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Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Jeff takes your questions via Hangouts On Air
January 4, 2012
Updated 1/12: The last Hangout On Air will now be broadcasted at 3:30 pm PST instead of 4:00 pm PST.
You know lead engineering recruiter
Jeff Moore
from his
Recruiter Tips & Tricks series
on the Google Students blog, which wrapped up in December. Since then, we’ve been thinking of ways in which Jeff can continue sharing his wisdom with all of you, and how to do so in a fun and engaging environment. What better way for us to connect you with him than Google+
Hangouts On Air
? Over the next couple of weeks, Jeff will be hosting a series of Hangouts On Air from his
Google+ profile
. Each Hangout On Air will have a different theme based on his most popular Recruiter Tips & Tricks posts. For each Hangout On Air, you can submit your questions ahead of time via the
Google Moderator
links below. Jeff (and guest Googlers, including
Fitz and Ben
on January 19th!) will answer the questions with the most votes live. You can also post your question to Google+ using the hashtag #askagoogler in order to be considered for one of the spots in the Hangout.
Here is the line up with Google Moderator links and local time zone conversions so you know when to tune in:
Preparing your resume
: Tuesday, January 10th at
9:00 am PST
Technical interviews
: Wednesday, January 11th at
1:00 pm PST
Non-technical interviews
: Tuesday, January 17th at
11:00 am PST
Transitioning from school to the working world
: Thursday, January 19th at
3:30 pm PST
We’ll be accepting questions up until 24 hours before each of the Hangouts On Air begin. When the Hangout On Air starts, we’ll share the link on our
Google Students page
on Google+. You’ll also be able to see the broadcast on
Jeff’s profile
. Can’t tune in? Each Hangout On Air will be recorded and shared so you can watch the recap when you’ve got some free time.
Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs Coordinator
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: You've accepted a job offer...now what?
December 7, 2011
Introduction: Since
September
, Lead Engineering Recruiter Jeff Moore has been writing weekly posts for our
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series. His posts have covered a wide range of topics from
how to navigate a career fair
to
tips for acing a technical interview
. This week he wraps up the series with a post that discusses what you should keep in mind once you accept a job offer. Can't get enough of Jeff's tips? Keep an eye out for him on the
Google Students
page on Google+. You never know where he may show up!
Hopefully all the stuff we’ve talked about the last three months has paid off (if it hasn’t...it will!) and you’ve decided on a job. Awesome! Congrats! The only thing left is to show up on your first day right? Wrong....as crazy as it sounds there are still things you need to do to prepare for your new job.
Finish your degree
- The most obvious tip of them all...I’ve been saving this one for the last post. Chances are, the offer you just accepted is contingent upon you completing your degree. And you didn’t think it was important to read the fine print, eh? So, even though you’ve got a job and you’re feeling good about your future...don’t lose sight of the present and finish your education.
Stop interviewing
- And the second most obvious tip of this series...seriously, once you accept a job it’s time to stop interviewing with other companies. Honor your commitment to your new employer.
Keep up to date on your future employer
- The tip here is to make sure that you are up to date on the biggest issues facing your current employer. You don’t need to be obsessive about this but you also don’t want to be the person who shows up on your first day to find out the company went out of business 3 months ago...yet no one called to tell you the news. Additionally, keeping up to date will allow you to be prepared for anything on your first day and show your new boss that you’ve been committed and excited about the role since you accepted.
Get your life in order
- Before you start this next adventure in your life, make sure you have a place to live, transportation to/from work and everything you need to be able to focus on work from day one. The last thing you want to do is show up to work disheveled and distracted because your personal life is a mess and you’re worried about where you’re staying next week. Take the time and energy you need to get settled and show up on your first day fired up and ready to go!
Enjoy your last few months as a student
- You still have some studying to do, but with your job hunt out of the way you should have more time to relax and enjoy these last few months of student life! Soak up the campus experience, spend quality time with your friends (who will soon be scattered all over the world), and celebrate. You worked hard, you earned it.
Ok, that’s it this week and for this series. I hope we’ve been able to help those of you starting out with your career and found a few of these tips to be helpful. For those of you still looking for a job; keep networking and good things will happen. Good luck out there!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Picking a start date
December 1, 2011
Introduction: We're starting to wrap up our
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series, which has featured insight for students on the job hunt from Lead Engineering Recruiter
Jeff Moore
. Today Jeff talks about what you should consider when choosing a start date.
