It can be easy to see recruiters as the bad guys, especially during an economic downturn. They are the gatekeepers, whose job it is to weed “unqualified” job seekers out of their applicant pool. One good thing to keep in mind: they’ve been on the other side of the table before, looking for jobs themselves. And many would love to offer jobs to all of the talented students they talk to; they are just limited by budget.

advice_for_webAt a breakfast before the Career Gallery on Thursday, October 8, 2009, a panel of MSU students answered questions about their concerns with the economic climate, what they are looking for in an entry-level position, and other queries intended to help recruiters do their jobs to the best of their abilities. But, at one point, the roles were reversed and recruiters were asked to give job-search advice to the students on the panel. This advice is useful to any MSU student who wants to find a job someday. So pretty much all of you. Here’s what they had to say:

One of the recruiters graduated from MSU in 1990, during another economic downturn. She had a bachelor’s degree in packaging engineering, but the only position she could find was as an administrative assistant. Good news: the job was with a company that she had wanted to work with all along. This recruiter saw opportunity rather than failure. She kept her goals in mind from the beginning, connected with people who could help her get to where she wanted to be, and eventually made it into the department of her choice.

Adding on to this point, another recruiter mentioned that the woman above probably wouldn’t have been able to make it to her new position if she hadn’t done a good job as an administrative assistant. Even if you have to take a position that you weren’t hoping for, he said, you should still work hard and have a good attitude. After all, the company hired our first recruiter because they needed an administrative assistant, and if she didn’t fulfill her duties there, she wasn’t really helping the company meet its goals and likely wouldn’t have been promoted.

Another recruiter saw a change in the way people are finding jobs today. He expressed his opinion that the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” was becoming “…it’s who knows you.” He said that it is absolutely pivotal to attend as many networking events as possible and simply meet as many people as you can. He didn’t mention it, but this expands to the digital world as well—use your social networks online to build relationships and let people know what your skills and career interests are. Networking doesn’t have to be slimy; usually, you don’t have to wear a suit and carry business cards. It can be as easy as joining a student organization that meshes with your career interests (for example, one of the student panelists was involved in PRSSA, an organization for students interested in PR that has a national membership base), or talking to people in your classes about their career interests.

It’s never to early to start your job search. Even first-year students can join career-related student organizations or find on-campus jobs. As was made apparent by the students on the panel, the MSU community has so much to offer—and we should all take advantage of it.