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Professional Development
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How To Work A Career Fair
- It is a dress-up occasion. Treat it as a job interview.
- Career Fair provides you with an opportunity to obtain information about specific employers and industries. It helps
you and a prospective employer to make an initial contact.
- Before you make contact with the company representative, review company literature
which is normally found on the table. Obviously, it is better to have that knowledge before
you come to the fair. Having some knowledge about the company before you start the conversation
makes a very positive impression.
- You should start your encounter with a firm but not "bone crushing" handshake. Watch, especially,
for women who wear rings - an extra strong squeeze can cut rings into fingers.
- Prepare yourself beforehand for the Fair with a 30-45 second introductory "speech" - "Hi, I'm
Mary Smith. I am a Mechanical Engineering major and I will be graduating in May. I'm interested in..." or
"Hello, my name is Doug Jones. I'm a freshman Electrical Engineering major. I was wondering if your company
currently hires Electrical Engineers and what kind of work they do in your company." Memorize it, if
necessary. This can be helpful if you have trouble starting a conversation.
- Remember, a Career Fair encounter is not an interview. It is an opportunity to make contact(s). Do not
persist in conversation if people are waiting behind you. Expect no more than 2 or 3 minutes. In many cases
the rep. will cut off the conversation or ask you to return later.
- Watch your body language. Don't be too aggressive or "pushy". Watch poise, attitude, and enthusiasm level -
"Be comfortable".
- Eliminate: "Yeah", "Uh", "Umm", "Ahhh", etc. Do not punctuate sentences with: "You know", "Like", "See",
"Okay", etc.
- Punctuate your speech just as you would a sentence.
- Emphasize that you are a team player by using examples of past/current work experiences.
- Be sure you give the representative a copy of your resume.
- Be organized. Have your resume readily available. Don't fumble through your bag or other papers
looking for it.
- Get a business card from the employer representative.
- REMEMBER: You only have one chance to make a good first impression!
Facts to Gather About a Company
- Major products or services.
- Size in total sales or number of employees.
- Locations.
- Organization: Parent company, subsidiary, etc.
- Future growth potential and opportunities.
- Any recent positive news report on company, local or national scale.
Top 13 Ways to Prevent Stress
- Get up 15 minutes early.
- Don't rely on your memory.
- Don't procrastinate.
- Be prepared to wait.
- Always have a "Plan B".
- Ask questions.
- Say "no".
- Turn off the ringer on your phone. If it's important, they'll leave a message.
- Do one thing at a time (focus).
- Schedule realistically.
- Control alcohol and caffeine.
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night consistently.
- Time management
- - appointment book
- - don't cram, plan for studying
- - prioritize
- - schedule
- - set goals
- - double easy tasks
- - control interuptions
- - quality, not quantity, of time studying, etc.