Welcome back everyone! If you started your job hunt in the fall, there's a chance you may have already received a few offers and may even be making your final decision on what company to join. (If you're not at this point yet, don't worry, there's still plenty of time left in the recruiting season, and you can keep this week's tips in mind for later.) Once you’ve accepted an offer, though, you need to get down to the business of picking a start date. Sounds easy right? Well, it can be harder than you think and here are few thoughts on how to pick a great start date and make a solid first impression with your future employer.
Ask when you
should
start
- Companies have a lot of requirements around start dates (i.e. everyone starts on Monday). Tell your recruiter or manager when you graduate and then ask them when they’d like you to start. You may find that the date they’d like you to start is a perfect date.
Be Realistic
- Remember, you’re picking a date that might be six or eight months away, so there is a high likelihood it will change. However, you want to be realistic and pick a date that seems reasonable based on when you are finishing school. If the company wants you to start the day after graduation but you’d rather take a few weeks off to get life in order, you should politely push back and let them know what you’d like to start a few weeks later so you can be 100% focused on the new job. Communicating honestly with your future employer will go a long way to starting your relationship together on the right foot.
No Surprises
- Planning to hike across Europe? Sail around the world? Those things are all cool—very cool, actually—but make sure you’ve communicated your plans to your recruiter or hiring manager. Being upfront and honest about your plans is the responsible thing to do and your future colleagues will appreciate your honesty (and probably be a bit jealous of your plans).
Stick to your commitment
- Don’t move your start date around constantly. You’ll drive your future boss crazy as they won’t be able to properly plan your on-boarding. Your start date is your first chance to make an impression as an employee, not as a candidate. You want to make sure you can show your team that you are able to stick to your commitments and show up when you say you’ll show up.
That’s it this week. Good luck wrapping up your offers and finding time to study for finals....with all this talk about jobs you can’t neglect your classes!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Happy Thanksgiving!
November 24, 2011
Quick post this holiday week. I wanted to share a few things that I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend, which I hope you’re thankful for, too.
First and foremost, I’m thankful for anyone out there reading this
blog series
. The feedback and comments have been great and I really hope we’ve helped some of you folks out there looking for a new role.
I’m also thankful for the Google University Programs team who coordinate this blog and all of our activities on campus. These guys are rock stars. I’m lucky to work with them and love the innovation and energy that comes from the team.
Finally, I’m thankful for all the
cool technology
that keeps us connected and lets me interact with people all over the planet.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Understanding your benefits
November 17, 2011
Introduction: We've been featuring weekly
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
from Lead Engineering Recruiter
Jeff Moore
. We hope you've found his tips useful, whether you're looking for an internship, full-time position, or just looking to improve your resume. Today Jeff gives us his insight into the world of benefits.
This week we are going to talk about something really important: benefits. Companies offer a wide variety of benefits packages and they can really be a deciding factor when you are trying to decide on an offer. Here are a few things to consider when looking at employee benefits:
Health Benefits
- Health and wellness benefits are a critical component of any offer. Some companies offer multiple plans (HMO, PPO, HSA, etc.) and usually pick up a majority of the cost. You need to consider what type of plan works best for you and what it will cost you. Take time to read the details, there a lot of nuances to these plans and you’ll want to understand everything as well as you can to make the right decision.
Retirement Plans
- Planning for retirement might seem like a boring topic, but it’s something that you should be thinking about as soon as you get your first offer. You need to consider not only the type of retirement plan (402B, 401K or maybe a pension) but also what the organization contributes to your account, in addition to your own contribution. Once you’ve figured out the plan, determine how much you can afford to contribute. My advice is to stretch a bit and contribute as much as you can to your retirement. Short term sacrifice for long term gain.
Paid Time Off
- Everyone loves vacation. Vacation time, holidays and sick days are all things to consider as paid time off. Almost every organization does this differently so make sure you ask. Every plan has its pros and cons so I can’t offer much specific advice as it totally depends on the organization. Ideally, you’re looking for 2-3 weeks of vacation, standard holidays and a handful of sick days. More, of course, is better. Note: generally these plans are non-negotiable so recruiters don’t have flexibility to customize your package.
Perks
- Companies offer so many different perks nowadays it’s hard to compare; however, what you really want to see is that the company values their employees. I’ve seen perks like fresh cookies on Fridays, free breakfast, lunch, dinner, subsidized massage, acupuncture, movie tickets and even company cars. Generally, I think of perks as a bonus on top of the rest of the total package, and a way for you to help make the final decision.
That’s it this week! Don’t overlook the benefits package on those offers, the right benefits can make or break an offer and provide you with everything you need to start your career on the right foot.
