Guidance from a Recruiter -- Follow at Your Own Risk

Disclaimer: I am NOT a guidance counselor. 

Proceed with caution here people. I keep getting a question from my student audience and felt it was probably time I answered the question for the masses, vs responding one by one with the same information.

Apparently, students want to know this:

“What courses should I take to land a job in xyz?” OR “What skills do I need to work at Intel?”

Well, this is where my disclaimer comes in handy: I am not a guidance counselor. I do not have any formal training as a guidance counselor. None whatsoever. It would be like me trying to consult you on how to do your taxes to avoid an audit. I have experience doing my OWN taxes, but that does not in any way qualify me to do yours. (Trust me)

So, how would I answer these general questions that keep coming my way?

To get started:

1. Figure out what you enjoy FIRST. Just because your training will land you a gig doing a job at a company you admire doesn’t mean you will like said job. Passion for your work will make it MUCH easier to come to the office every day.


2. *IF* you then discover that the work we do here at Intel is attractive to you, and you are passionate about software engineering, process engineering, hardware engineering, marketing, etc., then it’s time to start digging a bit deeper.

Now that you know you are dying to land a gig with Intel, visit our ‘Where do I Fit’ application. This is a very cool app that will guide you through the various roles at Intel. Why not see an actual employee and understand what we ask them to do on a day to day basis? They know what their job is WAY better than I could ever explain it to you.

Then, you should consider checking out LinkedIn* profiles of current employees doing work in a division you find interesting. A lot of our employees are on LinkedIn, and many have pretty detailed profiles of the many roles they’ve filled at Intel. An easy way to see who you're connected to at Intel is to visit our LinkedIn company page--and while you're there, you might as well start following us for updates about the company, career opportunities and other things we're doing.

Now, I know what you are thinking. These are not earth shattering revelations. But they do get the job done. Both of those sources will give you a feel for actual roles and responsibilities as well as a look at what real employees at Intel like about their work, etc.

Now, don’t stop there. This last tip is probably the best advice I could give, and it’s the one thing I tell EVERY student that asks me what to study to land a role in XYZ group.

Are you ready for it?

Here goes. Visit our job postings here. Search our active positions and enter in a few key words that capture your specific passions and interests. Then, browse the job requirements. What do hiring managers list in their requirements? What skills do THEY say are required to fill the position? It seems like a no brainer, but honestly, why not take the word of our hiring teams on what they want you to know before they will offer you the job?

Seriously. I warned you I was not an expert, but I can promise you that doing a little research on the jobs being posted out of our business groups will take you a long way! Oh, and after you’ve done that…. why not actually stop in and see a career advisor at your university? I’m pretty sure there is a reason they get paid to guide and counsel their students