Good Afternoon Geographers and Sustainers – Please see the information below about some upcoming opportunities to attend several job fairs that will be of interest. As you are going through the different employers, you may start to panic
because none of them say they are looking specifically for geography or sustainability students. They are, but the recruiters may not realize it.
- Below is some information that I shared last year via the list serv on some additional ways to prepare for the job fair.
- I put together a short video lecture (6:34) for 499 on thinking strategically about translating your major and identifying experiences that are valuable to employers. I’ve uploaded
it to YouTube and you are welcome to review it.
- I highly recommend you start compiling your brag sheet as soon as possible so you can document all the presentations you’ve given, time you’ve spent working on projects, presentations
you’ve given, internships and work experience, etc. I’ve created a
Google Doc you can use as a template (again, this is for 499 students so ignore anything related to an assignment).
- The
UTK Geography Career Coaching Guide also has some relevant sections worth looking over prior to attending any of the job fairs. Consider looking at the following sections:
- Talking to People
- Courses versus Coursework (YouTube lecture video)
- Resumes
-
Brag Sheets
There are so many organizations that hire geographers and sustainers on that list. HOWEVER, none of the recruiters will know what you are capable of if you tell them that you are a geography major. The trick is
to translate your skills into employer specific language. For instance, there are dozens of construction companies, engineering firms, and architecture firms on the list for today. Highlight your geospatial skills by talking about your experiences with GIS,
terrain modeling, 3D modeling, lidar, GPS, etc. If you are talking to utility companies, talk about how you are learning to use UAVs to collect 3D and remote sensing data (corresponds with corridor monitoring). If you talk to the various government agencies
in the defense industry, focus on your skills and experience with remote sensing. For our sustainability folks, almost all of these major companies have sustainability as one of their goals, how can you translate your skills in something like the triple bottom
line to bring value to new construction projects or new apparel with Nike? And be sure to stop by and talk to the folks from ORNL about their internship opportunities (fall, spring, and summer) and their post-bachelor’s program.
Remember, translate your skills into knowledge the recruiters can relate to.
For those of you who aren’t ready to start looking for post-graduate careers yet…
- Pick a few companies in careers or industries you are interested in
- Stop by and introduce yourself and ask them what skills they are looking for
- Then compare your current resume to what the recruiters specified. Are there gaps in your resume that you can work on filling between now and when you graduate?
Good luck!
Michael Camponovo
GIS Outreach Coordinator
Geography Department, UT Knoxville
209A Burchfiel Geography Building
1000 Phillip Fulmer Way
Knoxville, TN 37996
(865) 974-5348
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2021 8:09 PM
To: Camponovo, Michael <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: One week until Fall Job Fairs begin, Vols. Here's how to prepare
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