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Deciding between offers
November 10, 2011
Introduction: Lead Engineering Recruiter
Jeff Moore
is back at it again in this week's
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
post. Today he talks about what you should consider when deciding between multiple offers. For more information on internship, full-time and other opportunities at Google, add the
Google Students page
to your circles on Google+.
You’ve been out there dominating the interview circuit, companies love you and you’ve got your pick of multiple offers. Awesome, nice job. The question now, really, is which one of these offers do you take?
There are so many factors involved in this decision, some of which you might not have thought about. In no particular order, here’s what you need to consider.
The team
- The single most important thing in your first job or any job is the team. You will be working with these people at least 40 hours a week so you have to like them. Also, you want to work with great, smart and talented people. If the team doesn’t wow you, don’t take the job. If you think it’s a superstar team, you’re likely to really be happy with the decision.
The opportunity
- Jobs are about opportunities. Opportunities to grow, learn, manage, lead and a host of other things. When considering multiple offers you have to weigh your options and consider which one will present you with the best opportunities. Now, what the “best” opportunities are will depend on your priorities and what you hope to make of your career so now is the time to make sure you have that figured out!
The location
- Do you like to be near your family? Friends? Near the ocean? Location is absolutely critical in deciding what role to take. What you do when you are NOT at work is important. You should be happy in the office and then even happier when you are not at work. You want to make sure that whatever offer you accept is in a place where you can be happy and have a really healthy work/life balance.
The money
- Ok, so I lied about doing these in no particular order. The money is important, but not nearly as important as the things I’ve mentioned above. Think about it. Would you rather make $75K and be happy or make $80K and be miserable? In my opinion, you can’t put a price on your happiness. Now, that being said, you do have to consider the total compensation as all offers are not created equally. Some offers will have a bonus included, equity, stock purchase programs, free food, great benefits, etc. All of these represent compensation and need to be part of your decision making process; however, don’t be lulled into thinking that compensation is the end all, be all of your decision—it’s not.
That’s it this week; hopefully you are not struggling too much with these decisions. By now, you should have figured out what you are looking for in a job and be able to evaluate every offer against the factors you’ve deemed important. If you’ve got questions or concerns about any of your offers make sure to ask your recruiter or the hiring manager for some help. The more informed you are about each offer, the better decision you’ll make. Good luck and if I can help, post a comment and I’ll try to offer advice.
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Non-Technical Interview Prep
November 3, 2011
Introduction: In last week's
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
post, Jeff Moore talked about how you can best prepare for a
technical interview
. This week he's focusing on tips to help you prepare for non-technical interviews. Don't forget that internships and new grad opportunities are posted on our student jobs site at
www.google.com/students
As you’ve probably noticed by now, a lot of my tips are especially relevant to engineering students. Well, not this week! I wanted to take some time to help everyone else who’s going through the interview process but won’t be writing code. Truthfully, these tips are pretty universal and will help you in any interview, technical or not. These may seem pretty simple but they absolutely, positively work.
Research
- Take time to do your homework and thoroughly research the role before your interview. You want to have a solid understanding of what the business is and how this role fits into the business. If applicable, do a quick search to find out the background of the people you’ll be meeting. I can’t stress this last point enough. Knowing your audience will potentially give you a shared interest or experience with the interviewer and make both of you more comfortable.
Resume prep and review
- Chances are, the person you are meeting with during the interview is looking at your resume. Chances also are, you wrote that thing a few weeks or months ago and don’t have as deep an understanding of every word in the resume as you think you do. So, take 15 or 20 minutes to go through your resume line by line, think about the content and make sure that if you’re asked about a particular item you have a clear and concise answer. Your resume is a paper version of experience—know what’s on that paper and be able to speak to it.
Build a list of sample questions and answers
- Biggest and best tip I can give you. Hands down, this one works. Take 30 minutes or so before the interview to build a list of any possible question you might be asked during the interview. Questions on your background, behavioral based questions, role play, you name it. Write it down. Now that you’ve got this list, go through and write down a few words on what your answer will be if you are asked this question. Finally, bring these notes with you...not to read them, but so that if or when you do get asked one of these potential questions you’ll have the perfect, thoughtful answer right on the tip of your tongue. I’ve been doing this for years and find it to be the best way to be prepared for anything during the interview.
Have your questions ready
- Almost every single interview you’ll have will end with the same question: “Do you have any questions for me?” The worst answer is something like,“um, no.” When an interviewer asks you if you have any questions for him or her, this is your time to shine. You want to show off how much you understand the role and ask a question that give you additional insight into how you’d fit into the team. This is where tip #1 comes in. You’ve done your research on how to answer questions poised to you, now you have to jot down a few questions for each interview. These questions should be specific to each interviewer, too.
