Career Fair…What?!

I don’t know about you guys but this week has gone by wicked fast. In the weird sense that we haven’t been here that long but it feels like we’ve been here for months already…It feels like everything is creeping up and before we know it it’s going to be the end of A term!!

But beware of this. Deadlines are going to come fast. Exams. Sports games, but most importantly…

THE CAREER FAIR!!!

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Next Wednesday 9/18, companies are coming to the Sports and Rec Center from 12:30-4:30pm to see what YOU can bring to the table. And freshmen, don’t think that you shouldn’t come this. ANYONE can get a job. If you don’t feel ready now, even just going to walk around is a great way to get a feel of what the Career Fair is like. The key to doing well at the Career Fair is this: preparation. You don’t want to just walk in to the Career Fair, start talking to a company and have no idea what to do or say, do you? Here’s some steps to getting off on the right foot so you can be ready for the Fall Career Fair and GET A JOB!!

1. Resume – This is an awesome way to display yourself on paper, some call it a brag sheet. Never written a resume before? Come to our resume workshop to learn how to set it up! Already have a resume but aren’t sure if it’s good enough? The CDC has lots of ways to help you out!! Coming up on 9/12 we’ve got Resumazing where a bunch of employers, staff, and alumni come here to sit down with you, look at your resume, and critique it. This was definitely helpful for me last year. I walked in with a 3 page resume. The one thing they told me was: “Yeah, you’re not supposed to have a resume that’s over a page unless you’re a PhD…” That was embarrassing…There are tons of other ways to get your resume critiqued which can be seen HERE.
2. Practice Your Elevator Speech – What’s that? This is a short (30 – 60 seconds) blurb used to quickly give a description of your professional self. Talk about your education, experiences, how you can contribute to the company, professional goals. A lot of people fall into the trap of talking in script form, but you want this to be conversational. The key to this is to practice. Practice in the mirror, use a
   

   Get yourself out there! Remember: employers were in your spot at one time too.

   recording device and play it back to yourself, practice on a friend, etc. This is the company’s first impression of you and you want to make it a good one!! Here are some examples from our awesome CDC reps Sam and Adam.

3. Do Some Research – Do some digging and learn about what companies are going to be at the Career Fair. Any easy way to do this is to go to Job Finder and look for “2013 Fall Career Fair” under the Events tab. You’ll find tons of information about the company, what they’re looking for, etc.

Companies look for potential employees at WPI for a reason. Remember you are all AWESOME!!! I wish everyone luck and if you have any questions feel free to ask the Peer Advisors by emailing us at cdcpeeradvisors14@wpi.edu! Check out our blogs for awesome career related advice! Good luck!!

~Emily