Students, if you haven’t secured your summer internship or full-time offer, it’s time to hustle. With so many construction companies securing talent in the fall, the spring recruiting session is your last opportunity to stand out and land a great internship. Luckily, one of the premier student construction competitions in the U.S., the Associated Schools of Construction Region 6 & 7 student competition, in taking place in Sparks, Nevada from Feb. 8-11.
Here are a few tips to land an internship and keep your networking circle open after graduation courtesy of our University Relations Specialist Michael Morales.
Start Early
Now would be a great time to start reaching out to your company contacts (and no, not a random LinkedIn invite to the COO or VP). This list should include former interviewers, company recruiters, class presenters, etc. Start with these contacts and find out who will be attending and if you can snag some time with them to discuss your resume after the competition. Find out the companies’ hiring trends and if they are attending the competition to recruit interns, full-time employees or both.
Present with Confidence
Most company representatives will have evaluations for each team member who is presenting. Now even though a few minutes can’t decipher a future construction all-star, it can definitely help companies see who is confident, knowledgeable and excited to be there. Let’s be honest, all students starting their first internship don’t have the technical training/knowledge that you can only obtain from a jobsite. That’s ok; we’re not looking for that yet. We are looking for students who are able to communicate, interact well with teams, listen and have a passion for the industry.
Attend the Job Fair
Your internship is already secured? That’s awesome! But still come to the job fair on Feb. 11 (don’t forget Sundt sponsors the breakfast). This is a great time to network for future internships and/or full time employment with multiple companies. No student has ever had too many networking contacts. Try to make each conversation engaging and time well spent. Set a goal for yourself. It could be to speak with five or 10 companies for 15 minutes each, and meet 10 new contacts. As big as the industry is, we all are only a few connections away.
Plus, you get a lot of cool swag for your trip back to campus.
Good luck to all teams and we’re looking forward to meeting everyone at the competition.