Despite the profession fundamentally centering around people, recruiting can sometimes feel like an isolated task. Recruiters wade through an endless sea of resumes, send out emails, leave voicemails that go unanswered, lack the real human interaction and inspiration we all crave. However, as an employer at the career fair, I had an experience which was both enlightening and rewarding. I witnessed firsthand the sheer breadth of talent, enthusiasm, and intelligence in the diverse pool of candidates I conversed with. It was inspiring to see the determination and passion in young college students seeking opportunities to contribute meaningfully to their chosen fields.
What stood out to me over and over as I spoke with candidates is how highly they all valued making a real legitimate difference in the world, doing work they believe in. UMD students (and recent grads) are still in the process of preparing for the future, and as a result, their mindsets are very visionary and forward-thinking, as they have a world of options available to them. This revelation gave me an opportunity to truly engage with candidates and gain valuable insights on the current trends and skillsets that have taken precedence in recent education and industries. This helps me as a recruiter, to further refine our hiring strategies and evolve and adapt to the market in the same way that these students are.
Furthermore, participating in the career fair afforded me the opportunity to showcase our company’s culture, values, and career opportunities. We are a small business, but ever growing, always looking to share the family with a new talented employee. Building connections with potential candidates not only enriched our talent pool but also fostered long-term relationships that could prove beneficial in the future. Candidates often asked me personally what my experience was like at Technuf, and this also inspired introspection on my part about all the reasons love working for Technuf, and what I can do to improve everyone’s experience at the workplace even further. The students my colleagues and I spoke with may be learning new things every day, but we learn just as much from them in one single conversation. Overall, my experience speaking with student candidates at the UMD Career Fair highlighted the importance of real, human, interaction within the job market and further emphasized the importance of a vibrant, diverse, and welcoming workplace environment.
