5 Tips to Make the Most of the Career Fair 

Planning your participation in a career fair will help you make the most of your time and get the most out of your experience. Planning can help you meet employers you are most interested in and be prepared with an introduction of yourself.  

Here are 5 tips to plan your participation 

  • Research employers to pinpoint who you want to meet. You might feel inclined to wander through and see who’s there the day of – but you wouldn’t go to Coachella with that plan or you’d miss out on an artist you really want to see! Career fairs are busy and a lot to navigate once you enter, so picking 3-4 employers ahead of time who you want to talk with will ensure you will meet with employers you are most interested in, plus you’ll still meet others along the way. Start your research now by viewing employers who are attending on Handshake. Last thing – make sure to see what days they signed up for. 
  • Research jobs so you can talk about the opportunities. Ok, let’s say you’ve found an employer you are interested in – next – look at what positions they are hiring for. Asking “I saw you have a Digital Strategy intern position and one of the descriptions was analyzing success of campaigns. Can you tell me what campaigns you are currently running?” is much more impressive and memorable than “what positions are you hiring for?” 
  • Develop a pitch to introduce yourself This part is a little easier because you can start doing this – today! Use the self introduction worksheet for some strategies, and find ways to practice leading up to the career fair. You can also meet with a peer coach.  
Self Introduction WorksheetDownload
  • Attend a career development workshop to prepare for the fair. Workshops are tailored to help students prepare for the fair and are offered virtually and in person. Workshops include: Get Resume Ready, Interviewing Best Practices, Optimizing Your LinkedIn, and Kickstart Your Internship Search. Register for upcoming workshops in Handshake.  
  • Create a day-of game plan. If you’ve done the steps above, you’re ready! Bring copies of your resume, determine who you want to meet first, and visit us at the beginning of the fair to meet with a peer coach to do a final pitch practice, or get help navigating employer locations. See you there!