Today’s post is from our regular Tuesday contributor, Sally.
Graduation season is only a few short months away! This means that students are gearing up to find jobs or Universities/Colleges to attend and companies are looking to hire.
Job fairs are a huge resource for people looking for work because they allow reps to put a name with a face as well as introduce you to companies you may not have known about or looked into before. You can gain first-hand knowledge about the culture of a company, what they’re looking for, insight, internships, and so much more simply by being willing to spend some time meeting new people.
When attending a job fair, here are five things to remember:
1) Dress Professionally
You are attending the career fair to find a potential job or internship; this definitely means you want to put your best foot forward by dressing for the job you want. If you find a company you’re especially interested in, first impressions do go a long ways.
2) ring Your Resume
Actually, bring several copies of it in a protected folder where they won’t get beat up. Businesses are expecting to see or have you turn in a resume to them so they’re important to have on hand if you want to leave one with someone. Also, make sure it’s up-to-date and professional; that’s important too!
3) Bring Work Samples
If you can provide examples of past work you have done, many companies will look it over and give advice or ask questions that could prepare you for a possible interview down the line. It also gives them insight as to the kind of work you do. I would suggest having the samples laid out depending on what the norm is for the work culture (perhaps in a binder, portfolio, etc).
4) Approaching a Booth
This is the aspect I most struggle with, honestly. Simply going up to the booths and engaging in conversation with someone. Make sure you smile, look them in the eye, introduce yourself, give a solid handshake, and have a few generic questions you can ask all of the booth reps in order to ease your way into a natural conversation. Some suggestions would be asking about their current openings or internships, what kind of company it is, telling them what you are interested in and looking for, etc. Accept the items they give you gracefully and don’t hesitate to find a quiet area to write the information they gave you down so that you will have it for later.
5) Being Interviewed Immediately
Some companies will interview interested persons on the spot for positions. Make sure you give yourself some time to look at the specific companies you are interested in that will be there; that way if they interview you right then and there, you will have responses that align more with what they are looking for and are able to ask them your own questions. It can definitely be nerve-wracking to do an interview, but remember that you are talking about yourself and who knows you better than you?!
I hope these five tips help you when heading off to a career fair! Remember to be yourself and be confident!
Do you have any other suggestions or tips when heading to a career fair?
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Photo by USC Upstate
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I find that it is difficult to get anywhere at job fairs as there are just too many people at most of the booths. Still, it never hurts to have a go.
I think approaching the booth in a confident manner is a good one. As someone who has been on the other end of the career fairs, I want to seem someone who is confident and engaging. Most of hiring is finding people you”like” and would want to work with every day and typically this is decided within the first few minutes of meeting someone.
Usually you’ll have a list of the companies who will be at the job fair. I’d do a little research on the companies I’m most interested in so I know who I’m talking to and will sound knowledgeable about the company.
I agree with Andrew’s point about doing some research on the companies you’re most interested in prior to the job fair. I’ve found that helps mitigate any nervousness I have plus it never hurts to look like you know what they do and who they are.
Great post! Always be prepared, because you never know if someone at the career fair will get you hired. You don’t want them to remember you badly!
I see so many students go to career fairs dressed in gym clothing. Ugh. Dress professionally, walk confidently, and do not seem desperate.
Don’t smell like smoke! That is one thing my boss hated at my old job. She couldn’t deal with smokers and she could smell it a mile away.
I’m always amazed when people go to job fairs in jeans. Gotta look the part!
Great tips, Sally. It’s definitely important to view this as an audition. You want to dress the part and appear confident, competent and professional. Don’t come across board but eager to learn. You want to be memorable in the best way possible!
Dressing professional is so important. I remember being in my work study program in High School and our advisor was really strict about this. She would not let us get away with looking unprofessional one bit! She really wiped all of us into shape when it came to dressing the part. I’m so glad she taught us this lesson early on because I ended up working for someone who was just like her at my first corporate job. My boss would look at my outfit up and down everyday and never had a word to say.
Keeping the conversation going with the people at the booths can be important, in my experience. An example would be, “what is the culture like at your company?” or “what is your favourite part of your work environment?”