Career Fairs offer a forum where representatives from a variety of businesses and organizations gather under one roof and make themselves available to students, answering questions about their company, and their current and future employment needs. Also called Job Fairs, Job Expos, Career Information Days, and Career Information Conferences, each organization sets up a "booth" where they provide information in a variety of ways. Each organization also comes with its own focus. Some may be providing information only, and some may be looking for actual candidates to interview later for specific openings.
The annual Career Conference at UW-Eau Claire is free to attendees and focuses mostly on information sharing. Representatives are available to talk with you about the services and products of their respective organizations and to answer any of your questions. Those that are actually looking for candidates for part-time, full-time, summer, or internship openings may have job descriptions and applications available and may take your resume.
Who Should Attend UW-Eau Claire's annual Career Conference?
Everyone! Because of its focus on information gathering, our career fair has something for everyone regardless of major. Freshmen and sophomores can get a first glimpse of the world of work after college. Since each booth is set up to educate people about products and services, browsers are welcome. If you are curious but not ready for the job market, you may wish to come and just browse. Something you see or hear may help you to make your major or career decision later. Juniors and seniors may attend as browsers also, but if you are thinking about getting an internship or if you will be graduating soon your focus may be different. You may wish to show yourself as a potential candidate for some specific opening. To do so, you need to be prepared.
What Can I Do Before a Career Fair?
There are several things you can do early to help you be more prepared on conference day.
Prioritize Your Interests: As soon as the list of participating employers is available, begin to prioritize. Who would you most like to meet? make sure your schedule allows you time to meet representatives at these organizations first.
Write a Letter to Communicate Your Interest: Consider writing to organizations in which you are particularly interested ahead of time. Tell them you will be attending the fair and wish to make contact with them. If you want you may also enclose a copy of your resume.
Research Interesting Organizations: Check the Career Discovery Center for information about the organizations in which your are interested. You cannot research too much.
Go Prepared: This means arriving at the conference dressed appropriately, ready to talk about yourself, and armed with copies of a well-written resume.
How Can I Make the Most of My University's Career Fair?
To get the most out of a career fair you must first decide why you are going. What is it you hope will happen as a result of your attending? Simply attending job fairs is not enough. If you are to make every minute at the the fair count, planning and preparation is required. Below are four of the most common reasons for attending a career fair. In addition to these suggestions, you should also be creative and think of additional ways you might utilize the conference for your personal benefit.
For Information: You are unsure about choosing a career field and want to use the conference as a way to explore different careers and employers. Your Strategy: Approach employers, introduce yourself, and tell them you are currently making some career/academic choices and wish to know more about their organization and the career opportunities they typically offer. They will give you general information about: their mission, their services and products, and provide you with their literature.
To Network: You have a career area in mind but most of the employers at the conference are not recruiting for this area. Your Strategy: Identify and select employers who might potentially use your career field. Introduce yourself and tell them you know they are recruiting for _______ but that you are interested in ______. Ask if their organization could provide you with the name of a contact person for this area. The representative may offer to forward your name and/or resume to the appropriate person but that you should still try to get the contact's name and follow up yourself after the conference.
To Help You Choose: You know what you want to do and there are organizations providing opportunities in your area but you don't know which employers you are interested in pursuing. Your Strategy: Select the employers recruiting for your field, identify factors involved in making your choice, prepare questions for each employer covering these factors, and approach the employers. Introduce yourself, give some of your background, state your purpose, and ask questions. Collect literature about the organization. Be prepared to provide your resume and answer possible questions from them. Take notes after each encounter so you can compare them to each other later.
To Target a Specific Organization: You know the career area you want to pursue and you know which employers you are interested in. Your strategy: prepare your resume carefully with these organizations in mind. Prepare and practice a good introduction of yourself. Identify where each of these employers are located at the conference, and prioritize. Approach each representative, smile, shake hands, and introduce yourself. Present your resume and highlight the qualifications which you feel are most relevant to the job. Maintain eye contact and good listening skills. Thank the representative when you are finished and be sure to follow up with a thank you letter.
The important thing is knowing what you want and planning in such a way that results in the desired outcome.
What Else Can I Do?
Focus: Analyze your interests, skills, and work values and determine your career focus before you attend the career conference. It is up to you to sell employers on your qualifications. Know the types of skills that employers are most interested in. In a recent study, over 74% of executives indicated that good communication and people skills were the job skills most lacking in new job candidates. You can avoid this perception by thoroughly preparing.
Dress Appropriately: Consider your purpose for attending the conference and dress accordingly. If you wish to be seen as a serious candidate, dress like one. If you are looking for information or networking, it is possible that the new "business casual" look could be appropriate. Looking like a student who just happened by may gain you some information but you will not create a professional impression.
Emphasize Your Strengths: Employers are interested in knowing why you believe you are qualified to be considered for employment by their organization. This means you should focus on your strengths. It is not a good time to apologize for what you might consider to be shortcomings. You don't need to apologize for your major, GPA, lack of activities, or lack of work experience.
Look, Listen, Learn: Use your best communication skills. Give each representative a firm handshake, good eye contact, and listen carefully to everything they say to you. Prepare some questions to ask and plan what you want to say ahead of time.
Smile and Have a Good Time: Relax and enjoy yourself. This is not a make or break event. Don't be intimidated - the representatives have come for the purpose of sharing information with you as well as learning about you. Collect information, literature, free give-aways, and most of all - have fun.
Follow Up with Thank You Letters: The purpose of thank you letters is not just to say thank you and should always be written. At the the same time they demonstrate good manners and appreciation, they also serve the purpose of putting your name in front of them again and reminding them of your continued interest in them.