I had the pleasure of attending the University of Northern Colorado career fair yesterday and spending time with some choice students at our Brocade info session. I am not a recruiter, actually I find myself quite awkward with one-on-one ice-breaker conversations, but I love volunteering to find talent for Brocade to hire. I am also a resume nit. I make changes to mine on a monthly basis and I am not looking for another position currently.

Why? Because I sucked at it before. When I was in their shoes looking for my first industry job, I'm pretty sure I went about it the hard, monotonous way. And I hope that my words can help others not go through what I did. So, UNC students, I know you didn't have any realization yesterday, but hopefully you got at least one good nugget of information that helps you land your first job - whether at Brocade or not. Below are my top tips:

1. Be personable
• We know you want a job, that's why you walked up to my Career Fair booth, but have something to talk about other than "I want a job. What job do you have for me." You need to stand out from the candidates that look the same or better on paper. If you can make a personal connection with the recruiter, then they will remember you and call you for the next step. So ASK QUESTIONS and get the recruiter to talk about themselves. Find a common hobby, their passion behind their work, or why they love their company culture. Be the friendliest person that the hiring manager has met and wants to join their team.
2. Practice
• Seriously, don't be like me and practice your scenario answers at interviews you care about. You won't get the job and you'll know it before you walk out. You know if you are good at telling jokes and the same is true for whether you know if you tell good example stories or not. Find the ones that work well at answering the "What are your weaknesses/strengths?" "Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult team member?"
  You need to be confident about yourself and your skills, and ensure that the right things are strongly communicated to the recruiter. If you are unsure if the language you are using matches the recruiter's needs, then try this: trade resumes with a friend for 10 seconds. Your friend is your eye tracking software and will tell you what top 5 or so words catch their eye. Then if that's not what you want your first impression to be, change it before you hand it to the real recruiting reader.

1. Utilize Social Media
• 91% of recruiters look for a social media presence. If you aren't actively posting positive stuff about yourself, then some jailed convict with the same name as you is doing it for you. There are so many tools on the internet to advertise yourself so use them! Comment on company blogs, join a Linkedin group, follow a company on Facebook. You don't have to do a lot, just enough to be in control. I got flown across the country for an interview within a week of one Linkedin posting once. It works, really.