Baggy Jeans or a Tailored Suit

The second column in the series, this installment addresses the start of fall recruitment as the job search begins senior year.

There is something different about the way your classmates are dressing, and it has more to do with their future than with current fashion trends. One less person is wearing baggy jeans and a sweatshirt; instead, they are sporting a tailored suit with heels or dress shoes, all sure signs that the fall season of recruitment is in full swing. This is the start to a senior year of resume drops, career fair schmoozing and rounds of interviews until seniors find the right fit and the right fit finds them.

Hundreds of companies will descend upon campus this fall. The 2005 on-campus recruitment season brought 619 firms, conducting 8,818 interviews and hiring approximately 17 percent of seniors, according to a Career Services survey. Less than one year later, many of those 17 percent return to recruit. “It’s amazing how much more you learn when you are on the other side of the recruiting equation,” Eric Hsu ’05 of Wachovia Securities explains. “You realize what is important on a resume, which answers are the ‘good’ answers, and which candidates get the job.”

It is now our job to review the resumes. “When confronted with 200-plus resumes for 13 interview slots, the quantity of candidates with impressive job experiences and great GPAs is overwhelming. While resumes are not everything, there’s unfortunately not much more to work from,” admits Diana Myint ’04, one of the youngest recruiters from her team at Barclays Bank. “From a 30-minute interview and a blank piece of paper, how do we recognize who is sufficiently motivated, intelligent, aggressive and affable?”

Continue reading the column, here: Baggy Jeans or a Tailored Suit