Follow the below job fair dos and don'ts and you will be on your way to landing a great summer internship or even your first full-time position upon graduation.
Job Fair Dos:
Prepare for the event. The best way to stand out among the hundreds of other students at a job fair is to be prepared! This means researching who will be at the job fair prior to the event and knowing which organizations you would like to speak with the most. Career Services makes this easy by providing you a list of employers prior to the job fair under the "Events & Fairs" tab on our website. Once you have identified organizations you may be interested in woking for, learn what the organization does, its mission statement, and its key operational locations. This step will impress employers and help you get your resume to the top of the stack.
Speaking of resume, it is important to print several copies of your polished resume to the job fair to provide employers. Part of being prepared is having your contact information and work history ready for employers to review. If you are in need of a quick resume review, submit your resume to our 48-Hour Online Resume Critique.
Dress professionally. It can be difficult to dress business professional for a job fair when you know you will be in class all day, but this component is crucial. It demonstrates to the employer that you are serious about your job search, and respect the time the recruiters are spending at Texas State. Although you may not be ruled out by wearing your jeans and t-shirt, it will make it difficult for employers to remember you among the other individuals with similar jeans and t-shirts. You can always bring a change of clothes for after the fair.
Know your elevator speech. Now that you are prepared for the fair and in a nicely pressed professional outfit, you are ready to talk with employers. Well, at least that is the goal. It is important that you know how you will introduce yourself to the recruiters and what you have to offer. The best way to do this is practice. Practice your hand shake, introduction, and elevator speech. By elevator speech I mean a brief explanation on how your education and experience make you a perfect fit for their organization. This does not mean you use the same pitch for every organization, but rather personalize your pitch to the needs of each organization. If you have never practiced an elevator speech, setup an appointment with Career Services to get yourself prepared.
Get contact information. You want to be sure to collect business cards from the individuals you speak with. It is not uncommon for recruiters to spend multiple days a week at different institutions, and it could be weeks before you hear from them, if at all. By collecting contact information, you are preparing yourself for the next step.
Follow-up. Following up with the individuals you connect with may be the most important piece of the puzzle. As stated above, recruiters meet so many individuals on any given day, and you want to be sure to stay in their thoughts as they fill positions. Simply follow-up the fair with an email to the recruiters you met thanking them for their time and restating your interest in their organization. Be sure to include a brief statement about the conversation you had to help trigger their memory on who you are.Walk around aimlessly. Although it may be nerve racking to walk up to an employer's table, it is important to look as though you are on a mission. By walking around aimlessly, you are demonstrating to the recruiters that you are not prepared for the event and confused on what it is you are looking for. If you are having trouble finding a particular employer's booth, grab a Career Services staff member to help you.
Look for freebies. Job fairs are known for having a great deal of free stuff, often known as swag. Even though it is tempting to walk around collecting all the cool water bottles, bags, and t-shirts, it's not the purpose of the fair.
Wear sunglasses or ear phones. Sunglasses and ear phones are both easy to slip into your pocket or book bag. Take a few seconds before you walk into the job fair to ensure you are displaying a professional image and attitude.
Ask the famous "What is it that your organization does?" question. Although this question seems like a great ice breaker, it is often perceived by employers as being unprepared. One of the easiest ways to stand out to employers at job fairs is to let them know you are aware about what their organization does and how your skills align with their mission. This is an easy step to take to get ahead of other job seekers.
Leave before obtaining any helpful resources. You have made it a point to go to the job fair, now make it a point to obtain helpful information about possible employment opportunities. Even if you only approach two or three employers, at least you were able to practice your communication skills and gain confidence.
Execute these job fair dos and avoid the don'ts and you will have a successful job fair season. Be sure to contact our office with any questions you may have! You can reach us by phone at 512-245-2645, and email at careerservices@txstate.edu.
For more dos and don't, check out these tips from The Careerists.
