By Chi Tran

Crispy new resumes. Fresh clean clothes. My best hair and a new box of breath mints. Yes, this time I am ready. As I entered the room to the fair, I could feel my heart beat faster. Questions of what to ask recruiters raced through my head as I walked through a sea of black and white to see which table I should approach first. This is my second year at the career fair. Last year, I was turned away (some nicely) by most of the recruiters because I was only a first year who did not have a resume. Nevertheless, I still walked away with bag full of goodies and an idea what recruiters are looking for in students. This year, I have my resume and a set of questions ready to ask them in hopes for an internship of some sort. It is tough because most recruiters want third or fourth years with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and I don’t have that to offer them. But what the heck, it won’t hurt to give it a try. I mean I still get free stuff either way.

After scanning the fair once to see which companies were there, I decided to approach an internationally well known jewelry company (who, unfortunately, did not have any goodies to pass out) first. My hands became very sweaty as I introduced myself to one of the recruiters with a big smile. “Do you offer any internships for second years?” “No, we’re currently hiring for full-time employment only.” Oh no! What do I do now? I maintained a big smile as I frantically search for another question to ask. But after another two questions, I finally gave up, knowing that I was not impressing her at all.

Next, I approached the recruiter from a very well known casual clothing company. This time I decided to bombard the recruiter with all the questions I could think of, in hope of leaving an impression. I wonder if I have good questions? Should I maintain good eye contact the entire time or should I take notes at the same time? Does she look like she’s impressed with my resume? All these questions also raced through my mind as I stood in front of the recruiter. Because of this, I barely listened to what the recruiter was saying because my mind was racing to find the next question to ask. I was very nervous and the truth is that it was not impressive. The recruiter usually acts only as the middleman, submitting my resume to the company; so exactly what kind of role do they play?

Taking a deep breath and reciting the type of questions I was going to ask in my head again, I looked for another table to approach. However, three minutes later, when I walked away from another table feeling unaccomplished, I began to feel real discouraged. It was not until, I approached the table of a new video networking company that I began to feel more at ease. The lady was very nice and informative. At first, I was not interested in the company because I did not think it was for me. I was attracted to the table by the goodies she was passing out. So, wanting to get another new pen, I started talking to her. Surprisingly, they offered several internships that interested me; as a result, I ended up talking to the recruiter for almost ten minutes. Our conversation was more natural than superficial, which would consist of me randomly asking the first question that comes to mind. On top of that, the recruiter seemed impressed with my resume, which made me feel more confident and significant when I left the table.

For the next half hour, I continued to travel from table to table. Talking to the recruiters was not as difficult as it was in the beginning because I was more confident and certain about what I want and what I had to offer. I did not receive positive feedback every single time, but I came to accept that that is okay. I am still only a second year student and by talking to these recruiters every single time, I become more experienced and knowledgeable of what they look for in students. In addition, I also get a new supply of pens and other goodies each time, which makes my trip to the career fair well worth my time and effort.