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6 Things To Do Before A Career Fair

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It’s that time of year already…NCAA College Football season!! While that is correct, it’s also career fair season and employers are getting ready to hit the road to seek out top talent just like you! The one thing you don’t want to do is get lost in the shuffle and not take advantage of it all. It can be easy to bury your head in your studies, be looking for the next party, or simply procrastinate, but if you are seriously looking for employment, the career fair is the best place to start! Here is a list of 6 things you should do before a career fair to make sure you will be a standout:

1. Schedule your day appropriately
You should know how much time you will have to attend. Make sure you take care of anything with classes, tests, work, and group meetings beforehand.

2. Know who is going to be there and do your research
There is usually a list available of all the companies that are going to attend the fair. Do a little research on the companies that you are interested in so that you can be better informed when talking to recruiters.

3. Map out where each company will be located
Career fairs can be crowded with long lines. If you have access to a map showing where the companies will be set up, it can help you navigate and be more strategic while you are there instead of aimlessly walking through the crowds.

4. Prepare clothes
Get your business attire clothes out the night before and get them ironed and cleaned then. The last thing you want to do is wake up the morning of the career fair and realize that your suit has been stuffed at the bottom of your closet since move-in day.

5. Update Resume
Make sure your resume is updated with your most recent experience. This includes, study abroad programs, internships, volunteering, extracurriculars, and other work experience.

6. Have an elevator speech prepared
Be prepared to talk about who you are (major, minors, graduation date, etc…) and what you do (special skills, work experience, etc…) in about a 30-45 second time frame. Recruiters want to get a good snapshot of who you are and the more clear and concise you can be the better impression you will leave. I suggest practicing this in front of a mirror to get comfortable.

The earlier you start preparing for the career fair, the easier things will come together. Take the time to get prepared and make sure you come back to The LI$T for things to do the day of the career fair. Now we want to hear from you! What are ways you get prepared?

-CKB