Career Fair Advice

**MLawrence** · 09-11-2012, 10:02 AM

I will be attending my first career fair in the next couple of days, and I wondering if there is any tips or advice you guys would like to pass on.

**CLONECONES** · 09-11-2012, 10:04 AM

relax and talk to as many people as possible, especially the ones that give out free stuff.

even if the company isn't specifically tied to what you're doing, chat them up anyway - mostly about sports/their city/non-school related items... what worked best for me.

**clone2011** · 09-11-2012, 10:04 AM

What major? Are you looking for a career or an internship? Freshman/sophomore or junior/senior?

**longtimeclone** · 09-11-2012, 10:09 AM

Look for a map of the booths and plan your attack beforehand. Don't waste time by looking around for your booths if it can be helped.
Bring a lot of resumes and have a nice folder
If there is a line move on and talk to someone else you want to
If you feel you are talking to someone too long don't fret about it too much. The more they can remember you by the better when they are looking at resumes.

**Cycl1** · 09-11-2012, 10:09 AM

wear a suit. get as much free stuff as you can. I got a couple of bags of stuff one year. Some company was there with energy drinks and me and my roomate took like 15.

**Cycl1** · 09-11-2012, 10:11 AM

also. print resumes on thicker fancy paper. If you are just going to check it out, then whateves, but if you are looking for a job, research the companies that will be there that you want to work for, so you have something to talk about with them.

**azepp** · 09-11-2012, 10:12 AM

Wear a suit. Employers won't take you seriously if you don't take the career fair seriously enough to put on a suit. Your appearance may not be enough to get you a job, but it can certainly prevent you from getting one.

Practice what you're going to say to the recruiters ahead of time. You don't want to just walk up to them, hand them your resume, then not know what to do next.

Talk to lots of people - if nothing else, it's good practice.

**BirdOfWar** · 09-11-2012, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by CLONECONES

relax and talk to as many people as possible, especially the ones that give out free stuff.

even if the company isn't specifically tied to what you're doing, chat them up anyway - mostly about sports/their city/non-school related items... what worked best for me.

I would 2nd this advice. Some companies don't look for people from a specific major, they are just looking for good people in general. Pella Corp is a good example of this. I know they interview people from just about any major trying to find the right fit.

Even if you don't have much time to stop and chat with people, dropping off resumes is always good.

**tejasclone** · 09-11-2012, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by azepp

Practice what you're going to say to the recruiters ahead of time. You don't want to just walk up to them, hand them your resume, then not know what to do next.

As someone who attends the Career Fair as an employer, it's annoying when kids walk up to you, hand you a résumé, and immediately give you his/her generic pitch about how dedicated, hard-working, go-getting they are... without any regard for the specific jobs you're hiring for.

I'm much more impressed when kids are educated about my company and the jobs that we are hiring for. Makes it a much more meaningful conversation for both parties.

I don't think a full suit is necessary, but you should look clean, put together, professional, and competent.

Don't write a résumé using a generic Word or online template. Take some time to learn how to write and format one yourself. The Career Services departments at each college should be able to help you out with this.

**oldman** · 09-11-2012, 10:19 AM

Do a little research on companies you are really interested in. Then, firm handshake, big smile, and chat 'em up.

**MLawrence** · 09-11-2012, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by clone2011

What major? Are you looking for a career or an internship? Freshman/sophomore or junior/senior?

I'm a recent college graduate with a Media Studies/Broadcast Journalism Major going to sports internship career fair. So the tentative plan right now is hopefully get on as an intern/entry level position, and try to work my way on to a full time position.

**BringBackJohnny** · 09-11-2012, 10:26 AM

Use the two hours that you would spend at the career fair and go onto the ISUCMS site actually submit resumes to the place that fills fulltime positions and internships. Your return on investment will much higher taking this approach. The career fair is just one big dog an pony show that really does not accomplish much beyond employers getting their name out there to ensure they have a steady stream of applicants for the entry level positions into the future.

**MLawrence** · 09-11-2012, 10:27 AM

Thanks for the advice, guys. I plan on wearing suit, bringing a pad folio, and in the process of making business cards. For employers that have been to career fairs, one piece of advice that someone gave me was to print the resume on different color paper to make your resume stick out better. Do you recommend this advice?

**oldman** · 09-11-2012, 10:30 AM

I'm okay with maybe a beige color or something like that. But most importantly for a resume, IMO, is proper use of words, good grammar and punctuation. Any errors wind up in my waste basket. If a potential employee can't even get their resume right, I will not be hiring them.

**bawbie** · 09-11-2012, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by MLawrence

Thanks for the advice, guys. I plan on wearing suit, bringing a pad folio, and in the process of making business cards. For employers that have been to career fairs, one piece of advice that someone gave me was to print the resume on different color paper to make your resume stick out better. Do you recommend this advice?

I've looked at a ton of resumes and never once have I considered the color of paper they were printed on. Make it look nice and professional, that's what really matters.