Job Fair Tips

Well, actually, I’m attending a recruitment fair for the first time today, and discussing this here might seem a bit like “teaching one’s grandmother to suck eggs,” but I think there are some things that can be shared with everyone. I’ll write down my thoughts first, and if you have different opinions, please feel free to correct me.

Firstly, since I’m only a junior and not looking for a job, I went to the recruitment fair empty-handed, but I still managed to catch the attention of several companies and left my contact information with them. Of course, if I go again next time, I’ll make sure to bring my resume.

So, how can you catch the attention of the recruiters at the fair? I think, first of all, you need to figure out whether the person at the booth is a professional HR representative or just a novice hired for the occasion. If you see that they’re only collecting resumes and don’t seem interested in having a detailed conversation with you, then don’t bother submitting your resume. The reason is simple: the company doesn’t really value this recruitment effort. What’s the point of submitting your resume if they’re not going to take it seriously? If you really want to work for that company, you can definitely find better ways to get their attention than just throwing a resume at them.

Okay, let’s assume you’re now facing a professional HR representative. What do you do then? Actually, finding a job is similar to being a hacker - you need to first understand what the company is looking for. You can usually find this information by browsing the company’s introduction materials (usually available at the booth) or by asking the HR representative directly. If you discover that your skills and expertise don’t match what they’re looking for, then don’t waste your time asking further questions. For example, some companies might be looking for a teacher, in which case, academic qualifications are crucial, and as an undergraduate like me, you shouldn’t expect to get the job - not when there are so many doctoral students around.

So, how do you determine whether a job is worth competing for? Firstly, if you think you have the ability, don’t worry too much about the job requirements. For instance, I met a company today that required a master’s degree in computer science, which would have immediately disqualified me, a undergraduate majoring in measurement and control technology. However, I still managed to leave my contact information with them, and they didn’t reject me outright. Why?

The trick lies in my successful inference of what kind of person the company was looking for:

A classmate in front of me asked:

“Are you only looking for people with a computer science background? I’m not from a computer science background, but I’ve learned Java and developed related systems. Would you consider me?” (roughly).

The HR representative replied:

“How familiar are you with Java? Can you do all the things we’ve listed?”

The classmate answered:

“I wouldn’t say I’m too familiar (note this!), but I’ve worked on projects with my supervisor (note this - this person might be a legendary research student) and developed related systems. I think your company doesn’t necessarily need to recruit people with a computer science background; some people from non-related fields might also have the skills you’re looking for” (note the last sentence - it directly led to his failure in this attempt).

The HR representative replied ruthlessly (my description):

“Sorry, but our company doesn’t use Java (remember this sentence!). Our engineers have already developed a game engine using another language. We’re looking for computer science students because they can pick up new languages relatively easily and have a foundation. We don’t recruit people from non-related fields.”

Game over.

Now, as a hacker, what conclusion can you draw from this information? Is the company not looking for people from non-computer science backgrounds? Absolutely not.

My conclusion is that the company wants to recruit someone who can start working after minimal training. With so many graduates out there, how can you recruit the best? Naturally, you’ll want to limit the candidates to those with a specific major, and since the company needs to do secondary development (inferred from the previous conversation), they might be afraid that undergraduate students lack the necessary technical skills and think that master’s students might be more capable.

Okay, analysis complete. Now it’s my turn to perform.

Step 1: Get the other party’s attention

To get someone’s attention immediately, you need to know what they’re sensitive to and where their weaknesses lie. Unfortunately, you usually can’t guess this outright. However, you don’t need to guess it all at once; you just need to know the general range.

I started by saying:

“Hello, I’m not a computer science student either. My major is measurement and control technology. However, I’m familiar with your company’s technology, such as Java. I’m also interested in scripting languages like Python and Lua” (the last sentence is key).

