Diversity Recruitment Dinner
Wednesday October 22, 2014
5:30 – 8pm
The University Center Ballroom
All students are welcome to attend this dinner. Come and meet with employers who are looking to hire UMBC students. Please register ahead of time.
Who: Employers who are looking to diversify their workforce will be on hand to discuss career opportunities within their organizations. A few of the organizations attending are Morgan Stanley, NSA, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Urban Teacher Center, and Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.
What: Munch on your free dinner and mingle with employers who are interested in hiring students in your major. Get career advice from key panelists and successful UMBC students from organizations such as: T. Rowe Price, Exelon, Peace Corps and GE.
How to prepare:
- Research. Know who is participating (the list of participating employers can be found here) and create a list of organizations that interest you. Then research the organization and know their products/services and employment needs.
- Dress professionally. You should wear a well-fitted, clean, and coordinated suit (or, if you are coming from class, business casual if fine). Any patterns should be simple, do not wear perfume or cologne, and tuck hair away from your face. Shoes should be close-toed, polished and neat, and if you wear heels they should be no more than three inches tall.
- Bring several copies of your resume. The Career Center has drop-in hours M-F from 2pm-4pm in MP 212 and Tu/We 6pm-8pm in the Library Writing Center.
- Be prepared for conversation. This event is different from the career fair in that you may talk to an employer for a longer period of time. However, you should have your 30-second commercial ready and also be prepared to talk about your interests and your experiences more in depth. Prepare some good talking points for dinner to avoid long periods of silence. Avoid small talk and have meaningful conversations.
- Ask questions. Have one or two questions in mind for each employer. Questions should reflect the research you have done on the employer as well as questions pertaining to your own interests. Have some general questions for employers you may not have expected to talk to, for example, “What is the work environment like at XYZ Company?”
- Follow up with anyone you talked to through email within 24 hours. Ask for business cards while you are there; this will help you remember names and the company they represent, as well as provide you with contact information.
I am looking forward to attending myself and I hope to seeing you at the Diversity Recruitment Event as well. This is a great chance to talk to potential employers. You could possibly get a job or an internship out of your attendance. You will get great advice from employers and will practice your networking skills. The free dinner is a great incentive as well.
