Dust Off Your Résumé

Stop by tomorrow’s Career Expo, where more than 80 nonprofit, for-profit, and international employers will be represented, being held at the George Sherman Union Metcalf Ballroom. Photo by Cydney Scott

Good news for college seniors: after several years of dismal unemployment figures (the unemployment rate for young college grads was 9.4 percent last year and 10.4 percent in 2010), a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that employers plan to hire 13 percent more college grads this year than they did in 2011.

Your future employer could very well be at tomorrow’s Career Expo, sponsored by BU’s Center for Career Development (CCD). The CCD expects representatives from more than 80 nonprofit, for-profit, and international employers, including General Electric, Bose, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, City Year Boston, and Boston Medical Center.

Career Services director Kimberly DelGizzo stresses that tomorrow’s Expo isn’t just for graduating seniors. “We have recruiters who are eager to talk about jobs and internships with our students,” she says. “And we’re finding that more organizations are looking to their internship pool when they want to make a full-time hire, so that’s all the more reason for underclassmen to attend.”

DelGizzo offers this advice for attendees: first, research the organizations and companies you want to meet with before you arrive (see the full list on BU’s CareerLink); bring a one-page résumé (what DelGizzo describes as your calling card and sales pitch); prepare an “elevator pitch” and strong questions for prospective employers; dress smartly (a suit or business casual is advisable); turn off your cell phone and offer a firm handshake; warm up for the companies you really want to talk to by visiting another table first; and collect business cards so you can follow up with a recruiter after the fair.

The CCD will collaborate with the Student Activities Office to host a spot-check preparation station during the fair in the GSU Link, says Eleanor Cartelli, the CCD’s associate director for marketing and communications. There will be a shoeshine booth, tissues, mints, and a mirror for warding off any lettuce-in-the-teeth moments.

New look for the CCD

Students logging on to the CCD’s website will notice new and improved navigational tools. The site was recently redesigned to better serve both students and alumni. “The content on the old website was densely presented, so students and alums would sometimes get overwhelmed and then leave,” says Cartelli. “The new site is easier to navigate and has lots of step-by-step instructional content.”

The site’s sections provide details on topics like the career development cycle and offer easy-to-follow tutorials on how to choose a major, how to write a résumé and cover letter, and when to start thinking about graduate school. Instructional videos and interactive graphics cover the basics on subjects like networking, perfecting the elevator pitch, and how to dress for an interview.

The new site prominently displays the CareerLink, the CCD’s online job database, containing 1,100 jobs and 800 internships, as well as information about when companies are coming to campus to recruit and about information sessions.

The CCD not only has a new website, it also has a new address. In August, the center moved into the Center for Student Services at 100 Bay State Road. The new digs include a large programming space for workshops and information sessions on the ground floor (shared by the CCD and the Educational Resource Center), as well as additional public space, new administrative offices, and 22 small rooms that can be used for either on-campus interviews or ERC peer tutors on the fifth and sixth floors.

In addition to enabling the CCD to better help students on the job hunt, the new Center for Student Services allows the center to work in tandem with the ERC, something that President Robert A. Brown has been a champion of, says DelGizzo. “Both of our centers are focused on helping students find future success,” she says. “This new space is important to our partnership.”

The Fall Career Expo is tomorrow, Wednesday, October 17, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Metcalf Ballroom, George Sherman Union, second floor, 775 Commonwealth Ave. To see a full list of organizations attending the Career Expo, log on to the CareerLink. Today, October 16, the CCD will hold a Résumé Blitz from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the CCD, 100 Bay State Rd., sixth floor. Registration is not required.