Purchase your Intersect 2018 tickets before they sell out!
At Intersect 2018, you’re going to have the chance to meet face-to-face with representatives from 30 of our world-class hiring partners—companies like Amazon, Facebook, Google, IBM, NVIDIA, and more. This is an incredible career opportunity, and you’ll want to make the most of it. Our guide below, and the webinar we’re hosting on Wednesday, March 21st, are two great resources.
The key is preparation. Plan ahead, do your research, and have a strategy.
We want you to have an amazing experience. We want you to make great connections. We want you to impress everyone you meet with your confidence, your presentation, and your skills. So we’ve put together this quick guide to ensure you have a strategy for success coming into the event.
Tip 1: Prepare
Our partners are going to meet a lot of amazing people at Intersect. So you need to be memorable. Networking isn’t a one-time event. Relationship building takes time, and this is your chance to make a lasting first impression. Employers are consistently surprised by the lack of preparation they see at events like these. So you should come prepared.
The good news is, It isn’t hard to stand out. You just have to do the right things:
- Update your LinkedIn with your most recent projects and experience.
- Bring current copies of your resume that are pristine in appearance, and error-free.
- Lay out what you’re going to wear the day before, and dress “Smart Casual.”
Tip 2: Research
Companies love it when you know who they are, what they do, and most importantly, what they need. Winging it doesn’t work, but research does. Here are some suggestions on where and how to research a company you’re interested in:
- Go to the company website and see what they say about themselves. Look for their About Us page. See if they have a Mission Statement. Peruse their blog. Explore their Jobs page.
- Look them up on YouTube and explore how their content has evolved over the years. What direction are they headed in today, and what is their vision for the future? What have they deprioritized, and what are they doubling down on?
- Search out news stories about the company, particularly ones that feature interviews with their leadership teams. Get a sense of their values and priorities as a business. Think about how you can help them.
- Explore talks and speeches their executives and subject-matter-experts have given, and familiarize yourself with their perspectives on the industry at large.
Tip 3: Practice
The first person you walk up to at this event is going to say, “Tell me about yourself.” Will you have a good answer ready? You will, if you practice.
- Start by understanding yourself, and knowing how to utilize your strengths. Be confident, be genuine, be authentic.
- Tell them what you are looking for.
- What problems do you like to solve? Why?
- What do you find interesting about this industry?
- What role do you want to fill on their team?
- Record yourself answering these questions out loud and listen back. You will learn a lot by hearing yourself in the third-person.
Getting these essentials down will help ensure you have a successful experience at the Hiring Partner Showcase. To learn even more about how to make the most of this opportunity, sign-up for this week’s webinar, where we’ll do a deep dive into strategies you can use to make the most of Intersect 2018!
