How To Prepare For
A Career Fair
Before The Fair
At The Fair
After The Fair
Decide what you want from a Career Fair.
This might be an opportunity to:
Find out about specific employers
before choosing a major
Career Fairs provide a great opportunity to do two things:
1. Collect a ton of information in a short period of time.
2. Put yourself near the front line of people waiting to get interviews
from specific firms.
Although this sounds easy, it takes preparation to be successful. But if you do succeed, it could shoot you past the tedious screening process and onto an interview.
Before the Fair
Polish your resume - have at least two other people proofread it for grammar & spelling error and make sure all the information is current.
Check which companies will attend and research the companies that interest you most - check their web-sites, read news reports and press releases, & find out if they have openings that fit your skill-set.
Prepare good questions for these companies for the fair - questions that show off your research. However, avoid questions that are too easy to look up (ex. Who are your competitors? What's your culture like? Etc.)
Develop a strategy. Decide what you want to get out of the career fair. Do you want to learn about different companies/industries, or apply for a specific job, or both? Plan accordingly. Practice your presentation and handshake.Presentation - Have a short introduction (around 15 seconds) that summarizes who you are, your experience and skills. Have a firm handshake and maintain eye contact throughout. Deliver your resume after closing.
At the Fair
Bring plenty of copies of your resume - make sure to leave one at the registration table upon entering the fair. Find the companies you had planned to approach, then look them up in the fair guide and read their company description/positions available.
Be prepared to interview with as many companies as possible. Remember to be patient at the fair, as career fairs are busy places. A typical recruiter will talk with dozens of people for only a few hours so it's important to respect a recruiter's time and others. Pick up the company brochure while you wait to absorb last minute information.
Make the most of all opportunities. Even if you don't know anything about a company, approach it as a learning opportunity. Not everything has to be a ticket to a job; career fairs are also good places to help people figure out what jobs are out there.
Be friendly, honest, confident, and enthusiastic. Don't forget to smile and have fun. Don't be discouraged by the number of other candidates at the fair, but don't assume you made such a great impression that you're a shoe-in for an interview. So did others.You'll need to follow-up. Take notes of who you interviewed and spoke with. Ask recruiters the best way to follow-up - different recruiters prefer different methods (e-mails, calls, letters or sometimes nothing at all.)
After the Fair
Organize the brochures and business cards you've gathered and make more notes on the companies you've visited.
Follow-up with a personalized note - thank the recruiter for his/her time and mention you hope to hear form them soon. If you said it was appropriate, call them within a week and thank them personally.
Keep time open in the following weeks for interviews.