The Career Development Center Career Fairs could be a powerful step towards landing your next internship, co-op, or full-time job but only if you come in prepared. Whether you’re a freshman beginning to attend our career fair for the first time or a seasoned graduate student who’s been there before, preparing through the given resources before, during, and after the fair could make all the difference.
Before the Fair
- Review the Prepare for Interviews and Career Fairs Resource page to look into how to make the most out of the fair.
- Use the resources below to get started preparing your resume for the Career Fair:
Resume Writing: Basics
Resume Writing: Beyond Basics
- Prepare your elevator pitch – need tips? Check out our 30-Second Commercial Handout.
- Continue to learn how to communicate your skills, network with students/employers, and interact with others through the video resources, blog articles, and other helpful guides below:
During the Fair
- Dress professionally.
- Students are welcome to visit the Career Development Center Clothing Closet to pick out a few pieces of clothing for the semester.
- Review your established goals for attending the fair (finding an internship, full-time job, networking only, etc.) and the talking points or questions you want to bring up to target employers.
- Given the list of attending companies, prioritize the list of employers you want to see but don’t approach your #1 target employer first. Instead, give yourself some opportunities to practice and perfect your pitch to low-priority employers.
- After talking with employers, don’t forget to thank them and ask for a business card, LinkedIn page, or email address for future follow-ups.
After the Fair
- Send thank you emails to employers to whom you spoke
* Career Conversation Questions and Email Resources - Be sure to include any information that you promised if needed (online portfolios, resumes, project links, etc.)
- Revisit your established goals and list of target employers. After gathering more information (job availability, company culture, etc.) in-person and online, how do your goals and target employers change?
- Create a method for managing and recording your follow-ups (e.g. an Excel spreadsheet of contacts)
- Apply to any newfound job applications.
Stay updated on career fairs and information sessions surrounding career fairs on our events page and our social media.
