Career Fair Tips?

[Kwyjibo]

So tomorrow is the business career fair for my school, well the next three days actually and I'm pretty pumped and nervous about it. I'm a sophomore studying finance and I'm looking around for a summer internship, i've got a relatively high GPA so I think that I have definite opportunities if I can make a good impression. I've already have Jef review my resume and said it was pretty good. So my question is that with such a large community some of you must know what a recruiter wants to hear / see at this type of event and some good questions to ask, so can anyone offer me any insight into these areas.

kwyjibo

[themadchemist]

Hmm...Dress nicely, make sure your resumé is printed on nice paper, make eye contact, give people a good handshake, and ask informed questions. That means you should do a little research on the companies beforehand--This shows that you are prepared and genuinely interested. Also, be ready to talk about the more interesting things on your resumé. My roommate, for example, gained a lot of ground by talking about the chess club he started. Also, see if you can find common ground between you and the recruiter. A lot of times, the recruiters are employees who graduated from your university; if that's the case, then you may already have some common ground to discuss.

Keep in mind, though, that recruiters are most interested in Juniors and Seniors. Same with internship people. But it's good to get your name and face out there, and to make a connection with these folks early.

[themadchemist]

How did the career fair go? To what companies did you talk?

[Kwyjibo]

I'll write up a list later on maybe, my powerbook died or the hard drive as far as I can tell ...

a few were very receptive, my second day was much better than my first.

[Abstract]

Keep your chin up, don't slouch, and keep eye contact. Shake yer head once in a while.

And if you're both sitting down, don't lean too far back. It means you aren't interested. Sit up straight, but better yet, lean towards the person speaking. Leaning closer to the person speaking shows you are "very" interested in what the person has to say, even if you aren't and can't wait to get home and play Counterstrike. ;)

[jefhatfield]

job fairs can be scary and a job fair is mostly about advertising a company, not finding new employees...the company can do that the other 364 days of the year

but still dress neatly but there is never any need to have a three piece italian suit and try to make a donald trump deal on the spot

remember, job fairs are just introductions, and more than that, just a nice social time killer

the best way to get a job, in this order, are:

1) knowing somebody on the inside
2) knowing somebody who knows somebody on the inside
3) knowing somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody on the inside
4) temp agent
5) newspaper ad
6) industry journal ad
7) internet ad (direct)
8) internet ad (spam)
9) job fair

[saabmp3]

the best way to get a job, in this order, are:

1) knowing somebody on the inside
2) knowing somebody who knows somebody on the inside
3) knowing somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody on the inside
4) temp agent
5) newspaper ad
6) industry journal ad
7) internet ad (direct)
8) internet ad (spam)
9) job fair

Got to agree there. There are tons of job fairs at my school, but it never seems like anybody gets a real job from them.

BEN

[Kwyjibo]

well the first thing is that as a sophomore, its more about learning how the job fair works for the future. I highly doubt that anyone got a job offer at this fair, its not the environment or the purpose, the whole concept was to meet companies and find a mutual fit ... the next steps are hoping I made an impression and using the online recruiting system. I was in my suit and I looked really good, but it was business formal, suits were expected and worn by 95% of students.I felt like I got tons accomplished today and I just finished sending some thank you emails.