Daily Orange: What do recruiters, such as yourself, look for in a resume?

Rothberg: It differs on industry and position. It just depends, but you definitely look for the basics. You want to see a name, address, phone number and email address. I actually see a lot of resumes without emails or phone numbers.

When students attend a career fair, should they bring a cover letter?

It can be a little bit of a Catch-22 because you don’t want to receive a cover letter that’s written out to another company or employer, which happens. People can get those kinds of things confused, so I’d much rather not have one.

How should students approach a recruiter and what should they talk to them about?

I think it’s important for a student to come up and introduce themselves and tell me a little more about themselves and what they have to offer versus saying: ‘This is my name, what do you have to offer me?’ Well, what do you have to offer me as an employee? It has to be a win-win for everybody. As much as we’re here interviewing you, it’s your opportunity to interview us and find out if the company is a great fit.

What should students do after they talk to a recruiter?

Following up is so important. I can’t tell you how many students can drop the ball. Not following up is really losing out on an opportunity. I think that it’s always great to thank someone in an email or a handwritten note, though I know that can be a little less popular. Definitely attach a resume electronically because recruiters are meeting a lot of people, you’re meeting a lot of recruiters. Maybe also mentioning something personal that you spoke about to remind them. You can always follow up with a phone call, too.

cbidwill@syr.edu

Published on October 3, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Colleen: cbidwill@syr.edu