That’s it this week, I think you’ll find these tips to be pretty easy and quite useful. Take the time to implement them and they will serve you well. Being prepared and having done your research will not only enable you to answer difficult questions but will also allow you to stay on target and get across any specific points you are hoping to emphasize to the interviewer. Next week, we’ll be talking about how to negotiate and deal with job offers....so get ready, it will be a lot of fun.
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Rocking the technical interview
October 27, 2011
Introduction:
Jeff Moore
, Lead Engineering Recruiter at Google, talks about how you can best prepare for a technical interview in this week's
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
post. Interested in internships or full-time roles at Google? Check out our newly redesigned student jobs site at
www.google.com/students
.
Welcome back, everyone; I hope things are going well. It’s time for my favorite blog of the series. Seriously, as a recruiter I like nothing better than having a candidate come in for an interview and show off amazing technical skills! All recruiters love this because we spend our time looking for great talent...and it’s rewarding to see people do well. So, I’m going to share with you some quick and easy tips to help you rock the technical interview. Here we go:
Do your homework
- Doing well in a technical interview is as much about what you do before the interview as what you do during the interview. Most software companies that perform really technical interviews are going to ask you questions about coding, system design and algorithms. You should search the web for sample questions so you’ll know what to expect. If someone asks you a question during the interview that you found during your research, make sure to tell them so they can ask you a different question.
Refresh your skills
- In addition to doing your homework, you should brush up on your software engineering skills. Get your old Computer Science books out and reread the chapters on algorithms, complexity theory and all that fun stuff. A lot of schools also publish courses online. MIT, for example, has
“Open Courseware”
, where you can go and actually take a look at the undergrad and graduate level courses taught there. It’s a pretty good way to make sure you’re up to date and feeling good about your core Computer Science skills.
Know your resume
- Obvious tip alert! Many times you’ll be asked to explain previous projects that you’ve worked on. It is critical that you are able to speak articulately about your past work, which could include being able to explain the algorithm and its implementation. Remember the most difficult bug and how you fixed it.
Rinse and repeat for desired results
- Once you’ve done all this, the best way to make sure you ace the interview is to practice, practice and more practice. I’d recommend you check out sites like
Stack Overflow
,
TopCoder
or any of the other coding competitions out there, and crank though some sample problems. Finally, check out a book like "Smart and Gets Things Done" by
Joel Spolsky
, or do a quick search for books about technical interview preparation. There’s no magic bullet here—just time and due diligence. Trust me, it will pay off.
I hope these tips help. Remember, the more time you spend preparing the better job you’ll do during your interview. Additionally, being well prepared will allow you to relax and be yourself which in turn will give the company an idea of what you’d be like as a colleague. Good luck out there this week. Feel free to share any technical interview stories. I always enjoy hearing from people about what they encounter. Finally...take a deep breath and rock the interview.
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Internships revealed
October 20, 2011
Introduction:
Jeff Moore
, Lead Engineering Recruiter at Google, talks about the benefits of internships and how they can help advance your career in this week's
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
. Interested in internships at Google? Check out our newly redesigned student jobs site at
www.google.com/students
.
Those of you looking for full time work are probably knee deep in interviews and networking. Awesome, keep at it. But there is another whole recruiting phenomenon going on right now: internships.
Internships are HUGE for those of you in school and looking to jumpstart your career, but they are often overlooked by students who are focused solely on grades or extracurricular activities. My advice is to take a summer or semester and do an internship. You’ll have a great time and appreciate the experience. Here’s why:
Experience
- One of the best ways to get work experience is to do an internship. I know some of you are thinking something like “Intern = designated coffee maker.” Not true! Internships are a chance for you to work on a cool project and help make an impact within an organization. I had an intern last summer—her project was something I’d been dying to do for a few years and now it’s done. I believe we call that a “win-win.”
Learning
- That’s right, learning. A lot of times, early on, you aren’t 100% sure what you want to do as a career. Internships allow you to give different types of jobs and industries a try and see if you like them. Think of it as a free trial. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn during a few months on a job and this newfound knowledge will help you decide where you want to go.
Practice
- Internships are like practice for full-time jobs. The whole process runs very similar to full-time hiring, so this is your chance to interview, meet people and work in a much less stressful situation than you will once you have graduated. Think about it, you don’t want the first interview you’ve ever done in your life to be after you’ve graduated and are under serious pressure to find a job. You’ve gotta practice if you want to hone those skills and get the dream job.
Networking!
