I won’t pretend I’m the most qualified person to give advice. I have only worked two internships in my entire five years of architecture school, both only due to personal connections. On the other hand, I know that I have always been successful in interviews, and both of my parents work as professors and are in the hiring process for PhD students. I am writing up all of the collective information I or other people have received throughout my entire life (yes, my parents raised me, teaching me how to be a professional since birth).
Career fairs:
- Employers can smell your fear. Literally. So please be sure you’re fresh and clean when you talk to them. Deodorant will save you in dire moments, even after an all-nighter. Brush your teeth too!!! Appearing presentable is, unfortunately, one of the most important things about these types of events.
- Be firm and know a basic script of what you want to say to the employers. A quick but memorable introduction is all you need! It’s not a requirement to talk as long as possible with someone; just make sure what you say is meaningful.
- This will come up all the time, but make sure to do your research. Don’t waste your time standing in lines at places that aren’t hiring in your field. Keep notes about what you might want to say and who you want to talk to.
- Bring printed resumes with you. It’s impossible to discuss or even remember everything you should mention about yourself. Having a resume to give employers will help them remember you when you apply later. As a side tangent, the employers I spoke with at the career fair on September 25 (this was an engineering career fair, but I did manage to speak with a handful of companies) were ecstatic that my resume was printed on cardstock paper.
- Not everyone is good at this, but write down the names of the people you spoke with and send follow-up emails thanking them for speaking with you. This is just another way to remind them of your existence. I’d avoid waiting too long between the fair and the email, but also be aware that you should avoid spamming them too frequently.
Resumes:
- This is honestly debated amongst fields, but keep your resume between one and two pages. Many fields prefer one, but if you can print your resume double-sided, they will take it. Keep your font size legible; unfortunately, most humans can’t read type eight font easily. Keep the most important information on the first page.
- Contact information: include your email, phone number, and address! They will want to know you’re open to being contacted in any way. I also emphasize the idea of including your LinkedIn, as it serves as a secondary resume in social media format (make sure that’s up to date and professional). They will also be interested in where you live for commuting purposes, so use whichever local address you have (list your school address instead of your home address if you’re applying somewhere closer to school).
- Always include relevant employment information! Employers do not care about your job at McDonald’s, but they will want to learn about your teaching experience. Leave the extra space in your resume for other qualifications.
- It generally depends on the field, but a lot of entry-level positions want to hear about your courses and current GPA. They want to know that you’re competent for the job that you’re applying for. If you don’t have any internship experience, include your courses. Note from a professional: if your GPA is under 3.5, don’t include it, just list your courses.
- Unfortunately, AI is becoming prominent in application reviews. You will need your resume to be AI-proof so that you have your main information legible to avoid getting cut early.
- This is slightly separate from resumes, but make sure to write personalized cover letters for every application! Write up a template that you can copy/paste into each letter; there will always be repeats. For example, your strengths may stay the same in each letter, but change up your interests to be related to the company.
- Ensure your references are up to date and relevant. They’re not going to be super interested in speaking to your restaurant manager (unless you’re the best employee in the world). Include professors over irrelevant job references. No matter what, DO NOT LIST YOUR PARENTS AS REFERENCES.
- Again, this isn’t fully about your resume, but always have a website or portfolio of your most successful projects, labs, and research. I’m in architecture, so it’s really useful to have a physical portfolio that you can submit for applications, but always have a larger portfolio you can show during the interview process. Link this website/portfolio in your resume AND IN YOUR LINKEDIN.
Interviews:
- This is something I’ve heard from a variety of professionals: do not undersell yourself – employers want to know that you are confident in your abilities. Frame your weaknesses as strengths!
- Do your research! Look up the company to know what talking points you should focus on. Do not talk about competing companies or about things that they don’t do within their company.
- HYGIENE!!! Hygiene is your best friend. Nobody wants to talk to someone who looks (and smells) like a mess. If people in class don’t sit near you because of your current hygiene, you likely need to step up your game two times over. Deodorant, toothpaste, and a shower can go a long way.
- ALWAYS come with questions! Yes, pay and location information are important, but they want to know that you really care about this job. Ask about teamwork strategies, who you would be working with, potential assistance with academics or licensure exams, and anything you can think of! Of course, if you can’t think of anything, always emphasize that you have the information of someone that you can direct your questions to.
- Similar to the career fairs, but always follow up with a thank you email. Ask more questions if you have them, as it’ll “force” them to respond to your email.
Lastly, don’t get discouraged when you get rejected from a company. If you can, always learn from the experience and see if you can follow up with an explanation as to why you weren’t selected. It helps you improve your resume and work portfolio. There’s plenty of competition, but you will eventually find someone who wants you. Stay positive and keep chugging away at those job applications!