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How to Make the Most of the Placement Center at the SIOP Conference: Tips for Job Seekers

Liberty Munson 
The Boeing Company

Mindy Bergman
Texas A&M University

The SIOP Placement Center provides a unique opportunity for employers to screen many job seekers in a short period of time. Companies participate in the Placement Center, using our facility to conduct interviews with candidates from around the world. In 2005, 72 employers and 264 job seekers used the SIOP Placement Center, and we anticipate that more will participate in Dallas.

Each year, job seekers have questions about how to maximize their experience with the Placement Center. To address the most common concerns and questions, the Placement Committee has put together a few tips to help job seekers prepare for and make the most of the Placement Center during the conference.

These tips are intended to provide job seekers with an overall understanding of how the Placement Center works so that they can use the center in the most efficient and effective manner possible. Other resources and tips are available at www.siop.org/Placement/Seeker.asp. Tips for employers are available at www.siop.org/Placement/Employer.asp.

Before the Conference

• Employers spend more time searching for candidates prior to the conference than during it. If you want to be noticed, register early! During the registration process, you will be given a mailbox number. Mailboxes are the primary means that employers use to contact prospective job candidates during the conference.
• Create a two-page resum that highlights your achievements, skills, and abilities. Upload your resum into the resum database as soon as possible after registering with the Placement Center. Every year, some job seekers do not upload their resums, virtually eliminating the possibility that they will be contacted by employers. 
• If you receive a lot of e-mail or your e-mail address is difficult to access from remote locations, set up a Yahoo or Hotmail e-mail account for Placement Center communications. Not only does this give employers another avenue of communicating with you, these accounts are easy to monitor during the conference. Include this e-mail address on your resum.
• Be sure to test the link to your resum after it has been uploaded into the resum database to ensure that everything is working properly. If you include complicated graphics or formatting or nontraditional fonts (e.g., Monotype Corsiva), you may experience problems uploading your resum and/or employers may experience problems opening it. We suggest that you keep it simple for online use. 
• Read the Employer Concerns document on the Job Seeker home page (www.siop.org\Placement\seeker.asp).
• Conduct a search of jobs to see which ones match your qualifications. Although employers will contact you if they are interested in interviewing you, you should contact employers if you have an interest in their position and your qualifications match their requirements. 
• Bring electronic and paper copies of your longer resum to the conference as well as stationary to leave notes for employers. Stationary with your name on it (and mailbox number) looks much more professional than scrap paper and can be created on your home computer. Envelopes are also a nice touch. If you have a business card, dont forget to bring plenty of them with you. We strongly recommend that you include your Placement Center mailbox number on any resums that you plan to hand out during the conference.

During the Conference

• Check your mailbox frequently throughout the conference. Respond to notes in a timely manner, and provide several alternative dates and times for interviews. Providing options will allow you to set up interviews more quickly. 
• Include your mailbox number and other contact information (cell phone number, e-mail address) on all communications with employers. Forgetting to provide your mailbox number is the most common mistake that job seekers make. Dont make the employer find your mailbox number because some wont take the time to do so.
• If you are interested in a particular position or organization, you should place a resum (with your mailbox number on it) and note in the employers mailbox. Showing an active interest in a position or organization is viewed positively by employers. Keep in mind that resum screening by employers may result in a short list of candidates that they can interview onsite. One way for employers to narrow this list down to a more manageable number is based on who has shown an active interest in them, but do NOT spam employers. If you are not qualified for the position, do not give them your resum.
• The Placement Center computers are restricted to activities pertaining to finding a job. Job candidates can conduct searches, print position descriptions, upload revised resums from a disk, look at employer Web sites, and so on. There is a 20-minute limit when lines exist, and printing is limited to 10 job descriptions per use. 
• The interview area is one open room with tables and chairs that employers can use if they choose. Some employers conduct interviews at their exhibit booth, hospitality suite, hotel lobby, restaurant, and so forth. Dont assume that the interview will be held in the Placement Centeralways confirm the location of where you will meet. 

The Help Desk

• The Help Desk is available to answer general questions about the center and to assist with technical issues or problems with the Placement Center Web site functionality. The Help Desk is not affiliated with any employers and is not responsible for scheduling interviews. Contact the employer if you have questions about a job opening and/or an interviews content, time, or location.
• The Help Desk is staffed by student volunteers, convention bureau staff, and Placement Committee members (also volunteers). They are not part of SIOPs administrative staff. 
• The Help Desk will maintain some commonly used office supplies, such as pens, staplers, paper clips, but dont assume that it will have everything that you need because occasionally we run out. The hotel business center is nearby if you need other materials or services not supplied by the Placement Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Conference dress gets more casual each day of the conference. Does this mean that I should dress more casually for interviews as the conference progresses?
A: No. Your goal as a job candidate is to make as positive an impression as possible. Dress the part at all times. 

