With the All Majors Career Fair coming up, students should be preparing to attend the event and talk with prospective employers.
The Georgia Tech Career Center offers a few tips for students attending the fair. Most importantly — mark your calendar for Sept. 8 – 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Campus Recreation Center.
- Attend the fair. This may seem obvious, but not every student does. The Career Fair offers a networking and exploration opportunity for students of all majors. If you get there and speak with a recruiter who is looking for students from a major besides your own, ask if they have colleagues you could contact about opportunities in other areas of their business.
- Practice. Students may know how to practice for an interview, but not for a career fair. Try preparing a 20- to 30-second “elevator pitch” that briefly captures who you are, what you offer, and what you’re looking for. Consider every interaction with a recruiter to be a mini-interview. Practice delivering a smooth pitch, giving a firm handshake, and making eye contact.
- Plan your strategy. To make the most of your time at the fair, review a list of companies attending and identify priority employers to target. Look online at the list of employers attending the fair to see which companies you want to talk with and look up background information on those employers.
- Get — and stay — organized. Have a plan for how to keep everything organized as you get materials during the fair. You can walk out with a lot of business cards and handouts, and it can be overwhelming. Take only the information you need and make notes on the back of business cards or on your phone to remember key discussion points for when you follow up later.
- Follow up. If recruiters instruct you to apply on CareerBuzz or their company’s job board after the fair, be sure to do so promptly. Also, many recruiters use LinkedIn as a resource for filling positions, and students should be visible and active there. Students should ask to connect on LinkedIn with anyone they connected with in person at the fair. Even if the request isn’t accepted, you will have gotten your name in front of the recruiter one more time. The request should be paired with a follow-up email as well. You may make your initial connection face-to-face at the fair, but you may close the deal because you followed up virtually.
Above all, remember that attending the Career Fair is about more than just employment.
Coming out with a solid lead on a job or internship opportunity is a goal, but it’s also about networking and the professional experience of participating in the fair.
“Many employers have shared with the Career Center over the years that they prioritize applications submitted by students who stop by their booths over those who submit online only,” said Laura Garcia, director for Undergraduate Career Education.