Your Presentation: Simplify It.

“I just don’t know what to say to the employers!” 

“I get nervous.  I stumble.”

“Do you think that this margin on my resume should be smaller so I can fit that leadership position from a year ago?”

The number of times that I’ve consoled people over these worries means that students aren’t comfortable presenting themselves to employers.

If this is you: take a step back, and simplify your approach!

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Here are some stats about the career filters that employers put on college candidates:

The average time spent on a resume is about 6 seconds,

You’ve got about 15 seconds to present yourself at a Career Fair for them to make an impression, and

They are considering at least 10 other candidates just as good as you, if not better, for what the job requires.

What does this mean?  It means to be more confident in how you conduct yourself!  Employers don’t have time to walk you through what their companies do or to hear every accomplishment you’ve ever achieved – think of some role models to today’s society – Steve Jobs was a tech guru; Obama’s a great orator.  People know others by distinct traits, not bucket lists.  Be one step ahead and let them know directly why you want to be a part of their company and what you’d contribute concisely.

Don’t spend more than an hour editing your resume – the last draft had almost everything on it that you needed, and you’ll be adding other content soon enough!

Ever get this feeling? Don’t stress! There’s still plenty of time and resources ahead. google.com/images

Always be ready to explain what you’re looking for in a career, even if you’re unsure of the industry or job title yet.  Although I don’t know where I want to work following college, I know that I’m looking for a collaborative technology, healthcare, or consulting firm that works in a fast-paced project setting.  Not much, but it’s enough to continue a conversation!

Closing in this post, guys: don’t stress too hard over the job search – whileeveryone needs a job, there will be one out there for the WPI graduates, it’s simply a matter of marketing yourself well to employers.

For some in-person CDC advice, check out the following opportunities!

Attend the Career Fair on Wednesday, September 18th from 12:30pm-4:30pm in the Sports & Rec Center;

Attend the information sessions that companies are having on campus throughout the remainder of September (come into the CDC for a full listing!)

Go onto JobFinder and apply to those jobs for which you qualify and are interested!  There are hundreds of listings daily.

For other blog voices, check out Sam, Emily, Ahmed, or Sebastian!