Resumes & Interviews

• Getting Your Resume to the Recruiters
• How to Get an Interview
• Resume Do's and Don't's
• Resume Review Workshops
• Interview Do's and Don't's

Resumes received by the deadline for each semester's on-campus recruiting season will be emailed to the companies that are scheduled to visit approximately two weeks before recruiting visits begin. The deadline for students to submit resumes to the Career Services office will usually fall before the 12th class day of that semester. Resumes submitted to the Career Services office after the deadline will not be emailed to any company. However, all students may attend information sessions to talk with the recruiters in person. If they are interested in interviewing you, they will make time for you in the schedule. If you are not a student in good standing with the Jackson School, your resume will not be emailed to any company.

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Companies usually choose one of three types of interview sign-up methods:

• Pre-select (most common)
• Open sign-up
• Bid system (used when student interest is high)

Pre-select Interviews. After reviewing all of the resumes emailed to them by the Career Services office, a company will select which students they wish to interview on-campus. Students who are pre-selected to interview will be notified via e-mail from the Career Services office or directly from the recruiter. If you receive notice that you have been pre-selected, you may select a suitable time slot from the interview schedule sheet in JGB Room 2.120.

If you have been pre-selected for an interview and do not wish to interview with that company or are unable to interview due to scheduling conflicts, you must notify the recruiter via e-mail with an explanation of why you are declining their invitation and you must provide a copy of that email to Maurine Riess (mriess@jsg.utexas.edu).

Open Sign-up. A company may specify graduate students only, or only students who can work in the United States. Approximately two weeks before the interview date, the interview schedule sheet will be available in GEO Room 2.120 for all interested and qualified students to sign up in a suitable time slot.

Bid System. If there are more students interested in a company than there are interview slots, the Placement Office will use a bid system. Rules for the bid system will be distributed at that time.

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Do:

• Do illustrate and describe that you have the ability to work independently as well as in a team environment

• Do demonstrate a broad base of fundamental geological knowledge and experiences

• Do include your thesis topic and any publications in your resume.

• Do include extracurricular activities and volunteer work if these are the best examples of your work ethic.

• View the online Resume Workshop (.pdf)

Don’t:

• Don't include information about your race, marital status, religion, social security  number, or photo.

• Don’t allow any typographical errors or grammatical errors

• Don't assume the recruiter knows what you can do. Tailor your resume to the company and job you are seeking.

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Resume and interview workshops are offered each spring and fall for students wishing to participate in the on-campus interviews. All students are encouraged to submit their resume for review during orientation week preceding the start of classes. After changes are made to your reviewed resume, it will be accepted by Career Services and forwarded via e-mail to registered recruiters prior to their on-campus visit. Resumes that have not been reviewed or that are submitted after the deadline will not be distributed to the companies.

Resumes submitted for approval must be in either Microsoft Word (.doc or .rtf) or Adobe (.pdf) format.

The filename for your resume must be in the following format:

All three components of this file name will help the Career Services office get your resume to the right companies. We send the resumes out in groups such as: BA/BS, MA/MS, and MA/MS/PhD. Send your approved resume to careers@geo.utexas.edu.

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Do:

• Bring a copy of your resume and your transcript to every interview.

• Dress in business attire.

• Be on time for your interview.

• Attend as many information sessions as you can.

• Ask the recruiter for a business card, and write him/her a thank-you letter afterwards. Email is okay for this, but make sure your email looks like a business letter.

Don’t:

• Sign up for back-to-back interviews; schedules can change without warning.

• Interview with a company unless you have some interest in them.

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