The convention website can assist you with Registration, Competition/Workshop sign up, General FAQ’s, Schedules, and more!

What is NSBE’s annual convention?

An annual convention of black students, companies, and professionals from all over the world,
A space for networking and career building,
The host of one of the largest career fairs specifically for black students/professionals,
A collection of workshops and seminars of all types: academic, career, financial, leadership, etc.

“Tips and tricks to stand out as a great candidate”

Your resume is a reflection of you who are. Don’t be afraid to spice it up a little (like adding different header colors) but also make sure you are showing that you care and didn’t put it together last minute. Make sure there are no typos and that all contact information is up to date—employers may use it to call you to set up interviews! And if you want them to know about passions you have outside of school, add a “hobbies” section. I find those sections fun to read

Any interaction with an employer is a gateway to a job opportunity. If it’s at a formal career fair booth, a breakfast/lunch, or other informal meeting, take advantage of any time you can to get to put yourself in front of employers. We do notice when people attend multiple events with us and I feel it shows a genuine interest in getting to know us better.

Have talking points and questions ready to go. If you are in a formal recruiting event, I would make sure you’ve researched the company to ask questions that could help you understand if you’d like it there while also showing us that you’ve done your research. If you start with a question, that could get the conversation going and feed into something you want to share about yourself in a more natural way. Lately some good questions I’ve received are: where do you think GE is headed with long-term flexible working? What has been your most challenging experience at work and what are you most proud of? How do you feel your company is creating an inclusive environment?

Maintain a good balance between questions and talking about yourself. You really want to do a little bit of both because it’s important to display both your talking and listening abilities. After all, we do a ton of both at work!

If you are in a group setting and people are running out of things to talk about, have a few ice-breaker questions ready! I think this works well in a virtual setting to spark more conversation or in-person, like at a networking event or meal. Questions that come to mind here might be: “what is one must-try food to have in your hometown” or “what are the top 3 places you want to travel to when you can?” You get the idea. I love these because they are fun and it’s a reminder to us all that we are human!

These are general tips in general while you are in school—make sure you keep a strong GPA (above a 3.0) and don’t let yourself get so involved in extracurriculars that your GPA suffers. I would rather have someone that shows dedication in school and has 1 or 2 strong passions compared to being a leader in 5 different clubs but struggling in school. I know many of you really do have a lot of different interests, and of course that’s ok! It’s just also good to think about the bigger picture of focusing on what you truly care about and not something to check a box.