Making the Most of Career Fairs

Along with classes and clinical rotations starting up, the fall semester also brings another staple of any student’s journey: career fairs. While the thought of trying to pitch yourself to a hall full of recruiters can seem daunting, it is also an opportunity to network, learn more about all the avenues your profession offers, and sharpen your interview skills. Whether it is a local career fair put on by your school or a national convention with hundreds of potential employers, here are five quick tips to help you take full advantage of any job fair.

Dress Professionally

This first one may seem like common sense, but it can often be the most crucial. Even before you get the chance to demonstrate your perfect handshake and flawless elevator pitch, your first impression to employers will be how you dress yourself. If you attend a career fair wearing jeans and a t-shirt, you may give off the wrong vibe to a potential employer. Business casual or business formal are always great options when attending a career fair. You may also be walking a lot between vendor booths, so make sure to wear comfortable (but professional) footwear to save your feet.

Do your Research

A little research can go a long way. You don’t have to know every detail and mission statement of every company in attendance, but make sure to look through the list of what companies will be there in advance. For the ones that interest you, prepare a few questions to ask when you talk with them in person. This will show the recruiter that you’re genuinely interested in working for their company and will drive the conversation more towards what you’re looking for in a future employer, too.

Don’t Travel in Packs

It may feel more comfortable to go from booth to booth with a group of friends, but you will get much more value out of your time if you venture off on your own. Not only will this allow you to only talk to vendors that you are actually interested in, but you will stand out much more if you are able to have a one-on-one conversation with a recruiter. Recruiters will be more likely to remember you and follow-up with someone who they talked to individually versus someone who was in a pack of four or five students.

Continue the Conversation

Most employers will ask you for contact information when you visit their booth so that they can follow-up with you when they get back to the office, but it is never a bad idea for you to take the first step. Even if it is just a simple follow-up email thanking them for being at the career fair, a gesture like that can go a long way in showing that you’re serious about a future with their company. Another way to stand out is to have a professional resume prepared or business cards printed out. This allows the recruiter to have something tangible to take back and remember you by and is another way to provide your contact information.

Don’t Wait

It is never too early to start attending career fairs and conventions. Even if you just started your first semester of school, going to job fairs and talking with recruiters can be just as meaningful to you as it is to someone graduating in a few months. Not only will it give you a better idea of the current job market and what to expect down the road, it can also help get those first-time jitters out of your system if career fairs are something that make you nervous.

There are hundreds of other tips that can help you get a leg up during career fairs.  What other advice would you give to students attending career fairs?

Cory Foote is a Student Outreach Coordinator with the Student Outreach division of Aureus Medical Group.