As Deloitte’s job and internship process gets underway, you may be panicking about whether or not you are prepared for the job or internship recruiting process. If you need help figuring out what to do to be successful in the process, here are some concrete steps you can take.
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1. Relax!
You go to a top institution with an incredible academic reputation. You are a qualified, intelligent individual that any company would be lucky to have. Go into this process with confidence! It will give you the edge you need.
2. Update Your Resume
Make sure these employers see all of your accomplishments. Be sure to highlight your job and extracurricular experience through using active verbs in your activity descriptions. And if you need someone to look at your resume…
3. Visit Career Services
Go to the career services center for your school or major. Have them look over your resume and provide recommendations. They can also give you direction in your job search. Tell them what industries you are looking at, and they may have advice on what the timeline of the recruiting process is and what skills and experiences these industries are looking for. They may even know specific companies that recruit at UVA. And if you have no clue what you want to do with your life, have a conversation with them about what your interests are and they can suggest the industries you should look into.
4. Attend the Career Fairs
I know they can be intimidating, but career fairs can be a great way to simply see what’s out there. Companies that attend career fairs are looking for UVA graduates, so they are more likely to give your resume the twice over. If you talk to any company that excites you, make sure to ask for the employee’s business card and send them a follow-up email thanking them for their time.
5. Do your research
Before you attend a career fair, and especially before you go in for an interview, make sure you know the companies you are dealing with. Jot down some notes about what their specialties are and the types of companies they work for. Most importantly, write down what excites you about the company. Display the research you’ve done by asking well-researched questions. If you show recruiters that you’ve done some work beforehand, you will show them that you are serious about working for them.
6. Dress for success
To look and feel confident, invest in a business professional outfit. This could be a suit jacket and skirt, a jacket and dress pants, or a conservative dress (any maybe a sweater). Don’t forget the flats or closed-toed heels.
7. Be genuine
Don’t feel as if you need to change yourself in this process. Remember, these employers are people too, and they are as interested in getting to know you as you are them. Show off how great you are, and they are bound to see it too.