Career Fairs

2018-2019 Career Fairs

How to Make the Most out of a Career Fair.

Check your Handshake account to know what companies are coming to the fair, what positions they are hiring for at this time, and then decide and prioritize who you want to meet based on your interests and the company research you do.
Research the companies you are interested in connecting with by visiting their website and LinkedIn page. Consider reaching out to alumni that work at your companies of interest to conduct informational interviews and learn more.
Update your resume and have 20 printed and ready to go. You may have more than one version, depending on your interests.
Develop a 30-second introduction (elevator speech) to introduce yourself and practice brief answers to questions from employers regarding your career goals and how you fit with their opportunities and company.
In addition to being ready to answer their questions, be ready with a few of your own, specific to the company and the positions.
Plan to dress professionally.

Arrive early so you can review the fair directory and locations of the companies you want to visit (typically they are in alphabetical order).
You are ready… Having defined your goals, completed research on the company and the positions you are interested in, knowing how your skills fit with the opportunities available, and having some questions of your own, you can be confident that you are ready to meet the employers!

Expect the fair to be crowded, so being respectful to your classmates as well as the employers is of utmost importance. You may have to stand in line and wait for your opportunity to talk with the employer and then know that your time is limited with them.
Know when it is time to move on. Keep it short if there are other students waiting. Close the conversation with “It’s been nice meeting you” or something similar.
Ask the employer for a way to contact them so that you can follow up with at a later time. Some employers will provide a contact and some may not.
Take time after meeting each employer to quickly jot down who you met and briefly what you talked about. This will help you with the follow-up.

Write a thank you note to those employers who provided you with contact information. If they provided someone different to follow-up with, make sure you follow-up with that person as well, letting them know how you received their information.
Set up a system (eg: Excel) to keep track of follow-up activities, starting with the Career Fair date and your thank-you note.