How One Student Jump-Started His Career at the Rasmussen College Career and Networking Expo
At just 22-years-old, Tyler Reisenauer of Fargo, N.D. is well on his way to a successful career. The Rasmussen College School of Business student has a full-time job he loves. He’s already been promoted twice. It not only helps him pay for school, but his banking job also gives him the experience he needs to boost his career when he graduates.
Sound too good to be true? It doesn’t have to. Thanks to the Rasmussen College Career and Networking Expo, Reisenauer says you too can be working in your field of study right away.
“I had been looking for a job for about four months before attending the Career and Networking Expo last winter,” said Reisenauer. “I never expected to walk away with not one, but two job offers.”
Reisenauer first learned about the career expo during his career development course. His instructor encouraged him to go saying it would be a great networking experience. After having no luck finding a job on his own, Reisenauer says he thought the expo would help get his name out there.
“I enjoy banking, so I went around with my resume and ended up getting a call back from two of the three businesses I spoke with,” said Reisenauer.
Reisenauer decided to take a job as a member service representative with Northland Educators Federal Credit Union. A month later, Reisenauer says he got promoted to lead member service representative and was more recently promoted to loan officer.
“I really like my job,” said Reisenauer. “I grew up in a small town and have an agricultural background, so when I graduate I’d like to move back to a small town and do agriculture banking. My end goal is to be the president of a bank or credit union.”
His story makes getting a job sound easy, but Reisenauer says he made sure he was prepared. Before the career expo, he met with his career services advisor and reviewed his resume and the list of employers in attendance. He also came up with an ‘elevator speech’ so each employer might know up front what he was looking for and what he had to offer.
“You also always want to make sure you ‘look the part’ you’re hoping for,” said Reisenauer. “I saw people with jeans and t-shirts on. If you combine this with a strong resume and elevator speech, you stand out.”
Reisenauer says he credits the face-to-face interaction with his employer for ultimately landing the job.
“As a manager now, I can choose my own hires,” said Reisenauer. “I know what it’s like to sit down and look at resume after resume. After awhile, they really start to blend together. Being able to put a face to the name is invaluable.”
Reisenauer encourages all Rasmussen College students to attend the upcoming 2013 Career and Networking Expo. Even if you’re not yet close to graduating, the networking opportunity is extremely valuable.
“There were a lot of businesses there – employers from every single degree Rasmussen College has to offer,” said Reisenauer.
The 2013 Career and Networking Expo is on Thursday, Feb. 21 at nearly every Rasmussen College campus. This year, the Twin Cities campuses will hold a joint career expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Do you have a career expo success story? Share with us how you got the job by commenting below.
