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Why I Go To the StartUp Fair – A Student Perspective

With Penn Career Services’ StartUp Fair (open to Penn students and alumni served by Career Services) scheduled for Thursday, February 20, I wanted to share a student’s perspective on attending the fair. Thanks to Chenyang (Ray) Lei and Wharton Entrepreneurship for sharing this story:

The following blog is posted courtesy of Wharton Entrepreneurship.

Why I Go To The Startup Fair
By Chenyang (Ray) Lei ENG’16

Last year, I went to the Career Services Startup Fair. I was only a freshman, but I knew that I wanted an internship at a startup that summer. And I got one.

It wasn’t an easy process. As a freshman without any working experience, I received countless rejections. I suspect that many companies didn’t even bother to read my resume. I almost booked flight tickets back home to China (Thanks StudentUniverse.com! It was too expensive.) Heavily disappointed, I decided to take another approach.

From the Career Fair, I was familiar with SaleMove, and I was excited about the work they did, replicating an offline personalized sales experience in an online environment using cutting edge technologies. I called up Daniel Michaeli, the CEO of SaleMove, and I told him about myself: what I was studying and what I was looking for. I did everything I could to show him my passion for entrepreneurship.

Daniel told me later that he was surprised by the amount of confidence shown by a freshman—and he decided to give me a chance. I was assigned a coding project. The only problem? It was due during midterm week. I pulled a couple of all-nighters and finished the project with the help of some friends. After that, I went to New York for an onsite interview. And as you already know, I got the internship.

I was successful in negotiating a stipend for the summer from SaleMove. The problem was the high cost of living in NYC, so I applied for a Wharton Entrepreneurial Intern Fellowship and was award a Cai Entrepreneurial Intern Fellow (Read my Entrepreneurial Intern Fellow report here!). I highly recommend that people apply for these fellowships.

My path to getting an internship at a startup wasn’t a straight line. It was hard, and I had to do more than just send out resumes and wait for the phone to ring. But it was worth it. I want to start my own tech venture in the future, and a real startup environment pushed me towards being a better technician and a potential entrepreneur. My experience at the startup did change me a lot. I had an awesome time in New York City, with all the great experiences offered by the Big Apple. I built up my career connections, technical skills, and self-confidence.

I’m going to the Startup Fair again this year, and I encourage you to do the same. You’ll meet people, talk to them, learn about opportunities—and you never know when those connections may come in handy. I’m already interviewing for some engineering summer intern positions on the West Coast, but last year’s experience taught me that the process of getting an internship can be complicated, and I want to see who else is hiring. I may need to cold call one of them.

Leaving Your Legacy

By: S. David Ross, Associate Director

My colleague Sharon Fleshman wrote a great blog on the topic of legacy a couple of years ago. As another semester ends at Penn, I would encourage everyone to take some time to really think about the lasting legacy you want to leave. Whether you are employed in an internship, work-study job or working full-time, it’s easy to become consumed in day-to-day activities without thinking about the big picture. While many people may reflect on their job duties and tasks for resume writing purposes, ask yourself what you want to be remembered for as a member of an organization. As Sharon mentioned, your legacy does not always have to be defined by a formal achievement on a grand-scale. But your legacy can be a proxy for your reputation and influence future opportunities. Ultimately, what you hope to leave as your legacy can also serve as a useful guide to keep you focused on what you want to accomplish and making an impact.

Happy holidays everyone!

Tough Inteview Questions: Why Should We Hire You?

By: S. David Ross, Associate Director

Ah, the dreaded interview question – “Why should we hire you over everyone else we are interviewing today?” I have asked this question during many mock interviews and students have been very curious to hear more about how to approach this question. While there is not a universal answer that will impress all interviewers, consider the following as you contemplate how to answer the question:

– How you express your answer can be as important as what you say. Think about what makes someone believable – how a person expresses a point can be very influential. If someone has strong eye contact, speaks eloquently and delivers a coherent response, that projects confidence – a trait that recruiters consider when making hiring decisions. Conversely, if someone has poor communication skills, seems hesitant or nervous, any valid points may be taken with a grain of salt. If you are not confident in yourself and your abilities, why would a recruiter want to take a risk on hiring you?

