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AIAA�American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics OSU Chapter��Buckeye Vertical��eVTOL Competition Team 

<-- Attendance Form (for AIAA Membership)

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CAREER FAIR PREPARATION��PRESENTATION SLIDES BUILT FROM: ENGINEERING CAREER SERVICES

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Agenda

  • Introductions
  • About the Fair 
    • Registration
    • In-Person/Virtual Formats
  • Strategy
    • Resume
    • Elevator Pitch/Questions
    • Follow-up
  • Breakout Sessions (40-45min)

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Introductions

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The countdown is on… 13 more days!

Day 1 of Expo: Tuesday, September 28 (1-5 PM Virtual, Full-time & Internships/Co-ops)

Day 2 of Expo: Wednesday, September 29 (1-5 PM In-Person, Full-time ONLY)

Day 3 of Expo: Thursday, September 30 (1-5 PM In-Person, Internship/Co-op ONLY)

Register and sign up for virtual 1 on 1 and group sessions via Handshake

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(For ALL Days)

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Virtual:

    • Find a quiet area with minimal distractions in the background
    • Test audio and microphone

In-Person:

  • BuckID REQUIRED for entry
  • Name Badges available at Student Registration (1st floor)

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Quick Notes:

    • Talk about topics you are genuinely interested in
    • Prepare!
    • Sign up with ECS and utilize Handshake
    • Attire: Look professional! (At least from waist up if virtual!)
    • Business-like doesn’t always require a suit!

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Develop a strategy

  1. Have a Resume prepared 
    • Upload to Handshake & Print
  2. Create an elevator pitch
  3. Prepare for common questions
  4. Know how to end the conversation 

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Your Resume

One Page!

Contact Info/Objective

Education Info

Relevant Skills

Content and Order

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Resume Tips

  • Build based on personal interest and company
    • Adjust for different companies when possible!
  • Action Verbs
  • Organize/prioritize content
    • Chronological, relevance, etc.
    • Include most relevant bullets first
  • Formatting
    • Legible Headers
    • Fill page with text from bullets

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Your Elevator Pitch

  • Introduce yourself
    • Name/major/grad date
    • Looking for: co-op (available semesters), intern, or career opportunity
    • 2-3 “selling points” that you have to offer
    • Statement of interest in company, industry, products, career opportunities
  • Ask at least one open-ended question
  • *Employer should have your resume from Handshake – you should also have it in front of you to refer to!
  • You should steer the conversation, so preparation is key!

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Your elevator pitch

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“HelIo! My name is Pat Buckeye. I’m

an electrical engineer graduating in May. I’m looking for a career in the semiconductor industry, so I was very happy to see your company scheduled to be at the fair. As you will see on my resume, I’ve had two semesters of internship experience that’s directly relevant to your company. My senior design project also relates to semiconductors. Can you tell me more about the hardware engineer position you have posted on Handshake?”

Sample pitch

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Elevator Pitch in Action during Fair

Hi, How are you today? 

"Good, thanks. How are you?" 

“I’m doing well. Thank you for meeting with me today. My name is Brutus Buckeye and I’m a second year in mechanical engineering. I was excited to sign up for this session with you because the programming, designing, and problem-solving involved in my Advance Energy Vehicle Project last year got me really interested in smart transportation.”

“Oh really? That’s great! How did you hear about our company?”

“I attended your virtual information session on Tuesday and got the chance to hear from a few current engineers. They mentioned how important CAD and programming skills are, so my course projects and extracurricular involvement with Formula Buckeyes and Design, Build, Fly would be beneficial. Are there other important skills you look for in an intern?”

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Prepare for common questions

  • Why did you choose engineering? OSU?
  • What’s your GPA? (if not on your resume)
  • What terms are you available to work? (consider co-ops during the school year, and include in objective on resume)
  • What work are you interested in, and what are you passionate about?

Think about the kinds of jobs that could be right for you…there’s more than just design engineering…

  • Applications Engineer, Test Engineer, Quality Control Engineer, Product Engineer, Project Engineer, Process Engineer, Marketing Engineer, Technical Sales Engineer, etc.

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How to Approach 1-1 Sessions

    • Research the Company
    • Know the positions available and take the time to read them
    • Prepare a few questions to guide the conversation
    • NATURAL CONVERSATION

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Follow up

  • Ask what the next steps are
  • Request to connect via LinkedIn with their email address (if you’ve had a lengthy conversation)
  • Use Handshake to find out when they are interviewing
  • Complete their on-line application if they request
  • If they are engaging with OSU in additional ways this fall (ie Recruiter in Residence, Info Sessions) attend those events! 

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Remember...

The career fair is an important day but not the end of your job search!

Have a multi-dimensional approach that includes:

•Virtual events (ex. Industry Night, Handshake events)

•Networking (ex. Career Week, Recruiter in Residence, etc.) 

•Online applications (Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and more in this Handshake Resource Library document)

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Summary

  • Resume
    • Make easy to skim and have it readily available
    • Taylor to passions/company
  • Elevator Pitch
    • Naturally work details into conversation
      • Background/education
      • Interest in company/positions
  • Questions
    • Think ahead on employer-related questions
  • Follow-up
    • Ask what's next and get contact info

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Questions?

    • Enjoy the career fair—and good luck!

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Let’s practice! 

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Breakout: Let's Start working on Elevator Pitches and Resumes!

Who am I?

(Name, degree, major…)

What do I offer?

What are the main contributions I can make?

(Highlight skills/ experiences)

Why am I interested in the company or industry the person represents?

(Research company and positions)

What should the listener do as a result of hearing this?

(Open-ended question)

Elevator Pitch: Make impression in 30 seconds or less!! 

Resume: Formatting and Content!

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Resources