Why did I mention scripting languages? Why did I bring up Python and Lua? Firstly, I knew the company was a game development company, and they had their own game engine. Moreover, it wasn’t developed using Java. If you know even a little about game engines, you should understand that scripting languages play a crucial role in them. However, you can’t know for sure whether they use Python or Lua, so I tried to fish for information from the HR representative.

The HR representative (with a glint in her eye) said:

“Oh, you’re interested in Python? Our engine is developed using C++ and Python. Have you heard of XXXXX?”

I replied:

“No, I haven’t.”

Step 2: Control the conversation topic and intentionally lead the other party into your territory

This part is crucial. Firstly, don’t be afraid of situations where you bring up a topic like “Python,” and the other party starts attacking you with related terminology. Why? Because, through our analysis, we know that the company isn’t looking for someone who knows Python; otherwise, they would have simply stated that they’re looking for a Python expert. Since they mentioned Java, it means they’re not going to reject you just because you don’t know Python. Of course, when they mention XXXXX, if you don’t want to get into a difficult situation, it’s best not to say you know it unless you really do.

The HR representative continued:

“Did you bring your resume? What’s your major?”

I answered truthfully and mentioned my projects again - using keyword bombing (make sure you actually know what you’re talking about, or it’s better not to mention it). I brought up my projects to shift the conversation from my lack of knowledge about Python to my familiar territory and give the impression that I know everything.

Step 3: Showcase your professionalism and give the other party a devastating blow

HR: “We’re looking for someone who can…”

I interrupted: “Secondary development”

HR: “That’s right, secondary development”

… (some technical conversation omitted)

Here, interrupting the conversation is very useful, as it showcases your professionalism. Try to use industry jargon and argot in your daily conversations.

HR: “I’ll give you our company’s email contact information. You leave your phone number and email with me, and we’ll notify you about the interview time later.”

Got it!

I watched as the poor research student slunk away after listening to my conversation with the HR representative. I, on the other hand, was busy leaving my contact information. Actually, our levels of expertise might be similar, and he might be very strong, but looking at how eager he was to submit his resume (from the longing in his eyes), only to be rejected, it’s really a pity.

He didn’t know how to showcase himself, didn’t understand the art of language, and didn’t analyze the other party. He just blindly tried his luck and ended up with nothing.

Let’s review his words again:

“I wouldn’t say I’m too familiar, but I’ve worked on projects with my supervisor and developed related systems. I think your company doesn’t necessarily need to recruit people with a computer science background; some people from non-related fields might also have the skills you’re looking for”

What does it mean to be “familiar” with something? How do you define familiarity? The other party hasn’t established a standard for familiarity, so why set one for yourself? This isn’t the time for modesty. If he’s strong, he can simply say what he knows - Struts, Hibernate, Spring, Swing, Eclipse, DW (though it’s better not to mention the last two, haha). Just say it, and that’s it. If you’re not very familiar with something, you can introduce what you’ve implemented using Java. “Related development” is too vague; the HR representative can’t judge your level of expertise.

And then there’s that last sentence, can you really say that to HR?! That sentence was too blunt and added unnecessary tension to what was originally a friendly conversation. So, the outcome for this student is predictable.

Summary:

After discussing so many techniques, however, you still need to have some real skills to be finally hired. Techniques are important, but they can only help you catch the attention of HR, and whether you can be finally hired depends on your actual abilities.

During your school days, try to learn more about the position you want to pursue. There are many new and related fields of knowledge that schools don’t teach, such as Python, but they’re actually not that difficult. Do you know that mastering these new things often determines whether you can stand out from the crowd?

During your school days, accumulate your own work, even if it’s just homework. You must understand that HR may not be very capable, and they may not be familiar with everything, so the things you do may seem simple to you, but they might think you’re very strong.

Improve your hard skills. Those new and related fields of knowledge and various technical terms may help you get a job, but if you want to remain competitive after entering the company, you need to have corresponding strengths, such as professional knowledge, math skills, programming skills, English proficiency, and literary cultivation. These cannot be achieved overnight and require diligent practice.

 

I hope this article can be helpful to everyone.