How to Work a Job Fair

February 20, 2019

Prepare for Upcoming Job Fairs

By Katrina Clymer, Academic Advising Professional

Attending a job fair gives you the opportunity to shop job options after college. These events showcase national and regional employers from various industries who are looking to engage with the next crop of employees; hey, that’s you! Working the job fair is key- you’ll want to do your research, prepare your resume, and dust off your networking skills to make the job fair work for you.

Do your research: In most cases, fair organizers will release the list of employers attending the fair. Here’s your chance to really shine. Check out the list and find the companies that you are most interested in meeting. Google them. What are they all about? Have they been in the news? Having a talking point ready shows the employer you did your research, you are invested in your future, and would likely be a good candidate for their company.

Prepare your resume: Once you’ve completed your research and targeted a few employers, take a look at your resume. Do you need to update contact info? How about skills or work history? Tailor your resume to your audience- Get rid of any irrelevant information. Make sure your resume is easy to review quickly; a recruiter typically spends 25 seconds scanning a resume. Use bold, italicized, and bulleted options to guide the reader’s eye to the most important parts of your resume. Consider having your resume printed on resume quality paper and picking up a portfolio to keep your document crisp until the hand-off.

Ready, Set, Network: Why is it so important? Networking is key when you are job hunting and will be a huge part of your professional career.  Increasing your number of contacts, increases potential opportunities, which improves your chances of getting hired. At a job fair you are presented with multiple opportunities to get your name in the pool. Have plenty of resumes or business cards available to hand out to existing and new contacts.

Upcoming Job Fairs & Networking Events:

Thursday, 2/21/19
Network Like a Pro Juggling Tapas & Mock-Tails
Hilton Garden Inn
5:30 pm -7 pm

Tuesday, 2/26/19
Engineering & Technology Job Fair
UW Union – Yellowstone Ballroom -10 am – 3 pm

Wednesday, 2/27/19
Big Job Fair
UW Union – Yellowstone Ballroom -10 am – 3 pm
 

 

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