McCORMICK TAYLOR TALKS FALL CAREER FAIRS IN STEM/STEAM

This fall McCormick Taylor is headed back to school, stopping at 12 Mid-Atlantic colleges/universities seeking top talent in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) to join our team! If you are studying to be a Civil Engineer with an interest in highways, traffic, structural, and water resources; an Environmental Scientist focused on the protection of natural and cultural resources, wildlife studies and conservation, and botanical services; or a Community Planner dedicated to public engagement, modal access, and socio-economic environments, we encourage you to attend a career fair and stop at our booth. Check out our fall career fair calendar below.

Career fairs can provide a great opportunity for you to see what we do, learn about our company culture, and identify your potential career path. It is an easy, face-to-face opportunity to establish relationships and make a good impression. To share more details on how to get to know us and how to prepare for a career fair, we asked our Talent Acquisition experts, Samantha Reader and Jules Lambert for their input. Read what they had to say below.

HOW YOU CAN PREPARE

What do you look for in prospects/new hires? What advice could you share?

Generally speaking, we look for candidates with strong interpersonal and communication skills as it’s one of the most important aspects in most jobs – but especially in civil engineering when collaboration is key for success! Candidates that ask a lot of questions is a subtle way you can tell a student is not only interested in McCormick Taylor, but that they like to understand things at a deeper level which will only help them succeed in their career. 

 

Advice:

• Ask Questions: Reflect on what your ideal position/company looks like and ask questions relevant to what you're picturing. It’s important to make sure a job is a mutual and long-term fit, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about supporting your career growth, culture, project workload, or anything else that may be factored into your decision when making a decision about a job.
• Stay curious: We always have at least one technical staff member with us at career fairs and encourage students to take advantage of talking to our engineers in a relaxed setting (as opposed to a formal interview). Asking about their personal experiences and their day to day will help students get a better picture of what a role will look like and if it’s the right fit.
• Be enthusiastic and excited: Have a positive energy when speaking to employers and don’t be afraid to start the conversation! Be excited to share your career interests with us and other employers. A smile and a handshake also goes a long way in making a lasting impression.
• Come prepared: Although experience isn’t everything when we hire entry-level positions, it is a big plus! Bring printed resumes and be prepared to elaborate on your experience and projects you may have worked on. Some students find it helpful to craft a short elevator pitch (less than 1 minute) for themselves and practice it, so they sound more confident and natural when speaking to prospective employers. I also advise students to look up employers ahead of time, do some research, and jot down some bullet points about each company you want to talk to. Take some notes at the fair as well to remember which companies you liked and want to follow up with!

Do you have any tips for developing a great resume?

There’s so much pressure pertaining to a resume template and truthfully, there really is no magic template that will increase your chances of a job. But here are some recommendations based on the thousands of resumes I’ve reviewed in my career!  

• Keep it simple with the font and style of your resume. You want the format to be clean and easy to read. This should be obvious, but name and contact information should be first and foremost – make sure to add your LinkedIn as well!
• For entry level candidates, I’d include an Objective next, so an employer knows what you’re most interested in within your chosen field. It’s best to put the Education next, but for tenured candidates I suggest moving to the bottom as work experience becomes more relevant. Skills should be next (hint, recruiters use key words that are usually listed here to search for candidates), then Experience/ Internships. Awards/Honors and Clubs/Societies are also great to add towards the bottom if it is relevant to your major or showcases skills like leadership, project management, etc.
• Make sure to use strong action verbs to describe your experience. For example, “Assisted with projects” vs. “Streamlined projects by collaborating effectively with cross-functional team to successfully meet project deadlines.” Which one sounds better? 😉
• Have someone review your resume! Even better if you know someone currently in your industry who can help you decide what is important to include and verbiage to use.

Resume DON’TS:

• Don’t use an Indeed resume! Take the extra time and effort to craft and tailor your resume.
• Don’t use an email if it may read unprofessional.
• Don’t think you need to keep it all on one page. Typically, entry level candidates don’t have this problem, but if you have relevant and important information that you want included – keep it on!