- Ah, what would a blog post be without a networking reference? Internships give you an opportunity to meet great people who can help you throughout your career. It doesn’t matter if it’s someone on your team, your intern host or someone with similar interests, internships expand your network. And, as you know, networking is the key to an effective job search.
So, there you go. If you’re still in school, find an internship and learn as much as you can. Good luck with the search this week and happy interviews everyone!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: How to talk with recruiters
October 13, 2011
Introduction: Lead engineering recruiter,
Jeff Moore
, continues our
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series with his advice on speaking with recruiters just like him.
Recruiters tend to be pretty unique folks. We’re generally outgoing and can usually have a conversation with anyone about most anything. That being said, talking to recruiters is a bit of an art form. Let me explain a few thoughts on how best to work with a recruiter.
Do
- Tell us what you are looking for in a job. Being confident and assertive in your goals is like music to our ears and helps us figure out if we have a role for you.
Don’t
- Say things like “I’m not sure,” “I’m up for anything,” “I don’t care what I do.” These phrases are a turn-off for recruiters. We want to hire you, tell me why we should!
Do
- Show some personality and sense of humor. Depending on the day, that friendly recruiter you’re talking to may have spoken with several hundred people by the time you get to them. We appreciate a good joke or funny personal story, and it helps make an impression.
Don’t
- Be unprofessional. Recruiters talk to people for a living, it’s our job. No matter how friendly the tone, remember the conversation is strictly professional. Never ask a recruiter out on a date or put them in an uncomfortable situation. Recruiters want to see if you’re a fit for their organization and that’s it. All business.
Do
- Ask questions. Recruiters don’t expect you to know everything there is to know about our organizations. We are more than happy to answer questions and help you learn about the company. I love it when a candidate asks me, “What do you like best at Google?” and then follows up with, “and what do you like least?” Recruiters like thoughtful and interesting discussions. Engage us.
Don’t
- Make assumptions about what you think we’ll want to hear. Nothing will drive a recruiter crazy faster than when someone drops a bunch of cliche, elevator pitch lingo into a conversation. Be thoughtful and genuine and recruiters will return the favor.
Don’t
- Stress. Recruiters don’t care if you stumble over your words or forget our names or confuse us with other companies. We get it. Looking for a job is stressful and sometimes stress causes us to do funny things. Take a deep breath, it will all be fine.
I hope these tips help. Good recruiters will talk to anyone about anything in an effort to find the best talent on the planet. Reach out, talk to those recruiters and find a cool new job. Until next week, good luck!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Social networks and networking
October 6, 2011
Introduction: Jeff Moore, lead engineering recruiter at Google, continues the
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series with a post on one of the most important parts of your job search: networking!
OK, welcome back everyone. I hope the job search is going well and you’re having fun with it. Having a little fun will serve you well and help you keep things in perspective. Now you’ve got a great resume and you’ve started meeting with people to learn about roles. Awesome stuff, I love it. Now the hard work begins...networking. Networking is a must in a modern job search. More than ever you need to be building relationships and using those connections to get you in the door. Networking is hard, but you’ll find the more you do it the easier it gets. Here are a few tips I think will help:
Start slow
- Jumping in with both feet is tough. You’re new at this and it’s not comfortable. So, take a deep breath and start slow. Reach out to a former teacher or professor who you’ve always admired and ask them for thoughts/advice on your job search. Maybe it’s a former roommate or club member. Talk to someone and get comfortable with the idea of talking to people about your job search.
Set goals
- I’m a huge believer in setting goals, especially around something like networking. Setting goals will give you a sense of accomplishment and allow you to define your search by more than just “I’ve got a job!”. So, set a goal and work towards it. You’ll thank me for this tip later.
Organize
- Networking is about relationships....and helping each other accomplish things. In order to do this well, you need to be organized. This is where “social media” comes into play. On your Google+ account put people into special circles (my personal favorite is “recruiting peeps”) and organize them so you can target specific sets of people for your search. Same with your other social networking tools...use the notes and tagging features to put information into each contact so you know why you are connected to them. Start now and make those connections work for you.
Make it real
- Tangent alert....as we’ve gotten more connected with technology we’ve gotten LESS connected in real life. In order to network most effectively you need to meet people in person (can you imagine!). Put a face to the voice and build a real life connection with the person. How you do this doesn’t matter - coffee, lunch, dinner, drink, ice cream....whatever, just get out there and be a person!
Pay it forward
- Networking is not a one way street. Frankly, the best networking is when both parties can take something from the conversation. Additionally, you never know when someone can help you or when you can help them. So, if you meet someone and you can help them with something...do it! Pay it forward!! Make the world a better place with your networking...and it will come back around, I promise.
