On Monday, in order to further my academic goals, and make myself more comfortable with pitching myself as an employee/ intern, I went to the Engineering Expo. The preparation was like something that I had never done before.
It was for the Engineering Expo that I made my first resume. I asked everyone I knew for resume help: my parents and my brother all the way to my friend’s brother. I found it difficult to pitch myself as a freshman. I had only ever worked as a cashier. Most of my high school experiences and extracurriculars were not STEM related and were pretty small scale. Something that I am incredibly proud of from high school (and highlighted in my elevator pitch) was that I started American Sign Language Club, and it became so popular that ASL was added as a class the following year. I used it to highlight my leadership skills and tenacity. Something else that I highlighted was being on the Underwater Robotics Team. Being at the Expo made me incredibly glad to be on the team (more than I already was because of the comradery and learning experiences). I was able to talk about my first project for the team! Looking back now, I realize that I had forgotten about something important to add to my resume. Last year, on a team of four, we won second place in a local project-based initiative. Caring for Our Watersheds is an amazing competition where an individual/a team up to four write a proposal of a project they’d like to implement to hep the environment. Moving on in the competition means getting funding to implement the project and after a few months, present the results. A resume can always be improved upon!
The resume, however, is not all one needs. I also had to prepare the perfect professional outfit, and a convincing elevator pitch.
Arriving at the Engineering Expo was the most nerve-wracking experience. Because my last class didn’t end until 4:00 I had from then on to return to my room, change, and then walk to the union. I now see why people wear business casual all-day of career fair, it can be such a hassle to go back to change. I sped walked to the union so that I would have as much time as possible to talk to recruiters. I didn’t get up until 5:00 and that made me incredibly anxious. Yellow folder in hand and resumes inside it, I took a deep breath and began. I went to the smallest room–the cartoon room–first. It was the least overwhelming. In order to get a grasp of the room, I walked around once or twice, taking note of which employers were looking for mechanical engineers, and which seemed interesting. The first company I talked to, Korda, actually has a base in Columbus and has worked on the university. After taking that first step, it became so much easier to talk to recruiters. My elevator pitch wasn’t perfect, and I had accepted that. I went to the Engineering Expo expecting nothing, I was there solely to practice and learn form my experiences.
Knowing what I do now, I would prepare differently. I would review and review and review my resume. I would also research the companies beforehand, know with whom I am talking and figure out where my interests may lie. Lastly, I would practice my elevator pitch. The only practice I had was talking to myself on the way to the Union–which is not something I’d recommend.