1. How To Effectively Prepare For,
and Attend, A Career Fair
Presented by HPU Career
Services Center

2. 8 Tips to Succeed at an HPU Career Fair
• Prepare a Résumé
• Target top five companies
• Create list of questions for employers
• Prepare to answer questions
• Sell yourself
• Communicate personal/professional strengths
• Make a good first impression
• Follow Through
Web Steering Committee Meeting
Prepare, Perform, and
Follow Through!

3. Prepare an Outstanding one-page Résumé
• Bring hard copies and a thumb/flash drive
• List of References
• Don’t be surprised if recruiters don’t take your resume
but advise you to apply on-line
Web Steering Committee Meeting
• Ask for tips on how to stand-out in the application
process

4. Have a name card to pass out
Web Steering Committee Meeting
Vistaprint.com

5. STRATEGIZE…
• Think about your purpose (a job or
internships/COOPS, or industry or company
research)
• Use time wisely by prioritizing “must meet”
employers
 A-list employers
 B-list employers
 C-list

6. PREPARATION
Research
o Prepare a list of questions for each A and B list employer

7. PREPARATION
Prepare & practice 30-second “commercial”
Web Steering Committee Meeting

8. Sample Introduction (Elevator Speech)
1. In one sentence articulate who you are…
 Hello, I am Anita Job, I’m a junior nursing student at
Hawai‘i Pacific University.
2. What are you looking for?
 I’m looking for an internship in a healthcare facility
working in the ER to add to my clinical experience.
Web Steering Committee Meeting
3. What have you done? (List 1-2 experiences that are
relevant to what you are looking for…
 I have completed 150 clinical hours in three different
emergency rooms at three different hospitals
and also work as a Certified Nursing Assistant for a long
term health care facility.

9. 30-Second “Elevator Speech”
“Hi, my name is Mateo Hernandez. I’m studying
marketing at HPU and I’m looking for a full time
marketing position. I have prepared myself for a
career in marketing by gaining invaluable real-world
experience that included travel abroad, internships,
and entrepreneurial Web Steering opportunities. Committee While Meeting
interning
with a private organization in Ecuador this past
summer, I developed a 15-page marketing plan
composed in Spanish that recommended more
effective ways the company could promote its
services.”

10. Prepare to make a good first impression!
 Dress in Business Casual
 Leave the heavy backpack behind (with a
friend, at Career Services Center, at
home)
 Bring a portfolio

11. Business Casual Dress for Women
Skirt, tailored slacks, dress
in neutral colors
Professional-looking blouse
Close-toed shoes
Inappropriate: short skirts,
jeans, tight clothing,
sundresses, open-toed high
heels, facial piercing jewelry,
cleavage, flashy, thin straps,
club attire, beach attire

12. Business Casual Dress for Men
Slacks
Solid or striped button
down, collared shirts, short
or long sleeved
Aloha shirt if appropriate
Dress Shoes
Inappropriate:
untucked shirts, messy hair,
ill-fitting or mismatched
clothing, wrinkles/stains,
obvious tattoos, unusual
hair styles or body piercings

13. This is the time to sell yourself!
• Prepare to answer questions
• Learn to sell yourself
• Identify personal/professional
Web Steering Committee Meeting
strengths you want to communicate

14. You’re on…
Practice with your B-list employers
• Smile
• Convey confidence and approachability
• Offer your hand
• Introduce Yourself

15. A Good Handshake…
• Hands should meet
at the “webbing”
• One or two pumps
• Firm but not too hard
• Make eye contact

16. Professional Attitude
 Shake hands firmly and smile
 Begin your 30 second commercial
 Watch tempo and tone
◦ Not too loud – not too soft!
Web Steering Committee Meeting
 Ask Pertinent Questions
 Show confidence!
 Show interest and knowledge (of the
company, of industry, of your subject
matter)
 Be polite and pleasant

17. You’re on…
 Impress with your professional attitude
 Ask and answer questions
◦ What are the top skills in X position?
◦ What is the entry level position at ABC?
 Sell yourself
 Communicate your top skills (tailored
to the company/position) and
personal/professional strengths

18. End smoothly…
 Thank the employer for his/her time
 Get a business card, company literature
 Ask for protocol to follow-up
 Jot down a few notes about your
conversation (unobtrusively)
Web Steering Committee Meeting
 Don’t monopolize the recruiter

19. After the Career Fair… Follow up!
 Send a Thank You note to communicate
your interest and appreciation
 Be professional but persistent
 Separate yourself from the rest