December 9, 2017

No matter where you are in your career path, be sure to visit the Career Center at the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting

Posted by AGU Career Center

Fall Meeting: it’s a time for scientists to come together and share their research.  While it might feel like the science is only being shared in technical sessions, it’s happening all around.  Technical sessions are just one medium to communicate with your fellow scientists; another way that we share our work at Fall Meeting is networking.

Networking can take many forms.  It might be a social event or a casual conversation with the stranger sitting next to you at a technical session.

If you’re on the hunt for a new job (or that first job), networking can be nauseating.  It can sometimes be difficult to tell if the connections you are making are going to create opportunity in the short term or the long term.  You’ve arrived at Fall Meeting with a specific objective in mind, generate job leads, but how do you identify the attendees with a reciprocal goal of finding prospective hires?

Enter the Career Center

Throughout the week we will offer events and resources.  Come get your resume reviewed, talk to a professional career consultant, or meet with established scientists for brief CRAM Mentoring sessions.  

Consultation sessions at the Fall Meeting Career Center include the following:

  • Resume/C.V. Reviews: AGU Staff will be on-site to review your resume or C.V. and give you suggestions to improve it.  Sign-up on site at the Career Center, located in Exhibit Halls B & C, of the Convention Center.
  • CRAM Sessions: Sign up to meet with experts in the field for 20-minute sessions.  You can view a list of available mentors and time slots and sign up for one yourself by visiting the CRAM 2017 Mentee Sign-Up page.
  • One-on-One Consultation Sessions with Lisa Balbes: Sign up for free 30 minute one-on-one consultation sessions with Lisa Balbes, an On the Job contributor and professional career consultant, from Monday to Thursday. Request a consultation by first filling out a form and then selecting an available meeting time.

You can also use computers in the Career Center space to edit and print your resume or C.V. or to create a jobseeker profile on our online job board.

Get Prepared Ahead of Time

Even if you’re not looking for the next step in your career path yet, the Career Center is a great place to get yourself ready.  The Career Center Workshops Room will have presentations throughout the week.  The presentations include general career advice; recruiters explaining their organizations, their missions, and their open positions; early-to-mid-career scientists sharing their experiences; and more.  You can find out about all these events by checking out the schedule.

Also plan to attend Beignets and Resumes on Tuesday, 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. Morial Convention Center, First Floor, Exhibit Hall, Recruiters’ Row near the entrance. Talk to recruiters and AGU Pathfinder Career Services staff while enjoying some New Orleans staff during this recruitment and networking event. Bring your resume/C.V. and business cards!

A Few Tips for Job Seekers Attending Fall Meeting

First and foremost, bring some fresh resumes.  While business cards can be an effective way to share your contact information, a physical resume or C.V. is going to share a great deal more.  The recruiters will expect that you have these available, and if you don’t have one at the ready, it will signal to the recruiters that you are just exploring, not actively seeking.  Even if you are just exploring, the recruiters are more likely to give you better information if they believe they are speaking with a future hire so bring some just in case.

Dress the way you would for an interview.  Even though you are only attending a career fair, remember that it’s a long week.  These recruiters came to find candidates for the positions that their organization needs to fill.  Many job application processes involve an initial screening interview to shorten a list of candidates.  You should treat the career fair like a series of screening interviews, and dress accordingly.  If you treat the career fair like an informal interview, you might just find yourself in a formal one later in the week.

In addition to the other job fairs, there will be more organizations with the Recruiters’ Row. Check which companies will be attending Fall Meeting on the AGU Pathfinder Job Board or visit the Career Center front desk for a full list that includes recruiting exhibitors as well.

We hope to see you all at Fall Meeting!  Keep an eye this week at On the Job, as we’ll be making announcements about specific career development events happening throughout the week as well as resources for those who couldn’t make it.

Nathaniel Janick is the Career Services Coordinator at the American Geophysical Union.