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September 25, 2002
Career Fair
Today was Waterloo's Career Fair. Dozens of companies came to Waterloo to entice new grads and co-op students. I was among the enticed. Although I have a recommendation for hire from Microsoft, that is not a job offer, nor a guarantee for an interview. So instead of waiting by the phone all day, I decided to share my resume with some local, and some not-so-local companies.
I walked out of there with a sour taste in my mouth from some companies (no, I won't list them here), and good impressions of others. I also walked away with countless brochures and a bag full o' loot. I got:
- A plastic mug.
- A yo-yo keychain.
- A pen.
- A fridge magnet.
- A tiny carabiner. This thing is 5 cm long and displays a warning: "Not For Climbing". Yeah, like I was going to trust my full weight onto an aluminum keychain.
- A "D-Line Sweeper" I have no idea what this is for, but it looks like a lint remover, only it's fuzzy and has a Velcro back.
It was weird. Upon inspecting my resume, some people were impressed that I had worked at Microsoft. Others were amazed that I had worked in Japan. Still others refused to take my resume, and insisted I apply online. Yeah, that's why I came here, so I could be told in person to visit your website.
I was under the impression that the job fair was like a mini-pre-interview. You hand them your resume, they ask you some questions, you ask some questions, they take notes and you both walk away knowing a little more about each other and whether or not a job together would be mutually beneficial. Some companies were under that impression too. Most weren't.
You tell me, what company would you rather work for:
Company A: "Let me tell you about our company... Do you have a resume I can have?"
Company B: "All our information is online. Don't give me your resume, I'll just lose it."
Remember, as an applicant, I'm interviewing your company too.