OK, that’s it this week. Networking is hard, but you’ll find the more you do it the easier it gets. I hope you find these tips helpful. I’d love to hear from you, so comment or ping me on my
Google+
if you have any success stories you’d like to share. Happy hunting, you’re doing fine.
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: Navigating a career fair
September 29, 2011
Introduction: Jeff Moore, lead engineering recruiter at Google, continues the
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series with a post on how you should be taking advantage of career fairs at your university.
So your campus is having a career fair tomorrow. Just need to roll out of bed, print a couple resumes, stop by between classes and grab a couple free pens, right? Wrong. Career fairs are your one-stop guide to the opportunities available to you, the college student. This is your chance to meet corporate representatives, make a first impression and find out how you can land an interview for your dream job. This week, I’m going to teach you how to work your campus career fair like a pro.
Research, research, research
- Know what companies are attending the fair and figure out which ones are offering jobs in your field. If you see a company on the list that you don’t know, look them up. Find out what they do. Just because you’ve never heard of them doesn’t mean they aren’t the perfect company for you. And don’t walk up to a corporate representative and ask “so...what do you do?” Doesn’t exactly make a great first impression.
Plan
- Piggybacking off of the last point, create a plan for yourself on how you’ll interact with the companies you want to talk to. Don’t just go to every table, hand in your resume and walk away. Know which companies have positions you are interested in and prepare a quick introduction.
Resumes
- Print as many resumes as you think you’ll need. And then double that. If your resume is more than one page, print it double sided or remember to staple it. And don’t just shove your resume into the bottom of your bag—good presentation extends to your resume, too.
Take your time
- Don’t “stop by” the career fair between classes. Plan to spend five minutes per company you plan to speak with. Have a couple questions in your back pocket to ask each recruiter or corporate representative. If you’re interesting, you will be memorable. Recruiters sometimes get as many as 1,000 resumes at a single career fair. You’ll want to stand out.
Presentation is everything
- At Google we believe you can be serious without a suit but that doesn’t mean you should show up in your pajamas. Besides, not every company feels the same way about attire as we do. You don’t need to wear a suit but aiming for presentable is a good plan. And never underestimate the power of a good handshake and a friendly smile.
Stuff We All Get aka SWAG
- These events are littered with all kinds of pens, squishy balls, notepads, yo-yo’s and other miscellaneous branded paraphernalia. You should feel free to grab stuff, especially if you think it’s cool. However, you don’t want to be the person who takes so much stuff from every table that your next gig is starring on one of those reality TV shows about hoarding.
Stay Healthy
- You’re going to be shaking a lot of hands. Be sure to bring some hand sanitizer with you or take a few breaks to wash your hands. And please help keep the recruiters healthy by not sneezing on your hands or picking your nose (I’m not joking, this has happened and it’s gross), especially right before you go to shake someone’s hand.
Follow-up
- Don’t be afraid to ask for contact information, a business card or that great piece of swag you see on the table. If a recruiter says, “email me so we can talk in more detail,” do it. Following up is the most important thing you can do after the job fair.
Have fun!
- The career fair should be one of the least nerve-wracking parts of your job search. Corporate representatives are on campus because they want to talk to you. Be friendly, crack a joke and be yourself.
Questions? Let me know in the comments,
message me on Google+
or use the hashtag #googleoncampus on Twitter or
Google+
to share your career fair tips.
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: On campus resources
September 22, 2011
Introduction: Last week, lead engineering recruiter
Jeff Moore
shared some insights into
starting your job search
. In the third installment of our
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series, Jeff highlights the on-campus resources that will help you in your continued search for the perfect job.
As college students, you have an immense number of resources at your fingertips—and you don’t even have to leave your campus. Heck, to access many of these resources you don’t even have to leave your dorm room, though I don’t advocate living the life of a hermit if you want to be successful in your job hunt.
Here are a few places right at school to help you get started. This list is by no means exhaustive and every campus will have its own unique resources, so make sure you know what is available to you!
Career center
- This may seem obvious, but your campus career center should be your first stop on your job search. Did you know there might be more than one career center on your campus? On some campuses there are department specific career centers, in addition to your central career center. Visit your career center website to see who’s recruiting students at your school and the types of positions they are offering, or check the online calendar of events. Many career centers host regular workshops in addition to the employer hosted events on campus. You may also be able to schedule an appointment with a career center advisor for more advice on your resume, to conduct a practice interview or get guidance your job hunt.
