"Engage."
That's what Star Trek Captain
Jean-Luc Picard says when the starship Enterprise
starts a journey. It's also the advice experts
give to students who visit a company for a job
interview.
Companies are looking for
students who take an active role in the interview,
from demonstrating they have done their homework
about the company's mission to asking questions
about their potential role in a company and opportunities
for advancement.
"It's the day visit that gets
you the job offer," said Dr. Ron Webb, manager
of doctoral recruiting and university relations
at Procter & Gamble.
"Every time you're with somebody with the company,
you're making an impression. You want to be on
your toes, be engaged, realize that opinions are
being formed."
In other words, don't sit
passively and only speak when you're asked a question.
"It's very important even
at that beginning career level to recognize that
the on-site visit is really a two-way process,"
said Dr. Lawrence Friedman, manager of university
relations for the Bayer
Corp. "You interview the company as well as
having them interview you."
In-depth interviews give company
employees a chance to evaluate your non-lab skills.
They can assess your communication style, your
creativity, your initiative and your ability to
work well with other team members.
The company is trying to decide
whether an individual has the appropriate personality
and interpersonal skills for a position. But an
applicant also has an obligation to form an opinion
of the company.
Do the employees seem happy,
Friedman asks? Would you feel comfortable working
there? Whom would you work with, and what would
your relationship be with other members of your
team or division? If you're hired and you're successful,
what will you have accomplished during the first
year? What mark will you have made on the company?
Think about the questions
you want answered before you go to your interview,
Webb advises.
"Look me in the eye and ask
me what I hate about my job and what I love about
it. How long does it take to get promoted? What's
the turnover rate?" Webb said. "Be very willing
to pick up on what you hear. Be a very active
listener."
Not all undergraduates are
invited for site visits before receiving a job
offer. Debe Deeb Williams of the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign said fewer
than half the school's undergraduate science majors
are invited to a site visit. Instead, students
frequently have telephone interviews or on-campus
interviews with companies.
When undergraduates are invited
to an on-site visit, they are given an itinerary
and told what time they should report to the office.
Williams, director of placement
and student services at the university's school
of chemical sciences, said students often drive
or ride Amtrak to the interview, but occasionally
a company will pay to fly in an undergraduate
for a company visit. She said companies frequently
pay students' expenses, but students should clarify
whether they will be reimbursed and how that process
works.
Students also should request
an itinerary before the visit and ask what dress
is appropriate. Some undergraduate site visits
may include trips to refineries or manufacturing
plants where jeans and boots are suitable; visits
also might include dinner with a division head
that would require more formal dress.
When students drive to a company,
Williams recommends that they allow plenty of
extra time so they won't be late even if they
get lost. She also suggests that students ask
beforehand whether they will need to pass through
a security gate.
Students should bring the
telephone number for their contact person at the
company. If something goes wrong, call the contact
person immediately to let them know you might
be late.
If you decide to pursue a
graduate degree before you enter a company, you'll
be expected to participate in a technical seminar
during your company visit. Graduate students present
their original research and answer questions before
an audience of scientists and managers.
Procter & Gamble's Webb uses
an acronym, CAR, to describe the guidelines that
this presentation should follow.
Context: Students need to explain what parts
of a project they inherited from other researchers,
where they started and why.
Action: Walk your listeners through your experimental
program.
Results: Explain what your conclusions mean.
Webb said students must practice
their presentation enough to make sure that it
fits into the time allotted. If you're supposed
to talk for 45 minutes, don't talk for 60 minutes,
and don't talk only for 30 minutes.
"If you get a question you
can't answer, don't bluff, don't panic," Webb
advises. "Deal with it professionally and appropriately."
During the company visit,
Williams recommends that students collect business
cards so they can write thank-you notes when they
return to school. These should be short, hand-written
notes thanking people for the opportunity to visit
and saying that you look forward to hearing from
them.
She said thank-you notes have
become so rare that people tend to remember students
who take the time to write them.
"Maybe three or six (candidates)
will write thank-yous, and those will usually
be e-mails," she said. "A thank-you note can never
hurt."
Rachel Smolkin is a Washington-area
freelance writer. She previously worked as a national
reporter in the Washington, D.C. bureau of the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade and covered
issues such as health care and education. She
also worked at Scripps Howard News Service as
a national education reporter and as the Washington,
D.C. correspondent for The Albuquerque Tribune
in New Mexico and the Birmingham Post-Herald in
Alabama.
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