Career Fair Prep

Written by Alex Bolten

This is a crazy point in the semester. Everyone’s busy and all of the career fairs are happening right now. It’s important to be aware of your own schedule and the things around you that are going on. No matter what year you are, you can benefit from going to a career fair, especially if you’re a junior or senior. Below are some tips to get yourself prepared before going to the career fairs, as well as what to do while you’re there.

1.              Research the companies that are coming

a.     This seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how much it helps. You’ll know the backgrounds of each company, and this can help you determine whether or not you’d truly be happy working for a specific company. This can also help you to keep the conversation going with the recruiter(s), and you’ll be able to think of questions to ask them when you’re speaking with them.

2.              Practice your “elevator pitch”

a.     Practice your elevator pitch before going. This should be a 2-minute or less summary about who you are, your experiences, and your skills and interests. Practice in front of a friend to make sure you’ve got the timing down. The shorter, the better.

3.              Modify your resume

a.     You’re most likely going to speak to more than one company. As such, you should have a different version to give to each company. Go to the CCO’s resume workshops to get some advice on how to make each resume specific for the companyies you’re looking at.

At the fair:

4.              Scope out the fair – use your time wisely

a.     When you arrive at the fair, check out the lines. You want to get the most out of your time there, and that might mean that you talk to companies with smaller lines. While they may not be the ones your necessarily want to talk to, you might have a better chance of getting an interview.

5.              Speak to as many companies as possible

a.     The more companies that you speak with, the more practice you’ll get. It can be a little intimidating at first to talk to recruiters, but the more you practice, the easier it will become. It also can’t help talking to more recruiters – this is a fantastically easy way to network!

Follow these steps and you should be well prepared for any and all of the career fairs you’re going to. One bonus piece of advice: go to career fairs even if you’re not 100% interested in the companies. This is a way to provide you with additional practice, as well as give yourself more networking experience. The more you do, the better. You’re only going to hurt yourself if you don’t take advantage of the opportunities being presented in front of you.