Know the rules
- Many campus career centers have guidelines for recruiting on campus. You should be able to explore your options and get the most of your job search. Don’t settle for an offer just because it’s the first one you receive. If you feel like a company hasn’t given you enough time to make a thoughtful decision, ask for more time. And make sure you know what your career center policy is on offer deadlines. Many schools actually require companies to give you time to consider all your options and ask them to refrain from pressuring you to accept an offer on the spot. Take the time to understand these guidelines and respectfully ask potential employers to follow them.
Career fairs
- We’ll talk more about how to navigate career fairs next week, but you should definitely make notes of any career fairs on campus and plan to attend them. Many campuses have multiple career fairs focused on different majors, so be sure to pick the appropriate fairs to attend. Remember: there may be more than one...and it might not be a bad idea to attend them all!
Corporate Affiliate Program
- Sometimes this program is run by the career center, sometimes it is run by your department. Either way, these are the folks that communicate with employers and help them plan their on campus activities. They often know who is hiring and may be able to connect you directly with representatives from the companies you are interested in speaking with. This may also be where you find a calendar of all employer events on campus. Be sure to attend these! Attending on campus events are a great way to find out more about opportunities, learn about interesting technologies, get insight into company culture and talk to alumni from your school who are now in your dream career.
Faculty & TAs
- Talk to your professors! They don’t bite, we promise. Professors, lecturers and TAs are great resources. Many of them may have connections with the companies you are applying to and some of them may have worked at those companies themselves. Companies like Google love faculty referrals, so if your professor or TA can speak to your work, ask them to refer you.
Student groups
- Every campus has loads of student groups and if you aren’t already involved with one, you really should be. From affinity groups like the Society of Women Engineers to honors organizations to sports teams to Greek life, there is something for everybody. Besides all of the social benefits of student organizations, many of them have career-oriented activities to help members find jobs. Some of these groups even have established relationships with employers and often have alumni or recruiters come to group meetings to talk about opportunities. I know there are a certain campus groups that when I see them on a resume...I’m excited to talk to that person! Plus, remember what I said last week about networking? Networking is the most important thing you can do during your job search and student groups are a great way to network with new and interesting students.
Departmental advisors
- Many departments will have internal advisors for students to consult on everything from coursework to research to employment. There is usually an undergraduate advisor in addition to a graduate advisor and they could be faculty or staff or both. Set up an appointment with your advisor to talk more about career opportunities and campus activities and resources that may help you network or further your job search.
Alumni
- Your alumni network is a treasure trove of former students like you working at companies all over the country and the globe. Visit your alumni database and check out where alumni from your major or area of interest are working. Then, see if they’re willing to chat with you about opportunities in the field. If I sound like a broken record on networking...it’s true I keep repeating this point over and over again because it works!
Friends & classmates
- Last, but most certainly not least, talk to your classmates and friends. Where did they intern this summer? Where did their friends intern? What do they say about their experience? Would the be willing to refer you? I think you get my point. Networking!! Did I mention I’m a broken record?
Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comments,
message me on Google+
, or use the hashtag #googleoncampus on Twitter or
Google+
to share anything I missed!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: starting your search
September 15, 2011
Introduction: Last week we introduced our new
Recruiter Tips & Tricks
series featuring lead engineering recruiter Jeff Moore. Jeff, who has over 10 years of recruiting experience, talked about how to
best prepare your resume
. This week he’ll give some insight into starting your job search.
You’ve got your resume done and it’s totally awesome but now you have to get started with the job search. First, don’t panic, you’ll be fine. Looking for a new job can be a fun and exciting time, especially if you are looking for your first job. Before you do anything, take a deep breath, and then let’s get this search started.
Here are a few quick tips that will serve you well in your search:
Figure out what you want to do
– You don’t need to have a crystal clear picture of what your career will be in 10 years but you do need to have a general idea of the type of work you want to do. For example, do you want a job in HR? Engineering? Sales? These things matter and will have a huge impact on your professional happiness. Figuring out what kind of work you want to do will allow you to target your search and find roles that will make you genuinely excited. Don’t think of this as a lifelong career decision, just enough clarity to get you started and heading toward career happiness.
Identify target companies
– Once you know what you want to do, you have to figure out where you want to do it. What industries do you like? Where do you want to live? What companies do you admire? Having a list of target companies will let you organize your search and help you increase the odds of finding a great gig at a great company.
Start networking
– Networking is the most important thing you can do during your job search. I won’t get into too much detail here (more on this in a future post) but most companies get a majority of hires from employee referrals. If you want to increase your odds of finding that great job, your best bet is having a friend, former colleague, classmate or someone you know refer you to the recruiting team directly. You still need to apply for jobs online but networking will produce better results.
