Feeling a little behind on the hunt for a summer internship? Even though many companies like to fill their intern positions by the end of the year, there are still plenty of opportunities out there and the best place to find them is a career fair. Want to land that awesome summer internship or graduate with a great job offer? The goal is to stand out and make the company representatives remember you. They meet hundreds of students at these job fairs so we’ve provided you some great tips to help you be the one they remember.
Before the Career Fair
- Attend resume workshops and mock interviews. You may think your resume looks great and your interview skills are even better but it doesn’t hurt to polish up those skills before the day of the career fair. These services can be found at the Career Planning and Placement trailer.
- Print resumes. Once your resume has been edited print out multiple copies, preferably on resume paper. Remember it’s always better to have too much than not enough.
- Plan ahead. Look at the list of companies who will be in attendance and plan out which booths you want to visit.
- Do research. Once you know your top choices do some research about the company. Recruiter’s notice when students already have some knowledge about their company and can come to them with questions.
- Prepare questions. Write down a list of questions for your top choices and some general ones you can ask at any booth. For example…”What positions are you recruiting for today?” “What are the next steps in the hiring process?”
- Personal appearance. First impressions are everything and the way you present yourself counts more than you think. Business professional is recommended but if you don’t own a matching pant or skirt suit a pair of nice slacks and an appropriate button up will do.
During the Career Fair
- Use your time wisely. If you didn’t have the time or resources to see what companies were going to be in attendance, now is the time. More than likely the career fair will take place in the middle of the day and you may have class so use your time wisely and create a game plan.
- Be flexible. Realistically you’re going to steer away from your original plan. A recruiter may stop you on your way to one of your top picks or some of the recruiters might have left early so keep an open mind while you’re there.
- Network. It’s okay to talk to other students, especially the ones who have been there longer than you have. They can let you know who some of the best companies to visit are.
- Ask questions. Don’t forget to ask the questions you prepared, especially the important ones.
- Take notes. Keep a notebook or a pen and paper to write down important deadlines, contact information, tips for success, etc.
- Get contact information. Before you leave a company’s booth, ask the recruiter for their business card and if they do not have one make sure to write down their name and email address. And always make sure you have the correct spelling.
After the Career Fair
- Get organized. You’re going to have a lot of brochures, handouts, and random things you picked up from different tables. Carefully go through it all and keep what’s important or what was interesting to you.
- Follow up. Use the contact information you collected and shoot a quick email to your favorite companies.
- Keep up with dates/deadlines. Whether it’s the date of the next time that company will be back on campus or the deadline to fill out an application, make sure you write them down. It’s so easy to let an opportunity slip away because you forgot got a date/deadline.
Even if you’re not ready for an internship or full-time position or think that you don’t qualify, freshmen and sophomores who take the time to introduce themselves and take the initiative to learn more about the organization impress employers. More than likely that same recruiter will be back next year and may remember you. That’s how I got one of my internships! So please don’t exclude yourself and go check out some of the available opportunities out there.