Q: I want to contact an employer by leaving a note in their box, but Im not sure what to say. Any tips?
A: Let the employer know that you are interested in the position/their organization. Go a step further and indicate why you are interested in the position and the specific skills/experiences that you would bring to the position. Indicate that you are interested in setting up an interview with them onsite and recommend some possible meeting times should their interest in you be mutual. Be sure to let them know your mailbox number so that they can easily contact you.

Q: Should I put my resum in every employers box to maximize my chances for an interview?
A: No. Save everyones time and energy by targeting only those jobs that you are truly qualified for and interested in. Employers quickly learn which job seekers indiscriminately put their resum in every employers mailbox, and they are less likely to contact job seekers that do this. Remember that all employers have access to your resum online.

Q: Can I put a longer/different version of my resum in an employers box?
A: Yes, you should feel free to use a different version of your resum onsite than you submitted as part of the Placement Center registration. In fact, this is highly recommended if significant accomplishments have occurred since you submitted your resum (e.g., you have successfully defended your thesis). 

In some cases, you might want to expand your resum to a longer length to better detail your skills and experiences. Keep in mind that a longer resum isnt necessarily a stronger one; what is key is to present your skills and experiences in a way that best differentiates you from others, while striking a balance with resum lengthsomething that time-pressed employers will appreciate.

Q: I just checked my mailbox and found a note from an employer indicating an interview time an hour ago. Id still like to meet with them. What should I do?
A: Leave a note for the employer indicating that you retrieved their note after their proposed meeting time but are interested in meeting with them. Recommend several times when you are available to make coordination easier.

Q: Im really interested in a particular job, but the employer is not onsite. There is a note on their box saying not to leave resums. What should I do?
A: First, follow directions; do not leave your resum in their box. This sounds straightforward, but each year, resums are left in a box like this. The note means that no one will be retrieving resums on behalf of the employer. These resums will be thrown away at the end of the conference by the Placement Center staff. Second, mail your resum to the employer after the conference indicating your interest in the position. Be sure to write a formal cover letter; a note like you might use onsite at the conference would be inappropriate. 

Q: Do I need to type notes that I leave in an employers box or will a handwritten note suffice?
A: Whats important is what you say, not whether the note is handwritten or typed. (This, of course, applies to the conference only. Although a handwritten cover letter mailed to an employer might make a lasting impression, its not the type of impression you want to make.) Youre at the conference, and everyone knows that access to a computer is limited. Just be sure to print neatly if you write out a note by hand. You wont be contacted in response to a note if the employer cant read it. Also be sure to include your mailbox number on your note/resum to facilitate them contacting you. 

You can also type up some generic letters to use in employers boxes before the conference with spaces to fill in information when youre onsite, such as your available interview times. This might create a more polished impression. You might prepare a letter for employers who contact you for an interview as well as one for employers who you contact cold. 

Q: What should I do if I need to leave the conference early?
A: Place a note over your mailbox slot and tape it shut with packaging tape supplied by the Help Desk. 

Q: What should I do if I cant come to the conference due to an emergency?
A: If you have interviews scheduled, contact the employers and inform them of your emergency before the conference if possible. If you are unable to contact them before the conference, you should do so as soon as possible after the conference; in this situation, you may want to have a friend place a note in the mailbox of each employer that you had scheduled an interview with letting them know that you were unable to attend the conference. 

In addition, you could have a friend check your mailbox, respond to notes, and distribute your resums during the conference. We can give access to the area to your friend with your written permission and your mailbox number. 

Or, if you prefer, you can contact the Placement Committee or SIOP Administrative Office, and well place a note on your mailbox informing employers that you were unable to attend the conference.

Q: What should I do if I find a job before the conference?
A: Congratulations on your success! Please contact the SIOP Administrative Office or Placement Committee immediately, let them know of your good fortune, and well remove your resum from the Web site. If you get the job after the conference begins, the Help Desk staff can place a note on your mailbox and tape the opening shut, in addition to removing your resum from the Web site. 
Q: What happens to the mail in the mailboxes after the conference?
A: All the mailboxes and their contents are thrown out. 

Q: Can I have a friend check my mailbox for me during the conference?
A: Because the Placement Center area is restricted to registered job seekers and employers, we cannot allow friends to enter the area. If you leave the conference early, we can give access to the area to your friend with your written permission and your mailbox number.

We hope that these tips and suggestions will help job seekers get the most out of the Placement Center during the conference. See you in Dallas, and good luck with your job search!


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