Tap into your campus resources
– Every campus has a ton of resources to help you with your job search. Career services, the alumni office, affinity groups…you really can’t use these folks enough. They are there to help you find a job and they are a critical piece of your search. On campus resources can help you find roles to apply for online or via a job fair and also help your networking. We’ll talk much more about this in a later post but take some time to figure out what resources are available on campus…and use them.
Interview, interview, interview
– I’m a huge believer in talking to almost anyone about roles if they think you’re a fit for their organization. I had never even heard of “recruiting” before my first interview for a recruiting role and my career is profoundly different because I was willing to have the conversation. When starting your job search, my advice is to talk to anyone that wants to talk to you. This will accomplish two things that are really important: First, you’ll get comfortable interviewing and be able to refine your talking points. A great candidate is able to easily communicate their experience during the interview; very few of us can do this on the first try. I believe the cliché is “practice makes perfect.” Second, there are opportunities in the world that might be a perfect match for you that you’ve just never thought of, or even know exist. Taking time to speak with people at different companies about a multitude of roles will open your eyes to some amazing opportunities and start you down an exciting career path.
That’s it for this week. The fall hiring season is picking up, so get out there and find a great gig!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
Recruiter Tips & Tricks: preparing your resume
September 8, 2011
Introduction: We’re introducing a new series just in time for back-to-school featuring Jeff Moore, a lead engineering recruiter for Google. Jeff has over 10 years of recruiting experience in the high tech and software industries and is currently responsible for recruiting world class engineers to join Google’s offices in Atlanta, Cambridge, Chicago, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Waterloo and Washington DC. He is an active blogger (
www.jeffreytmoore.com
) with interests in social networking and mobile technology. In this series, Jeff will share weekly tips and tricks for students who are on the hunt for a job. The series kicks off with tips for preparing your resume.
The fall college recruiting season is upon us…..yikes, what happened to the summer??? Soon your campus will be visited by armies of recruiters looking for the next great employee to join their team. Will you be ready? Are you that person? Well, you might be…but you need to have a stand-out resume to get the conversation started. Before we begin, one thing to remember: A good resume
will not get you a job
. A good resume will get you the interview and the rest is up to you. With that in mind, here are a few tried and true tips for drafting an awesome resume.
Show off your strengths
– Makes sense, right? You want your resume to show off what makes you special and give recruiters a reason to interview you. The big things on your resume should make employers say, “wow!” It doesn’t really matter if it’s your education, internships or special awards, just make sure to show off your skills/experience and try to impress because (cliché alert!) you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
The devil is in the details
– A detailed resume is a good resume. The more info you share, the more a recruiter or hiring manager can look at your accomplishments and determine if you are a good fit for their team. For example, which one of these candidates would you want to talk to?
Candidate A – Wrote several applications to improve efficiency within the finance group.
Candidate B – Used Java and PHP to write financial accounting application that saved the company over 25 hours a week of productivity resulting in over $100K in savings.
Remember, your resume is your message to the hiring team—tell them as much as you can so they can make the most informed decision.
Keep it short
– Huh? Didn’t he just say, “tell them as much as you can”? I did, but that doesn’t mean you should write a 15 page resume. What you want is a clear, concise resume that accurately describes your accomplishments. Assuming you are a new college grad, you probably want to stick to one page. However, if you have significant accomplishments (publications, open source contributions, startups, awards, etc.) it is acceptable to go on to a second page. Lots of career services folks will tell you “one page only.” I don’t subscribe to that, as long as the content of your resume is relevant.
Spelling and grammar
– I don’t even need to mention this...you get it right? We have spell check for a reason. You'd be shocked at how many resumes I see with spelling errors. Grammar and spelling mistakes look sloppy. Don't be careless, and don't depend on spell check. Proof read your resume and have others proof it as well.
Know your target
– Make sure your resume is targeted to the right audience. I’d recommend you add an “Objective” at the top of your resume (below your name!) that clearly states what your want to accomplish. Think of the objective as your “elevator pitch”, a concise statement to convince the hiring manager or recruiter that you are worth an initial conversation. Your objective and the meat of your resume should portray someone who is a fit for the job and company. For example, if you want a job at a specific company write an objective like this:
Objective – To obtain a fast-paced and exciting role within the Google Staffing team.
As opposed to this….
Objective – To get a job at Google.
Again, this stuff isn’t rocket science, you just have to be thoughtful and thorough to make sure you sound like someone worth interviewing.
Ok, that’s it this week…good luck out there! Get those resumes polished and start talking to people. A great job is out there for you and it all starts with that great resume!
Posted by Jeff Moore, Lead Engineering Recruiter
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