As part of our outreach and recruiting efforts at Northgate Commercial, our Creative Team was on the Sacramento State University campus this week to engage & connect with students – inspiring their career goals and highlighting opportunities in the real estate industry.
Our team participated in a series of campus events throughout the week, including: All Majors Career Fair with 100+ employers, Recruiting the Next Generation Workshop hosted by the Sacramento State Career Center, and Power of University Panel Discussion hosted by Dr. Tim Howard and the Sacramento State Communications Department. Speaking throughout the week with students and faculty taught our team a lot about what kids are looking for in their future careers and how we, as a company, can equip ourselves for a new generation of employees.
Here are just some of our takeaways from visiting Sac State this week:
Sharing Your Experience
I remember when I was a student – terrified about trying to sell myself to companies and recruiters. I was afraid that I didn’t have enough experience, enough knowledge, enough potential. I would forget my elevator pitch and tremble as I would ask questions. What I needed, as a student, was to hear from someone who has been in my place that made the transition from student to professional. What did they put on their resume? What made them choose their career path? What steps did they take?
As I spoke with students throughout the week, I focused conversation on ways to build their career while in school. Group projects, club participation on campus, volunteering, and internships are just some ways to build real-life experience that will translate into the professional world. I treated my time in school like a job – working to get the best result possible because that is what employers expect from an employee. If this mentality is applied, students will realize a change in their work ethic that will last throughout their careers.
Focus On Their Abilities
Over 100 employers where in attendance at the career fair – spanning from startup companies to government agencies. Each recruiter was looking for the best talent and best fit for their organization while giving their pitch about why choosing them would be the best decision a student could make. As a student, it became somewhat overwhelming to try and pick from a handful of industries or even from a group of companies within an industry.
Our approach changed from just hoping our name and industry would attract candidates to creating a personal, interactive, conversational space for everyone that would come to speak with us. We also shifted our focus to learn more about the candidate, instead of directing the conversation toward the company. Concentrating on their talents, work & school experience, and personality allowed our team to understand what candidates would be a great fit for our organization.
Showcasing Our Potential
Incoming professionals are looking more & more for an experience with their job. Instead of items like hours, pay, and benefits – candidates were asking questions about work culture, travel, and work & life balance. How a job makes a person feel may be more important in this generation than what the job can financially give them.
Again, our approach became adaptable to each person we spoke to – highlighting our best qualities that also addressed their questions. When most people think of the real estate industry, they will think of savvy brokers and aggressive business investors. But the truth is that there is a need for people from all academic disciplines that range from human relations, accounting, creative, marketing, and construction management. Finding a well-rounded team allows for us to have a better understanding of the market we are in and gives our team the right tools to expand our business.
Big thanks to Sacramento State for being a tremendous host to the Northgate team!