companies. Vault provides a general overview of the company, along with a rating in comparison to similar companies, and reviews of the company from employees. Another great way to learn about a company is through their website. Dive further than just the home page and explore their values, leadership board, products, and recent news and insights. Knowing about what initiatives the company is working on or new products they’ve put out will leave a good impression when talking to the recruiter.
Third, Research the Position.
I will note that this order of researching is flexible and it could be that you come across a position that really sparks your interest before knowing about the company. Once you do find a company that interests you though, navigate to the job descriptions on the job boards. If you’ve ever used Handshake or Indeed, you’ll notice that the descriptions usually have a short overview of the company, followed by the job responsibilities and applicant qualifications. Read the job description and imagine yourself in that role. Would you like to do that every day? Will this work provide you with the skills you are looking for? Last but not least, a great resource for learning about a specific position is your alumni network! Reach out to an alum or friend through Grainger Mentoring or LinkedIn that has worked or works at the company you’re interested in or is in the line of work that you’re considering. Check out our previous article on Online Networking to learn more about informational interviews!
The fall career fair will be here before you know it. Take advantage of the time you have now to get a head start on figuring out which companies you want to apply to!
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