Elevator Story & Working a Career Fair

Elevator Story & Working a Career Fair Experience That Works!

Agenda • What is an Elevator Story? • Elevator Story Components • Upcoming Career Fairs • How to Prepare • What to Expect • Making a Good Impression

What is an Elevator Story? • A relevant 20-40 second introduction of yourself • Also known as personal positioning statement • Used at career fairs, info sessions and other networking events • Always relate your statement to person whom you are speaking

Elevator Story Components • Greeting • Your Name • Major and Class Year • Goal • To obtain a co-op, internship or full-time position • Experiences (work or classroom) and Unique Strengths • Why you want to talk to this company “You want to get so comfortable that you can make this statement with confidence in a friendly inviting manner under pressure.”

Sample Elevator Story “Hello. My name is Katie Speigel, and I’m a senior biomedical engineering major at Georgia Tech. I am looking for a summer internship in the southeast. I am particularly interested in medical product design and wanted to discuss internship opportunities with Kelly Medical.”

Activity Write your own elevator story.

Upcoming Career Fairs Georgia Tech Internship and Co-op Fair Tuesday Jan. 24th and Wednesday Jan. 25th Student Center Ballroom – 3rd floor GTSBE Fair (Georgia Tech Society of Black Engineers) Wed Jan 18 and Thu, Jan 19Student Center Ballroom - 3rd floor School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Career Fair - Tue Jan 17 and Wed, Jan 18Location:Klaus Advanced Computing Building Atrium, First FloorFor additional information and registration, please go to: http://www.ece.gatech.edu/careerfair/

Upcoming Career Fairs • GT Student Foundation Finance Career Fair - Fri Feb 3College of Management10:00 AM - noon For additional information, please go to: http://gtsf.gatech.edu/ • The Civil & Environmental Engineering Career Fair - Thu Feb 9Location:Student Center Ballroom10:00 AM - 4:00 PM For additional information and registration, please contact Michael Wong at gatechasce@gmail.com • Georgia Tech Virtual Career Fair - Wed Feb 1 and Thu, Feb 2For registration and additional information, please go to: http://gatech.careereco.net/employers/virtual-career-fair-details/ Co-op Orientation

Upcoming Career Fairs • Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) Career Fair - Mon Feb 13Location:Student Center Ballroom10:00 AM - 4:00 PM For additional information and registration, please go to: http://gtiie.org/career.html • GT 29th Annual Alumni Career Fair - Tue Mar 6Location:Cobb Galleria Centre ? Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30331:30 PM - 6:00 PM The Georgia Tech Alumni Career Fair is an exclusive benefit for alumni of the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as current Georgia Tech graduate students and undergraduate students completing their studies in 2012 For registration, please go to: http://gtalumni.org/pages/careerfair Co-op Orientation

How a Career Fair is Organized • Companies have booths staffed with recruiters • Often GT Alumni • Mix of engineers, scientists, programmers, managers and human resource reps • Talk to the recruiter at the booth • Not an interview • If you make a good impression, you may be asked to interview after the fair

Preparation is Key! • Research companies • For list including desired majors, visit www.career.gatech.edu • Prioritize about 10 target companies • Have a secondary list of 5-10 companies • Prepare questions for your target companies • Questions not answered in your research or follow-up questions • Will allow you to engage recruiter in intelligent conversation and will make you stand out!

What to Bring & Wear • Leather Binder • Resume on good resume paper • Bag for company literature, materials, pens, etc • Professional business suit • Tip: For women, make sure tops are not low-cut and pants/skirt are not tight or short • Tip: For men, makes sure hair is neatly groomed

Make a Positive Impression • Arrive early • Tip: Come in the morning if possible and reserve 2 hour block • Walk with your head up and confident • Introduce yourself with Elevator Story and offer your resume. • Tip: Don’t say, “So tell me about your company. . .” • Do ask questions

Make a Positive Impression (cont.) • Don’t skirt GPA question • Be cognizant of other students waiting; don’t talk on and on • At end of conversation, thank recruiter, find out next steps, and ask for their business card or email • When ready to leave, collect giveaway items

Best Practices • Enthusiasm works • Be prepared to explain: • Tell me about yourself • Why you are interested in the company? • How can you help the company be more successful? • Ask about next steps • Keep good notes after each meeting. • Ask for contact information so you can follow up. • Follow up with thank you email or note card and attach your resume.

Sample Questions • What kinds of co-op or internship opportunities exist within your company? • Does your company hire on a continual basis or just at certain times of the year? • What qualities does your company look for? • What courses do you suggest in order to be a successful candidate? • How many co-ops or interns is your company looking to hire?

Questions? Reminder: Visit DoPP Savant Building 631 Cherry Street Near Tech Tower www.dopp.gatech.edu 404-894-3320

Elevator Story & Working a Career Fair