Career fairs can be overwhelming – rows of booths and recruiters, and crowds of students all vying for summer internships. But when approached with preparation and confidence, these career fairs can be a ticket to a summer internship and even full-time employment opportunities. What does it take to make it happen?
1. Do your Homework
Career fairs aren’t a college class, but doing your homework is still the way to succeed! That means researching the attendees and making a short list of those you’d most like to talk to – with a list of thoughtful questions to ask about the recruiter’s company, personal experience and background, and advice for applications.
Go above and beyond by printing out copies of your resume or even business cards to leave behind with recruiters.
Extra Credit: Email or message recruiters that will be attending beforehand introducing yourself and mentioning your interest in meeting at the career fair, or even for a coffee chat afterward!
2. Leave a Lasting Impression
The truth is, the value of a career fair is in establishing a personal connection with a recruiter. While you can also use fairs to get information about internships and employment opportunities, this information is readily available online, so the relationships you build are more likely to help you land the internship.
Prepare an elevator pitch – be prepared to introduce yourself, and summarize what you bring to the table for a summer internship or employment opportunity, including your skills and experiences. You’ll want to keep it between 30 seconds and a minute, because career fairs are busy! You want to say hello to several recruiters, and recruiters want to meet several students!
Extra Credit: Set up an appointment with your career fair to get advice on your elevator pitch and resume, so you can nail it before the career fair!
3. Follow-up on your New Connections
A one-time meeting will rarely be enough to help you in the recruiting process. Ending your conversation with a quick question – “any chance you’d be available for a 15 min chat about opportunities at your firm?” – and following up with a LinkedIn request or email can help you push the connection further.
After one or two meetings of getting to know each other, you may even be able to ask the recruiter to be a reference for you, boosting your application to the top of the pile!
Extra Credit: Follow up within 24 hours with a personalized thank you note and ask for next steps (perhaps a coffee chat or Zoom meeting – making it super easy for the recruiter to accept by providing a scheduling link!). Within a week, if you don’t hear back – follow up again!
How Career Fairs can pay off
Completing these three steps may seem like a lot of work compared to just showing up – but that’s what will make you stand out relative to the hundreds of other students that may be attending!
By doing your research in advance, leaving a strong impression with a polished elevator pitch, and following up, you can turn brief meetings into meaningful connections that give you a leg up in the recruiting process.
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