by Nujhat Nabeela, Bachelor of Commerce, Honours Marketing
At the Fair
My experience at the New Grad Career Fair overall was great. There were 98 employers present at the event, which has been the highest so far. It was a great opportunity for all students to connect directly with employers and pitch themselves.
The New Grad Career Fair took place on Thursday, May 4th at 255 McCaul St (at UofT). The location was huge. The room was crowded with hundreds of students and was booming with noise. As soon as I entered, I felt a little nervous but as I spoke more and more with employers, I felt confident. To reduce my nervousness I spoke to a few employers that were not on my target list, to practice my elevator pitch and making sure the questions I wanted to ask would generate relevant amount of conversation. I then progressed onto the companies that I was most interested in.
One of the very first companies that I connected with was Konrad Group. They were the first one on my list because they are a global innovation firm. They work with their clients from strategy, design and development through implementation and marketing. They have expertise in various aspects including User Experience (UX) design and research which is exactly what I am interested in. When I did my research, I found out that they are hiring UX Designers/Researchers. So I made sure I made a resume to provide them with when I network with the employers at the event. From networking with them, I learned about their company culture, past projects, software they use, technical skills I would require that would set me up for success in their company and more.
After the Fair
The next day I applied to the positions I was interested in online. I sent thank you messages to all the employers on LinkedIn and an updated copy of my resume based on each company’s needs. I made sure to reiterate my interest in working for the organization. While I was talking to each company at the event I had taken down notes on our conversations; I used these notes to remind employers about our conversations when I sent them messages to connect on LinkedIn. I intend on staying in touch with them in long term. So I will be sending occasional messages on their birthdays, work anniversaries, new jobs and more.
I’m happy I went to the fair because I was able to make new connections, learn about job opportunities opportunities and map out my #RoadFromRyerson. Did you attend? Let us know @RUStudentLife and @RyersonCareer.
