How to get hired at your next career fair
You need a job or internship. There’s an upcoming career fair.
You need a job or internship. There’s an upcoming career fair.
You know you should attend, but you’re nervous. How do you prepare? How do you interact with employers?
Like you, I was nervous to go to career fairs. I didn’t know how to prepare. I was nervous to meet recruiters.
Throughout college, I attended multiple career fairs. I met hundreds of employers. After a while, I got very good at meeting recruiters and selling myself. Here’s a checklist to help you get noticed at your career fair
Perfect your elevator pitch
Before anything. You need to perfect your pitch. Career fairs are an opportunity for you to sell yourself. It’s very easy to go to the fair, pick up some pamphlets, and leave. You need to be proactive. Being proactive is having an effective pitch.
Perfect your resume
Your resume is a summary of you. It’s a supplement to the impression you make on the recruiter at the career fair. Sharpen your resume prior to going to the fair. Make sure to print out 10–20 resumes to hand out.
Tailor it to the specific job you are seeking
Fix the formatting
Write your experience concisely and effectively
For details on how to improve your resume, check this out.
Select which companies you want to talk to
Career fairs can be overwhelming. There are dozens sometimes hundreds of companies. Pick the companies you want to connect with prior to attending the fair. Career fairs often publish which companies will be attending. Review the list and identify the companies you want to connect with. Oftentimes, they will give you a layout of where the companies will be stationed in the venue. Familiarize yourself with the venue so you can target the companies you want to connect with easily.
Prioritize the companies you want to connect with
It can be difficult to connect with all of the companies on your list. Prioritize which companies are most important to you. Go see them first.
Get there early
Recruiters get tired after talking to students ALL DAY. If you want to make a good impression, do it early. This goes back to prioritization. Prioritize your top companies by visiting them FIRST. A recruiter at the beginning of the fair is MUCH more friendly than a recruiter at the end of the fair.
Connect with the recruiter
Companies send a handful of employees to career fairs. You need to connect with the recruiter. Identify who they are, and make sure they know you. Yes, it’s nice to talk to employees, but recruiters are the ones calling the shots. They are your number one point of contact. Introduce yourself. Give your elevator pitch. Get their contact information.
Be aggressive
Recruiters aren’t going to go out of their way to talk to YOU. They have a line of students eager to speak to them. The students who get their faces in front of the recruiter will win. You may have to cut the line. You may have to cut some people off. If you want to stand out, you may have to break the rules. Be aggressive.
Follow up
You got the recruiter’s information. You need to follow up. For advice on how to write a quality follow up email, check this out.
Conclusion
Career fairs can be intimidating. If you follow this checklist, you will be prepared. It will take some time to feel comfortable selling yourself. With some time, you will become an expert. Perfect your pitch. Get in front of the recruiter. Sell yourself. Follow up.