Career Fair Countdown

The Career Fair is in 10 days! That means you still have over a week to get ready. Here’s a quick breakdown of everything you should know and do before the fair.

The Spring 2018 Career Fair is on February 15th, in the Sports and Recreation Center from 12PM to 4PM. You can pre-register for the career fair on February 13th from 9AM-4PM in Campus Center, or on February 14th from 9AM-4PM in the Salisbury Labs Lounge, or you can register on the day of; it’s up to you.

So what do you do now? 

1) Do your research

The list of companies attending can be found on Handshake. When you research companies, look at what they do, the products/services they offer, their industry, and any open positions they have. You should also consider why you would be a good fit for the company, and come up with some specific company questions to ask, to highlight your interest. Handshake is a great place to start, but check out company websites and social media accounts, too.

2) Update your resume

Make sure that all of your experiences, project work, and activities support your objective. The tipsheets are a great place to start as you make your edits. You can also come into the CDC for Drop-In hours from 10AM-4PM Monday thru Friday (remember to bring a hard copy!).

3) Apply to posted jobs

If you find a job posting you’re interested in, apply! This looks great to employers because it shows your interest and initiative. If you cannot find a job posting, you can also inquire about positions in person at the career fair!

4) Practice your elevator pitch

An elevator pitch is a brief, professional introduction of who you are, your experiences, your skills, and what type of experience or position you’re looking for. You’ll use your elevator pitch when introducing yourself to employers, so try to keep it to under a minute long. I find that when I write my elevator pitch out and practice it, either in the mirror or to my friends, I feel less stressed about it and more prepared.

5) Be open minded

You never know where the next awesome opportunity will come from, and any experience can help you in the future, so be open minded to all the different career paths available.

6) Physically get ready

Get your outfit and everything you need to bring ready in advance. To make the a great impression, dress more on the formal side. Don’t forget your student ID, your nametag if you pre registered, your resume (print extra copies!), a pen and paper, a nice folder or padfolio, and business cards if you have them. You can also download the career fair app, which allows you to favorite companies, read about them, and find their tables on the fair map. The app is available for Android & Apple; search The Fairs App.

7) Don’t forget to have fun!

This is your opportunity to meet people in your potential field; odds are you’ll have a lot to talk about. If you have anxiety like I do, here’s some advice a good friend of mine once gave me:

“Think of it this way – it’s only a few hours. You can do anything for a few hours”

Good Luck! Here’s some tipsheets you might find helpful: Resume Writing, Elevator Pitch, Career Fairs

[avatar user=”lafarris” size=”100″ align=”left” link=”https://wp.wpi.edu/cdc/author/lafarris/”]Click Lauren to read about The Virtual Life Sciences Career Fair![/avatar]

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