I'm sharing these tips based off of my own personal experience at GHC 2017. I'm hoping these will help others prepare for their trip. :) I know I didn't have ANY preparation before hand, but this is what I made out of my trip. I hope you'll call your trip a success.

ghc-advice.md

Some good ol' advice for first-time GHC 2018 attendees :)

Last Updated: August 10th, 2018

Hey there! Have you seen these links yet?

1. SAVE YOUR SPOT FOR TALKS SESSIONS AND SEMINARS/ WORKSHOPS: https://ghc.anitab.org/news/announcements/pre-register-ghc-18-sessions/

2. GHC SCHEDULE: http://www.cvent.com/events/grace-hopper-celebration/agenda-6083a0df738343e2ad8b262237e56423.aspx?p=13

3. SUBMIT YOUR RESUME TO GHC'S DATABASE: https://ghc.anitab.org/resume-database/

4. IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF FIRST TO EFFECTLY GET THE MOST OF WHAT YOU WANT AT GHC: What do you want to get the most out of ghc? Is it to land a job or learn at tech talks and workshops/seminars? This will help you prioritize the most time spent at where you decide.

Before attending GHC :

• Spend some time looking through all the events and scheduled times of when it starts. It gets VERY HECTIC since soo many girls are there and most of the time youll be waiting in a line at the career fair. I would advice to organize everything out on a google calendar :)

• Bring flats and compfy shoes because OH BOI your feet will cry lol

• You'll also be getting LOADS of free company swag so make sure to leave alot of space in your luggage if youre planning on taking some home! Last year I only brought professional clothes since youll be talking to recruiters, managers, and even CEOs, but there will also be parties, too!

• GHC will also have onsite interviews so prepare for those if you get a chance. Print about 50 resumes and cover letters. I customized my own business cards, but I didn't really use them that often. And companys LOVE networking events so you'll most likely be invited to those as well :)

• Prepare to talk and engage pretty rapidly, but most importantly you'll be learning ALOT.

What was crazy is I spent all 3 days at the career fair and I couldn't get to all of the companies. Even though I didn't hit nearly all that I scheduled for, GHC was more than enough and it was a fillfulling experience. I hope you'll find it the same.

• Bring a sweater to the conference. My Syster stated Houston typically is 110 F outside at 100% humidity and it may feel like 60 F inside the conference and any other air-conditioned office. I would pack a sweater and any other warm items you need for heavily air-conditioned spaces given that it will be indoors in Houston.

• Getting the GHC app will be useful in navigating your way around the conference and an easy way for others to scan your badge to easily get connected with you! The app is a place where you can add your information online.

My advice for talking to recruiters, company developers, CEOs, etc:

One VERY IMPORTANT advice I wish I knew is to ask for interviews: There are so many competitive girls that companies wouldn't know you from talking to you for at most 3 minutes. So I wouldnt be ashamed of it and BE ASSERTIVE. My roomate last year asked every booth she went to and landed 3 interviews the same day. They are first come first serve.. sort of.. maybe.. JUST TRY

• Dont be afraid to be assertive since there are way too many girls to be waiting for an opportunity! But of course be respective and patient! I was pretty shy and passive too! But on the 2nd day I realized other girls were getting interviews and I asked them about it. They said they directly asked the company what they were specifcally looking for.

  FOR EXAMPLE: ASK - If they can set up an interview, set up time outside for lunch, get them a coffee during theor next break, ask them their business cards, social events, a visit at their office if theyre in the location or you live near
  their office, etc. Be really brave, girl! You are stronger than you think. You got this!

• Waiting in line for your turn is a huge time suck! But I didnt have any other choice because I really wanted to just get my foot in and show them who I am.

• Get their business card & use it to keep track of your conversations. There were so many different people that I spoke to that I wouldn't have been able to remember everything! Carry around a pen and jot down:

  • Their name
  • Their email address
  • Your brief conversation
  • Any links they may have mentioned

• Talk as much as you can with companies and basically with ANYONE you meet. They will invite you crazy exclusive parties lol.

• If you're not getting the type of interaction you're looking for when talking to a recruiter, I found myself asking for a software engineer or developer that is on site. Most of the time, there will be engineers helping with the recruitment. Ask to talk to the person that is in your field! 100 times! This is SO IMPORTANT.

Social Events & PARTIES!

Attend all of the social events and parties that you're invited to! I found this to be one of the best parts of attending GHC!

• Throughout the 3 days always CHECK YOUR EMAILS and respond to their invitations!

• As I talked to companies, they would invite me and ask me to come out to their event! And always check your emails! They will alert you that way :) You can also ask them about any upcoming events since you're interested in the company! I talked to Google and they drove us out to Disneyland and had the entire theme park rented out just for us. CRAZY!

• Social events allow you to connect further with people working in the corporate.

• A great way to branch out and make friends!

OMG I seriously enjoyed these events so much because we are here to celebrate our selves!
How often do you go to a party to celebrate others and not yourself?
GHC is the event to be at for self growth, community growth, and for overall well-roundedness
for any female associated in STEM.

After GHC:

When I left GHC 2017, my suit case was so stuff that I have to throw away some of the free company swag that I received! Most importantly, you'll have so many contact information! About a week after the event:

• Make sure to send your follow-up emails to everyone you spoke to (recruiters, company reps, developers, engineers, CEOs, etc.).

• Remind them who you are, what you're interested in their company, and include a briefly of what your conversation was about!

• Apply online for their job openings! I found that most companies would refer you to their online applications. Make sure you do this ASAP you can so you won't forget. Most of the companies that I followed-up with replied with an online interview or a coding challenege.

• Go through all of your contacts, and check off everyone on your list that you have re-opened your conversation with. Don't be afraid to continue your conversation and ask any questions you weren't able to ask at the event! That is why it's so important to take notes during your encounter.

• SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE. Personally, I thought it was kind of magical. I know that sounds corny, but that was how good it was! I have such a huge admiration for strong women leaders and seeing them physically at the event to give us motivation, support, and first-hand opportunties in the STEM field is life changing!

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I know its sound really chaotic right now, but you'll have SO MUCH FUN. You'll quickly get the hang of it and I think it'll be less crazy this year actually. GHC has alot of organizations that will help guide girls to where they want to go and overall help organize the events so it'll be okay! I'm sharing these tips based off of my own personal experience at GHC 2017. I'm hoping these will help others prepare for their trip. :) I know I didn't have ANY preparation before hand, but this is what I made out of my trip. I hope you'll call your trip a success.

LEAVE ANY COMMENTS OR ADVICE DOWN BELOW FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE.

IT'LL BE SO MUCH FUN. IM EXCITED :)