Career fairs are common occurrences at universities. How, though, can students best prepare for them? This presentation briefly touches upon a handful of topics students can focus on to be more prepared than other fellow student job-seekers.

1. How To Prepare For A Career Fair
By: Alicia Jessop
September 17, 2013

2. A Career Fair Is Like A First Date
• Think of a career fair as your initial introduction
to what may be a future employer
• How do you approach people you meet initially
when there is a possibility for long-term
commitment?
– Dress for the job you want
– Be courteous, energetic and polite
– Ask appropriate questions
– Relay appropriate information about yourself

3. How do I prepare for the career fair?
• The Career Services Office has a list of
employers who will be attending the career fair.
– Scan this list and identify employers of interest to you
• Identify what types of jobs the employer you’re
interested in is hiring for.
• If possible determine who from the employer will
be present at the career fair.
– Research this person’s background using the
employer’s website and LinkedIn.

4. Why do I need to know which
employers are coming and which of
their employees they are bringing?
• Simply put: To be prepared as possible.
• The more you know about the company
and/or people you will be talking to, the
better prepared you will be to engage in
worthwhile conversation that can land you
an interview.

5. So, I did my research. What does
the conversation look like?
• Let’s say that your research reveals that
the Miami Marlins are coming to the
career fair. One of the jobs they are trying
to fill is for a marketing position. The
person from the organization who will be
at career fair majored in marketing in
college, held various internships
elsewhere and worked her way up to her
current job.

6. So, I did my research. What does
the conversation look like?
• Knowing what job the organization is
wanting to fill and who they are sending to
find potential candidates gives you a leg
up. You know the person you will be
speaking to is interested in marketing, as
that’s her background. At this point, you
should look to find commonalities between
what the organization is looking for and
what you can offer, as well as between
you and the organization’s representative.

7. So, I did my research. What does
the conversation look like?
• The commonalities you have located in your
research should arise in your conversation in a
way that seems organic and natural to the
person you are speaking with.
– I.E., “One of my passions is marketing. Last
semester I took a sports marketing class that I think
prepared me very well for a potential career in sports
marketing, because we learned X, Y and Z and/or did
projects related to 1, 2 and 3.”
– NOT: “So, I checked you out on LinkedIn. It’s cool
that you liked marketing too.”
– REMEMBER: This is like a first date, and even if you
cyber stalked, you don’t want to look like a creep job.

8. Why else do I need to research
before attending?
• Because you need to bring resumes.
• In an ideal world, you tailor your resume
specifically for every job you apply to.
• When you’re meeting with 20+ employers
in one day at a career fair, that may not be
possible.

9. Why else do I need to research
before attending?
• Like your conversation, your resume
should demonstrate how your unique
experience and skill set addresses the
needs and wants of the employer.
• You determine what these needs and
wants are by researching the employer
and/or the job opening.

10. Tailoring your resume
• A resume is more than a bullet point list of
things you’ve done professionally and
academically.
• Think of your resume as your first and last
shot of getting the job of your dreams.
• As such, it’s important that your resume
communicates everything about you that
is relevant to the employer and job you are
seeking.

11. Tailoring your resume
• Employers care most about what you can
do for them.
• Given this, it is important that your resume
uses language that demonstrates what
you can bring to the table.

12. Tailoring your resume
– Ex: You may think all that you did at a job is
answer phones. As such, you may be
tempted to put on your resume, “Answered
phones.” DON’T DO THAT!
– Think about what you were really doing when
answering the phone:
• Providing customer services
• Addressing customer’s questions and concerns
• Serving as a liaison for the organization to the
general public

13. Tailoring your resume
• On your resume, “Answering phones”
should read:
• “Provided customer service by addressing
fans’ concerns in an efficient and
customer-driven manner.”

14. What if I don’t have a resume to tailor?
• Some of you may not have job experience
yet.
– That’s ok.
• However, after you leave this room, it’s
time to change that.
• Now is the time to begin searching for
internships.
• If you cannot find an internship, you need
to begin volunteering at sporting events.

15. What if I don’t have a resume to tailor?
• Along with interning and volunteering, it’s
important that you perform well in the
classes related to what you want to do
after graduating.
• Additionally, it’s never to early to begin
building a network.

16. What does networking look like?
• Networking seems like some scary,
unattainable beast.
• What it really is about, is building
relationships.
• How do you build relationships?
– By showing interest
– By being consistent
– By finding commonalities

17. What should my networking
approach be at the career fair?
• Bring resumes & dress appropriately
• Engage in appropriate conversation with the
organization’s representatives
– Show interest
– Show your knowledge of the organization and what they
need
– Ask relevant questions
• How can students become involved with the organization?
• What is the best piece of advice you would give someone like me
who is interested in pursuing a career similar to yours?
• What is the one thing you did that best prepared you for this job?
• If you could change anything about the way you approached your
career search in college, what would it be?

18. What should my networking
approach be at the career fair?
• Ask the person you spoke with for their business
card
• Within 24 hours, drop that person an email
thanking them for taking the time to visit campus
and speak with you
• Every so often, check in with the person to
discuss relevant topics related to their line of
work
– Remind them of who you are and where you met

19. After the career fair
• Reflect upon your experience
– What surprised you about what employers
were looking for?
– How do your credentials stack up to what
employers are looking for?
– What could you have done to better prepare?
– What did you learn about what it is that you
ultimately want to do for a job?