Make the most out of the career fair. Employers will notice a thoughtful and well-prepared candidate when they meet one! It is worthwhile to make your interactions with employers count.
What should you expect?
Career fairs are great places for job-seekers to learn of job openings, network, and more, but you should be prepared.
- Look into companies and offerings before the fair. Make a plan of the employers you definitely want to talk to and have a few questions prepared.
- Consider bringing a few copies of your resume to give to employers. Get some guidance on your resume from the University Career Center and print for free in our office!
- Practice your Introduction - make sure you can clearly explain what you're looking for in your career, as well as how your academic experiences are relevant to what they are looking for.
- You can take notes so that you remember who is who after the career fair
- Many companies provide samples or giveaways, which can be fun but make sure you are also engaging with the employer.
- Follow-up with new contacts after the career fair. Send them an email or connect on LinkedIn. Thank them for their time, remind them of your conversation, ask any questions you might have, mention the position you are interested in, request an informational interview, or just suggest you are interested in staying in touch.
What should you ask?
The employers that attend career fairs are not always people in the role that you may be interested in, some are recruiters that are more familiar with general position requirements but not specifics.
Questions for a Recruiter:
- What is a typical time to recruit for entry-level positions?
- Are you primarily doing virtual interviews, or is there an in-person component to interviews?
- How many interviews are common for a typical hire?
- How can I find out the name of the recruiter for a specific position? I'd like to address my materials to them directly.
- Do people who come in at entry-level stay there for long, or is there a trajectory for growth?
- If I'd like to begin a position with your company after I graduate, when should I plan to apply?
- Do you like to see academic projects and coursework on a resume if much of my paid experience is not related to the position? What kinds of academic projects are helpful to include?
- Are there any technical components to the interview?
- What's one of your favorite questions to ask in an interview?
Questions for a Hiring Manager:
- How did you start out with this company?
- What is something you wish you knew before you started working here?
- Can you walk me through a day in the life of your position?
- What's a project you've worked on that you're really proud of?
- How has Covid impacted your work, or the work that your division does?
- What trends should I be paying attention to?
- How long did it take you to get to the job you have now? Did you know that's what you wanted to do when you started out, or did you stumble across it along the way?
- Is the culture collaborative, or more individual? How often are you working in teams vs. independently?
What should you wear?
- Dress for the type of industry and company culture you are interested in. For Example, you want to work for a casual, dog-friendly office? Casual wear is ideal!
- Research what the company culture looks like for the career you're interested in! Check out their staff pages, LinkedIn, etc. Look at what current employees are wearing and the type of work environment.
- Don't make it too casual! If you wouldn't wear it to an interview, you shouldn't be wearing it to a career fair.
- Wear something that makes you comfortable and confident. It's not always a suit & tie!
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