– Avoid using general, trite adjectives. These will vary depending on the position you are interviewing for, but saying that you have strong communication skills, pay attention to detail are a team player and a hard worker will not differentiate you from other applicants. I would suggest thinking carefully and critically about the position you are interviewing for and what makes that position different from other opportunities. For example, if your position involves working with clients, think about your skills and attributes that may be an asset for that particular aspect of the job – perhaps you have an engaging personality that helps you build rapport and earn trust. In essence, the more detailed you can be about your reasons as they relate to the position you are interviewing for, the better.

– Avoid lengthy answers and tangents. The potential danger with this interview question is not knowing when to end your answer and elaborating too much. When I have asked this question during a mock interview, I have seen interviewees start off focused then go off on a tangent and ultimately deliver a very long-winded response. Attention spans are short so remain focused in your reply.

– Summarize with examples. Depending on the points you want to make, think about creating a succinct reply supported with specific experiences or examples to make your claims more credible. It’s one thing to say you have the requisite skills to be successful but another to provide evidence to substantiate your statement.

If you approach the “why should we hire you over everyone else we are interviewing today” question with these ideas in mind, you can create a strong answer to a challenging question.

Coffee Chats

By: S. David Ross

Anyone who knows me well realizes that I’m not a coffee drinker. I would much rather have a nice cup of tea. But in recent years, employers have offered coffee chats for prospective hires – in essence providing students with opportunities to meet firm representatives in a one-on-one setting. These coffee chats have increased in popularity as students clamor for the chance to have face time with professionals working at places of interest to them. I encourage job and internship seekers to incorporate a similar strategy into their search – consider arranging your own “coffee chat” for networking purposes.

Over time, changes in technology have made connecting with others from a distance much easier. This has led to several online resources that are commonly used during job and internship searches. You can find information through Google, browse LinkedIn profiles or search an alumni database to identify individuals to contact by phone or email. But why not arrange a time to meet briefly in person opposed to communicating electronically? While you may identify many people you would like to speak with that are far away or easier to connect with virtually, do not overlook any opportunity you may have to meet a local contact in person.

Coffee chats are great because they can be fairly brief opposed to a more formal meeting or lunch. Individuals may be more willing to meet with you in person if there is not a long time commitment. Coffee shops or other similar establishments have many locations so they can be very convenient venues. The relaxed atmosphere of a coffee shop may also be more conducive to holding a conversation which may put both parties at ease. If you do plan a coffee chat, come prepared with a handful of questions that focus on your interest in a particular company, industry or position. If you arrange a coffee chat with an alum, consider asking that person about their transition from college and what they found helpful during their time as an undergrad. Regardless of what you discuss, meeting with a contact during a coffee chat may provide you with valuable information or leads that are helpful in your search.

Even though the semester has ended – continue to be diligent in your studies!

By: David Ross

With the end of the semester and graduation now behind us, it’s easy to think school is done for the year and summer has arrived. With the onset of summer, dreams of vacations and downtime come to mind and visions of rest and relaxation are quite common.

While this is certainly a great time to take a break, re-energize and prepare for what lies ahead, I would encourage you to think about ways you can incorporate some of the lessons learned and good habits you have developed as a student and transfer them to the workplace.

Specifically, think about the idea of learning and mastering a subject as a student. While in school, you read and study to acquire new information and become knowledgeable on a topic. But why is this important for a summer internship or full-time job? Because as much as you may be trained for your position and learn what to do on the job, you can become more knowledgeable and develop additional expertise by studying your craft outside of work.

Read books or magazines about your industry to keep abreast of the latest research, developments, trends and best practices. Take the time to browse articles and news stories online to discover innovative practices and emerging discoveries within your field. Your willingness to develop these good habits and apply some of the lessons learned as a student can ultimately pay dividends for you in your future career.