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Job search season is here and everyone should know or learn how to stand out in informational sessions. A good number of companies that attend a schools career fair, usually have other events on campus to meet more students. One of those events is an informational session. An info session is usually an informal event aimed at educating the participants on the company. The employer will prepare a presentation on the company’s general info, work culture and opportunities available. A part of the session will be participants asking questions to know more about the company or the program. To stand out in these sessions, it is very important to prepare well before hand. The people who oversee the session might be part of the recruiting team, so you want to be memorable. Here is how to stand out in informational sessions.
Find event schedules
Most info sessions would be posted on your schools’ career website. Depending on the size of the company and location of the session, there might be a limit to the number of students that can attend. Because of this, it is very important to go online and check if an RSVP is needed to attend the event. Not every event is posted on the website. You might also see flyers around campus advertising sessions. The career services office will have all the information regarding time and location of info sessions.
Dress the part
You always need to dress for your dream role. If your dream job is to be a Manager at a chemical processing company, you should definitely not show up in flip-flops and shorts. Business casual is appropriate unless otherwise stated. Even if the dress code was actually business professional, it’s better to be business casual level of under dressed, than casual level. Some tech companies dress very casual so make sure you’re not that one person at the info session in slacks. For women, wear a simple dress or a blouse and skirt and men can just stick to this guide.
Attend as many as possible
Of course this depends on your schedule, but the aim should be to attend as many as possible. Except you’ve worked or interned for a company before, there are still more info about the company that you won’t find online. Informational sessions are particular useful because they’re a great opportunity to get insight on the company from people who actually work there. You can spend hours online learning about a company, but it nowhere compares to speaking to someone who currently works there. Some of the employees hosting an info session are recruiters, so it’s important to attend these sessions to increase familiarity with them. If your schedule doesn’t permit for you to attend, get the contact info of one of the hosts and send an email.
Research the company before the session
You don’t want to go to an info session without knowing anything about the company. Even if you decide to attend last-minute, the least you can do is find out the products or services that the company offers. You don’t have to be completely knowledgeable about the company. That’s what the info session is for. During the session, make sure to take notes. Try and find out at the beginning of the session if the presentation will be emailed to participants after the event. That will determine the notes needed. No matter how much you know about the company from research, pay attention during the presentation. You never know what new information you might learn to supplement your researched knowledge. Having some knowledge of the company will boost conversations that you might have during the session.
Have specific questions for speakers
During your research, start thinking about the potential questions you will ask during the session. If you find a particular program or department that interests you, take notes on it and curate the questions you’ll ask at the info session. Also, during the presentation, think of intelligent questions to ask the presenters. Always ask specific questions. For example, rather than asking about the culture of the whole company, ask if the employee goes out to hang out with teammates. That will give you more insight into specific team dynamics. Remember that teams dynamics vary across the company, so don’t think your team will be like theirs. If you care about international exposure, pay attention to the background stories of the employees. Have they lived abroad during their career? Have they had the opportunity to travel for work? These are things you should keep in mind. Asking questions at info sessions will make you stand out and be memorable.
Get business cards and follow-up
If you’ve done everything above and engaged with the recruiters, it’s very important to get their contact info. If the recruiters don’t have their business cards on them, you can always ask for an email address or LinkedIn info for follow-up. Don’t let a lack of business cards hold you back from following up. As important as it is to attend the info sessions, it’s equally as important to send a follow-up email. When thinking about a follow-up message, think short and sweet. You don’t want to send a loaded email with a lot of questions. That would reduce your chances of getting a response. The email should be aimed at reminding the person who you are and your interest in the company.
Job search is tough. There are a lot of companies that come around to recruit. Trying to balance school and job search is hard enough. It’s important that the time spent on job search isn’t wasted. This is why I have highlighted how to stand out in informational sessions. This is just the first step to success before tackling the career fair and interviews. Goodluck! Have any other tips to succeeding in info sessions? Let me know by leaving a comment.
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