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1 What is a Career Expo? What can I expect? A career Expo is an event where employers, community partners and professionals meet with prospective job seekers, interns and volunteers. Company representatives usually have tables or booths where resumes can be collected, questions can be answered, and business cards can be exchanged. NLU s Fall Career Expo will feature jobs, internships and volunteer postings, along with Federal Work- Study positions and Graduate Assistantships. This is an opportunity to meet employers, to enhance your ability to communicate your strengths, and to sharpen your networking skills. Networking at an Expo involves the process of interacting with, obtaining contact details of, and getting to know corporate recruiters. Of course, do not forget to follow-up and stay in touch with them afterward! Why Go? To Network Expand your network of professional contacts Meet potential employers Discover volunteer and internship opportunities that can lead to employment Compare notes with other job seekers To Learn Gain personal insights from employers that you can t learn from their web sites Investigate part-time jobs, volunteer and internship opportunities available in your area Determine additional skills needed for your ideal position To Practice Polish your interviewing skills Sharpen your ability to quickly and concisely sell your experiences and convey how your skills match the company needs elevator speech To Interview this IS an interview! Meet company representatives in-person without being pre-screened 1

2 Pre-Career Expo Checklist Before you go: Know which employers and positions will be represented. About 10 days prior to the Expo, check the website for an employer list. Develop a list of employers you d like to speak with and research the company, finding answers to the following questions: o What is their mission? Does it fit with what I m looking for? o Does this look like an agency or company where I can grow? o When reading their Web site, does it prompt any questions for me about the culture or goals? Submit your resume to erecruiting for a review 1. Log into your portal (my.nl.edu < 2. Click on the Student Services tab 3. In the center of the page, find the compass image, and click "Click here to enter erecruiting." 4. Complete your profile as it prompts. 5. Hover over "Documents" from the black bar at the top of the page and select "Upload a document." 6. Follow the instructions to upload your resume. Once your resume is ready, re-submit it to erecruiting to be included in the Career Expo Resume Books Send the employer a note beforehand Practice your elevator speech Be prepared to answer their key questions: o Why do you want to work for us? o What makes you a good fit for our position? o Why should we hire you? o What are your strengths and weaknesses? Develop several insightful questions to ask that demonstrate your interest and company knowledge What to bring: copies of your resume Briefcase, folder or pad-folio (have an area for collecting business cards!) Pens Notebook What NOT to bring Cell phone, Food/Drinks, Backpack 2

3 During the Career Expo: Be mindful of your attitude at all times; you re always being observed o Have a good handshake and always make strong eye contact o Speak and act professionally o Turn off your cell phone o Smile o Arrive early to map out the top employers you want to meet o Go alone, or if you are with others, walk the Expo by yourself Appropriate Attire: For Everyone Hair clean and neat Shoes polished and comfortable Hands neatly trimmed nails Details no missing buttons or hanging threads Smell no perfume or cologne, do not smell like smoke Cover any tattoos Ladies Suit navy or dark grey Suit skirts barely above or at the knee Slacks Touching the top of your shoes, but not fall below the heels Blouse or sweater should be coordinated under the suit Take the sit-down test in front of a mirror: Are buttons gouging? Is skirt too short? Is bra showing? Do NOT show cleavage Pantyhose neutral with NO patterns Shoes conservative, closed-toe, low pump, should be easy to walk and stand Accessories Jewelry conservative, less is more; Purse small, solid color Make-up very light Gentlemen Suit navy or dark grey, clean, and pressed (Single-breasted, 2-button preferred) Suit should fit well (Do not look like you are wearing your big brother s suit) Pinstripes are fine, but not too bold Shirt long sleeve (white or light blue) Accessories: Belt, Blue or grey tie (no yellow, red, purple, etc.) Socks--Dark black, mid-calf so no skin is visible when you sit Shoes--Black dress shoes (no loafers, brown shoes, etc. ) Limit the aftershave/cologne 3

4 While Speaking with the Employer: LISTEN: What are the people in line in front of you being asked? Think about your response in advance. Say hello, give name, firm handshake, eye contact Demonstrate confidence, interest and enthusiasm Give elevator speech Speak about yourself, not team o What was your role on the team? Ask relevant questions and listen intently to the responses Collect company information, request a business card, and ask about follow-up procedures Repeat your interest in the company, leave a resume and thank each person for their time Make notes on the information you learned and follow-up action requested After: Follow through on any requested next steps online application, , etc Send a follow-up within 24 hours of the event If you do not hear from the employer, follow-up in several days If you have a LinkedIn profile that is complete, you can try to link to the person you met with on LinkedIn by sending a customized invitation reminding them where you met Access the opportunities o For what types of positions are you most qualified? o What additional skills do you need to develop for your ideal job? Recap the career Expo experience what skills can you develop for next time? Final Thought Success doesn t come to you, you go to it. - Marva Collins is an American educator who in 1975 started Westside Preparatory School in Garfield Park, Chicago, Illinois. Best wishes from the NLU Career Development Team! 4

