UGA has several career fairs coming up, including the UGA Spring Internship and Career Fair on February 1st, the Engineering Career and Internship Night on February 7th, and the Grady Career Day on February 8th. Career fairs are an excellent way to network and get connected to possible future employers, but they can also be pretty nervewracking. What should you bring? What should you wear? How can you make a good first impression? Check out our tips for career fairs so you can be as prepared as possible.
1. Go shopping for business-professional clothes.
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Every collegiette needs a good blazer. Whether it’s for a career fair, job interview, or organization interview, a chic black blazer will help you look professional and feel confident. A few other business-professional essentials include a pencil skirt, low pumps, a modest blouse, and nice pants. I love Loft for cute, professional clothes, but other nice options are J. Crew, Banana Republic, and Kohl’s. Make sure you get the size you need; many of these places offer short, long, and petite sizing for the perfect fit.
Most career fairs are considered to have a business professional dress code, but make sure you check before attending.
2. Make a nice, polished resume and get it critiqued.
Most basic resume information is the same: you want to include your contact information, education, work experience, and extracurriculars you may have. Formatting can be different for different industries, however, and you might want to include different types of information. Someone applying for a graphic design job would need a creative, striking resume with different technical skills listed than someone who is applying for a finance or accounting job. Make sure to tailor your resume to your industry!
After you’ve finished making your resume, get it critiqued at UGA Career Center walk-in hours or with your major’s career consultant. Many major-specific job fairs like Grady Career Day have preparatory events beforehand like drop-in resume critiques. Honors students also have the option to meet with a consultant in Moore College.
3. Research employers who are attending the fair.
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It’s important to know what companies will be attending the career fair. First, this will help you make a plan for exploring the fair since you will have an idea of which employers could get a fit for you. Also, if you research your top companies, you will see informed and engaged when you are talking to your potential future employers.
4. Practice your introduction or “elevator pitch.”
Be prepared to say what you’re studying and what your future career goals are. For bonus points, tailor it to each company you plan to speak to at the fair. The most important part of the elevator pitch is practicing; you don’t want to stumble or seem awkward when you’re trying to convince someone to give you a job.
5. Make use of UGA’s resources.
In addition to resume critiques, the UGA Career Center offers a variety of events like webinars, panels, and the Arch Ready informational series. Check out the Career Center Calendar to see when you can attend workshops, mock interviews, and more.
6. Don’t forget to register!
These fairs often require advance registration, so make sure to check ahead of time.
We hope with these tips you will able to go forth and conquer all of your career fairs!