Students

Opening doors: Preparing students for the job search

CIS students learn early that preparation -- taking the time to fully prepare to do their best – determines how well they’ll be able to market themselves to a company when it comes to getting that all important internship -- which can open all sorts of doors to their future. So says Terri Erb, an employer relations/career consultant at the W.P. Carey School’s Business Career Center. The Department of Information Systems provides many opportunities to learn how to shine while looking for that important first position.

2011-10-05

Terri Erb sat down with an undergrad enrolled in W.P. Carey’s CIS program — a promising young student who, like many of his fellow CIS friends, was hoping to soon launch a career in the field he loves. The student had the skills to do precisely that. He had the knowledge. And he had the experience, too. The one thing he didn't have, however, was the resume. "He brought in his resume for me and I noticed there was nothing on it at all about his technical experience," Erb recalls. "So I asked him, 'Why exactly did you choose CIS?' He said, 'I love computers, I've been dealing with them my whole life, I designed the website for my parents' business, and I built their database.' I asked him why he didn’t put any of that on his resume. He said he didn’t get paid for it so he didn't think it counted as a real job. I told him, 'It absolutely counts as experience, whether you get paid for it or not!'" Indeed, if there's one thing Erb has learned over the past few years in her role as an employer relations/career consultant at the W.P. Carey School’s Business Career Center, it's that, while companies and recruiters are certainly interested in hiring the W. P. Carey School’s CIS alums, and while there are certainly promising career opportunities to be had, the job market remains challenging. So when it comes time for those students to meet with corporate recruiters at events such as the fall Career Mixer, organized by the Department of Information Systems, Erb's advice is really quite simple: Be prepared. Be very prepared Says Erb: "Whether it’s preparing for class, an opportunity to interact with employers, applying for or participating in an interview, taking the time to fully prepare to do their best will make an impact on how they’ll be able to market themselves to a company when it comes to getting that all important internship — which can open all sorts of doors to their future.” “We try in the department to remind our students to always research the companies before going to a career event or meeting recruiters,” adds Emily Galindo-Elvira, a Student Services Specialist at the Business Career Center. “Not only will they be well informed, but they will present themselves with confidence.” At ASU, those doors of opportunity are made all the more available by the efforts not only of Erb and her team at the Business Career Center, but also the student members of the Department of Information Systems Club (DISC). The group has proven itself to be tremendously effective at organizing events, getting students excited about their IT futures and, maybe most importantly, getting companies and recruiters interested in ASU. “There are tons and tons of opportunities everyday for CIS graduates,” says Drew Schweinfurth, president of DISC. “IS is a field that will never go out of style, and I am glad that I get to be a big part of it.” As both Erb and Schweinfurth can attest, getting recruiters to come to campus is no problem at all. In fact, Erb says there’s a months-long waiting list of companies seeking face time with the DISC students. Those recruiters clearly want to be here. And they clearly want to hire ASU students. All the students need to do is put their best foot forward — and take advantage of tremendous opportunities available to them. It starts with preparation, Erb says, and knowing exactly what employers are looking for. That includes the following: 1. Experience In technical fields, companies aren’t prepared to take risks on people who may not know what they’re doing, or may not have any experience putting the theory of IT into real-world practice. That’s why, in IT, experience is so important. Students who don’t have it will find getting a job more than a little challenging. "Each company will ask for different technical skills, but the one thing that they are really looking for is experience," Erb says says.” Companies absolutely look for experience on a resume, and if they don't see it, they're going to ask students, 'Why isn't that here?'" Erb says it’s essential that students find internships before they graduate. Just as important, they must excel during those internships. The relationships they make there, she says, can shape their entire career. 2. Being prepared Recruiters don’t like feeling as though they are wasting their time, but that’s exactly the feeling they’ll get if they interview students who clearly don’t know anything about their companies. “You’re not going to make a great impression if you walk in there, start talking with a recruiter and then ask him, ‘So, what do you guys do?” says Erb. “You’ve got to do your research ahead of time, and really figure out if it’s a company you’re really interested in. That way you’re much more able to market yourself to them.” Adds Galindo-Elvira: “Additionally we try to coach the students to understand how to dress, how to sell themselves in their 30-second commercial, and overall how to present themselves as a unique package bringing added value to a company.” 3. Being ‘more than just a student. Yes, experience is key. Yes, making a good first impression is essential. And yes, the GPA is definitely looked at and considered in the selection process and frequently is used as a screening tool. . But at the end of the day, companies are hiring people, not robots. The intangibles — leadership, a positive attitude, passion for one’s work — are also key to job-search success. “Leadership is definitely something that they’ll be looking for,” Erb says. “Same with campus involvement, or organizational involvement. They want somebody who is multidimensional. They want somebody who has a really sincere interest and enthusiasm for the field.” Companies interested in recruiting at W.P. Carey, or attending the Spring Career Mixer for CIS undergraduates and MSIM master’s candidates, can contact Emily Galindo-Elviro at emily.galindo-elvira@asu.eduEmily.galindo-elvira@asu.edu.

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