It’s Career Fair Day!

You walk into the designated building and quickly realize you have NO IDEA what you’re supposed to do now. Panic sets in. You’re hyperventilating. The room is spinning. Where’s the exit?! Get me out of here!!

Okay, wake up! It’s just a bad dream. You can breathe easy: Career Fair Day is still a few weeks away, and you have plenty of time to figure this thing out. Lucky for you, I’ve come up with a handy-dandy “game day” strategy to help you make the most of a Career Fair. 🙂 Here ’tis…

1) Write a FANTASTIC resume.

These recruiters will be handed a stack of resume a mile high by the end of the day. What is it about YOURS that will stand out? If you’re a college student or recent graduate looking for tips, be sure to check out this post and snag the free resume template and tip sheet created just for you! (If you’re a stay-at-home parent or career-changer, grab your free resume template & tipsheet here!)

FREE Resume Template & Tip Sheet

 

Once you have a good draft started, be sure to stop by your on-campus Career Services office and let one of the professional staff give your resume a once-over. They’ve likely been doing resumes and career advising a long time, plus they have relationships with the recruiters coming to the fair. Take advantage of their expertise and insider knowledge!

If you are swamped with everything else in life and have no time to figure out how to write your resume, contact a professional resume writer — like me! We can take the writing burden off your plate, collaborate with you on your schedule to make sure everything is accurate, and have your resume Career Fair ready in no time!

** Please note: I no longer offer resume writing services, but I do include professional guidance & feedback on your resume through my Career Coaching programs! Click here to learn more!

2) Print MULTIPLE copies of your resume to hand out.

Once you have a GREAT resume ready to go, look through the listing of what companies and recruiters will be at the fair and note how many you would like to talk to. Print AT LEAST that many copies, plus several extras. Consider printing as many as 10 extra, if the fair is pretty good size. You never know when an engineering firm might be hiring a marketing manager or a summer camp might be looking for a website design intern. Sometimes golden opportunities come in completely random places! Being armed with more than enough resumes allows you to be spontaneous with whom you decide to visit and shows you care enough to prepare ahead of time.

3) Prioritize which companies you want to talk to.

Wandering aimlessly through the fair is not going to be your best use of time. Most Career Services offices will make the complete list of attending employers available online or in print a day or two before the fair. Download the directory or stop by the office and grab a hardcopy. Mark the companies that interest you, then go back through and rank them in terms of most interesting to least. You’ll use this prioritized list in both Steps #4 and #5.

4) Research & plan questions for each company.

Take some time to research those companies you’re interested in. What are they about? Is the job you’d like to apply for posted on their website in greater detail? Do you know the name of the recruiter they’re sending? Can you look up his or her bio? Do you have anything in common with the recruiter? (You may not know this information going in, but sometimes you get lucky!)

Once you’ve done your research, come up with 2-3 specific questions to ask each recruiter that a) shows you’ve done your homework on the position and the company, b) you’re seriously interested in the position and not just stopping by out of boredom, and c) you’re capable of holding an intelligent conversation. (Have you ever totally frozen when trying to talk to an important person in your world? It’s best to come prepared — not everyone does, so it makes a great impression!)

5) Plan your route.

Once you get to the fair, the staff will likely have a map of the facility with locations of booths or tables for each employer. Take a few minutes before you dive in to strategically plan your route through the building or room. Try to start with the companies you are MOST interested in, so you don’t come to the end of the day and realize you never got around to visiting with XYZ Company that you are REALLY interested in. (This point is especially important if it’s a HUGE Career Fair in an extremely large building or conference center. No sense getting lost if you don’t have to!)

As you go through your planned route, if the next employer on your list is swamped with other candidates, make a note on your directory to come back to them, and go on to the next one on your list. Just remember to circle back as soon as you notice an opening, and don’t get sidetracked from talking to those high-priority recruiters on your list!

6) Get business cards.

In order to REALLY make the most of a Career Fair, remember to always ask for the recruiters’ business cards after you’ve talked with them. Not only does it give you an easy way to send a follow-up card or email, but it also gives you space to write down your impressions. Make notes on the back of the card as soon as you leave the table. Write down anything you’ll want to remember later — what you talked about, what comments stood out for you, and any follow-up questions you may have. After talking to a bazillion employers in just a few hours, I can pretty much guarantee your brain will be so fried you won’t remember specific details from any of them. Write down ANYTHING you need or want to remember!

7) Send thank you emails as soon as humanly possible.

When scheduling your time for Career Fair Day, be sure to include time for writing follow-up/thank you emails. If you can sit down and send them the moment you get home or back to your room, you’ll stand a greater chance of a) remembering what your chicken scratch notes on the business cards mean, and b) actually sending the thank you notes. Once we get back into the “real world,” it’s way easier to just get distracted and forget this detail. But sending follow-ups is important. Make time for it ASAP!

In your notes, thank the recruiters for their time and mention a couple of the things that really stood out to you from your conversation. (This is where your business card notes come in handy!) Let the recruiters know you remember them and other details about the conversation. It makes a huge impression!

8) Complete any applications.

Sometimes a recruiter will offer you a paper copy of an application right there if they think you’re a good fit for the position. Or they may direct you to an online application. Either way, fill out that bad boy and get it sent in PRONTO! Nothing says “I want this job” more than prompt follow-through.

If you’re REALLY lucky, the recruiters may stay in town an extra day to do on-campus interviews. (Sometimes they’ll come to campus BEFORE the Career Fair to do interviews, as well, so be sure to check with your Career Services office about early interview opportunities!) Getting your application in quickly may help you land one of those immediate interview slots, which allows you to leave TWO great impressions on the recruiter within just a few hours. Bonus points for you!

That’s it!

Now you have no reason to be having crazy nightmares about this particular event. Rest easy! You know you can make the most of a Career Fair and be one (or two!) steps closer to a brand new job.

Have you attended a Career Fair before? What did you do that was SUPER helpful? What tips would you offer someone going for the first time?