Observations from a University Career Day

Part of my role as a Recruiter for a Healthcare IT consulting firm is managing a relationship with Ball State University’s Center for Information and Communication Sciences (CICS) and hiring Analyst-level consultants from their Master’s program. First, the program rocks. If you have ever considered going back to school for a technology-based Master’s degree, check out this program. I wish I’d been as prepared to enter the work force as their students are; and secondly, the alumni I have hired also totally rock.

Most of the students in this program are directly fresh from their undergraduate degree or have maybe a couple years of “real world” (hi, I’m getting old) work experience under their belts. Therefore, most are of the millennial generation and a recent conversation at work has me thinking about the CICS students and what I observed of them at Career Day (best college recruiting event I’ve seen) last Saturday.

Eager
I’ve been rather impressed by the eagerness of the students. They are eager to learn while pursuing their degrees and eager to seek employment. Most have a real handle on what kind of work they are seeking and what they want to do. I’m delighted to see what go-getters these younger professionals are, which for my hiring purposes is exactly what I’m seeking.

However, eagerness has already tripped up one student after just a week. One student was too eager to send me her resume and in her hurry demonstrated atrocious writing skills. She had my company name stated incorrectly, spelling errors, and even word omissions in her follow up email and resume. I would counsel her and any applicant to slow down and proof read. The ability to write is a key skill that employers are seeking, and your introduction email and resume are your first, and sometimes last, chance to demonstrate good writing skills.

Committed to Service
I’ll admit that many students are filling up white space when they feature “service” on their resumes, however when I’ve interviewed them it seems as if they all have a genuine commitment to volunteering and/or bettering their communities. I’ve interviewed volunteer swim coaches, food kitchen workers, alternative service break participants, and many more. If the younger generation entering the work force really is this committed to service, I feel the future is bright.

Masters of Technology
Sure, this is a pretty obvious one; however I’m constantly impressed by these students’ technology comprehension. In fact, I’m a little jealous, or as they would say, “sups jelly!” Hahaha, they probably wouldn’t say that, but I’m entertaining myself here. I’m actually not talking about Instagram, but instead how technology actually works. These students understand routing and switching, T1 lines, and all sorts of technology concepts that are otherwise mysteries to me. Technology is, and will continue to be, the future and these students are prepared for it!

After my time at Ball State last weekend, I’m very much looking forward to 2015 hiring.

About the author

Cassie Sturdevant

Cassie Sturdevant is a Senior Recruiter for Impact Advisors, a healthcare IT strategic and implementation services consulting firm just named 2013 Best in KLAS for Overall Services. She specializes in humor and follow up.

   

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