Career Expo Follow-Up

After a career fair, I often find myself sitting around wondering whether all the resumes I distributed are even being read by employers. I envision my resume lost in a stack of hundreds. So, I have to proactively set myself apart from the masses of students talking to the same recruiters.

When I attend Career Expo for Business and Non-Technical majors tomorrow do the following:

• Keep a list of companies I hand my resume to, so I can contact them later to keep me fresh in their minds.
• Write down the employer’s name or grab their business card to ensure I can keep in touch with them once they leave Auburn.
• Within the next week I will contact each company that I talked to via email (not too long or serious but professional) to inquire about employment opportunities and ask for the chance to interview for a particular position.

Following up with employers is a useful tool in the job search. Last semester I met an employer at Expo, and ended up having two interviews with them. After my second interview, the recruiter told me that she would be in touch within a couple of weeks. Two weeks went by, and then a month and I still hadn’t heard back regarding my interview. I began to think they had forgotten about me or didn’t want me for the job. Finally I sent a short email to the recruiter who I interviewed with to inquire about my status with them. It turned out that she had actually tried to contact me, but I never received her message. If I never followed up with an email I probably would have never heard from the company again. Fortunately I am still in contact with the company about employment.

**While it is crucial to keep in contact with employers you have sent resumes to or interviewed with, remember to be persistent but not pushy. You don’t want to annoy an employer by spamming their inbox, but don’t be afraid to keep yourself fresh in their mind!**

Money Makin' Mitchler '10