October 2004

On-campus recruiters look for something extra

Jack Doan recruits graduating students for jobs with Franklin Templeton Investments. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

UC Davis students are still settling into fall quarter classes, but corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations are already looking for them.

Last year, about 160 organizations interviewed more than 2,000 UC Davis students through the on-campus recruiting program of the Internship and Career Center. For the students, it can be the first step to an invitation to begin a career at graduation.

As one of the major recruiting seasons for this academic year gets under way, students are reviewing job postings and submitting their resumes through an online service, Aggie Job Link, in the hopes of being asked to an interview.

But what exactly are these employers looking for? When faced with thousands of well-qualified graduating students from UC Davis, what stands out and how does a student ensure that he or she will rise to the top and be asked to schedule an interview?

Skill sets

Jack Doan is a UC Davis graduate and a human resources employment supervisor at Franklin Templeton Investments in Rancho Cordova. When he considers graduating students as job candidates, he first looks for the basics, he says. These include good verbal and written communication skills, initiative, problem-solving skills and a results-oriented focus.

Professionalism, a sense of ethics and evidence of strong character are also important, particularly in the investment field, Doan says. He adds that behavioral questions designed to reveal these characteristics are a part of his company's interviewing process.

But for Doan, the abilities to be flexible, adaptable, customer-focused and make sound decisions are crucial. "These are innate tendencies that will help someone be a successful employee," he says. "Those analytical skills are things that are sometimes hard to train someone for."

Experience and involvement

Paige Lloyd, a senior staffing consultant with Genentech's South San Francisco office, agrees. "We're looking for students who take the initiative to do things that are above and beyond what is required for graduation," she says. "That speaks to us of their ability to work on different tasks."

Recruiters say there are several other things that make a job candidate stand out in a crowd. They include:

• participation in student government, fraternities or sororities, clubs related to a student's major and service organizations;
• internship or other work experience; and,
• research and networking that demonstrates interest in the company that is recruiting and the job being offered.

Both Lloyd and Doan have high praise for the Internship and Career Center. Lloyd is a Davis alumna who got her first job through the center. Doan used to volunteer there helping students to search for jobs, prepare resumes and learn interviewing skills.

Recruiters turn to the center when they are looking for qualified employees, they note. "Students have a foot in the door already when they use the career center," Lloyd says. "They really have the students' best interest in mind there."

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