5 Resume Overview PURPOSE OF A RESUME Your resume is your personal sales and marketing document developed with a goal of creating enough interest to generate contact with the employer and land an interview. FORMAT General rule of thumb: Keeping your resume to one page ensures that your document is concise. Remember, though, resume development is more of an art than a science. Emphasize major headings using capital letters and bold font. Center your section titles. Proofread, proofread, proofread! Your resume should be free from ALL spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. Keep spacing and formatting consistent throughout document. List dates consistently throughout the resume and only identify the years of employment. Use only conservative font types (Times, Arial, Calibri). Keep font sizes 11 or 12 pt. for text and 12 or 13 for headings and name. Do NOT include pictures and/or graphics or personal information (e.g. age, weight, children, religious affiliation, etc.) Set margins to approximately 1 inch on all sides. The Parts of a Resume HEADER Name on top line of the document with your complete mailing address below. List one telephone number with area code that has a professional message. address (Make sure your address is professional! Your NLU address is recommended). Include your LinkedIn URL. PROFESSIONAL OVERVIEW/SUMMARY Use a profile to summarize key accomplishments or coursework relevant to the specific job for which you are applying Do NOT use personal pronouns such as I, me, or my EDUCATION Write the full name of your school, degree, and major, using no abbreviations, along with the city and state Include the month and year of graduation or anticipated graduation Include GPA if it is 3.0 or higher List the highest degree first 5

6 HONORS List only honors earned after High School including any Scholarships, Assistantships, Grants, Honor Societies, Deans Lists, and Awards SKILLS (This section is optional) List relevant technical skills and include skill level (proficient, working knowledge, etc.). Include language skills. Do NOT include vague generalities (such as strong communication skills ). RELEVANT COURSES (This section is optional) Only include courses when they are relevant to the job you are applying for and identify what you did in the course that was relevant (e.g. a specific project, paper, report, etc.). Write full course names; do NOT use course numbers. EXPERIENCE List in reverse chronological order Include position title, company name, city, state, and years of employment Identify your unique achievements in 3-5 bullet points quantify and qualify (ex. increased sales by 30%) Use bullet points and action verbs when describing experience Keep verb tenses in the present tense for current jobs and in the past tense for previous jobs LEADERSHIP & ACTIVITIES Highlight leadership positions and describe accomplishments using bullets o Include Title, Organization, Location, and Dates of Participation Include any volunteer experience and list it as you would your professional experience. Generally, do not include organization names that reveal political affiliation, religious preference, racial/ethnic background, etc. Do not include High School activities. ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES Use additional categories such as: Research, Publications, Professional Affiliations, Certifications, Licenses, Military Service, and Presentations, if relevant to the position being sought 6

7 Writing Your Elevator Speech What is an elevator speech? An elevator pitch, elevator speech, or elevator statement is a short 30-second promotion used by you as an overview to yourself, your company, or a product, service or idea that you are marketing. o The name "elevator pitch" reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds An elevator speech is as essential as a business card. You need to be able to say who you are, what you do, what you are interested in doing and how you can be a resource to your listeners. If you do not have an elevator speech, people will not know or understand what you really do. It can be used to answer the interview opener, Tell me about yourself. The secret to writing a captivating elevator speech is to think like your audience and tailor the pitch to them, not you by clearly articulating how you can meet their needs Prepare your Elevator Speech KNOW YOURSELF - Before you can convince anyone of your proposition you need to know exactly what it is. You need to define precisely what you are offering, what problems you can solve and what benefits you bring to a prospective contact or employers. Answer the following questions: o What are your key strengths? o What is it you are trying to ʹsellʹ or let others know about you? o What can you offer the person to whom you are speaking? Speech should include the following elements: o Your name, program of study o Why you are interested in their organization, and how you are a good fit for the position they have available Keep your focus on how you can help employers, not how they can help you. o Some information on your skills, talents, experience, and any coursework that is relevant to the position Rehearse, revise, and rehearse it again until it s a strong, crisp statement you can deliver smoothly and confidently 7