Connection Job Fair Prep

It’s that time again! Time to meet your future! In person. Don’t be intimidated by that though, this is a very good thing. The Connection Job Fair is a very convenient resource for you and your peers to meet potential employers, to network, and to learn about the opportunity that lies outside of college.

There are few things you should do before just showing up next Tuesday. As always, I have one big piece of advice when it comes to job fairs: RESEARCH.

Research what kind of job or experience you want in your near future, research what employers will be there, research the specific companies you know for sure you want to talk to, research what you should wear, what you should bring, research the appropriate things to ask when speaking to the employers, and research what things they want to hear.

That all sounds like a lot, but when you start, I promise one part of your research will just flow into the next. Plus, it can be a really fun process to become a young business professional!

To make your research load a little lighter, here are a few quick tips I have:

• Pick out a standard outfit that is undoubtedly business professional OR business casual. For business professional, guys this means pants, ladies this means appropriate length skirts or pants. Dress it up with a blazer and you all are good to go! For business casual, a nice top and pants work for men or women, and women can wear a dress or top and skirt. Wear shoes that are not difficult to walk in.
•   Practice your handshake! Remember—firm but not overpowering.
• Make eye contact with the employers—confidence goes a long way in terms of employers seeing potential in you. 
• If it seems fitting, take notes while you speak with them. This shows an investment in what they are saying and it may be information that will become useful for you down the road.
• Have several copies of your resume to hand out to employers as you meet them. Even better, make personalized copies of your resume to hand out to the employers you know you are going to talk to. JUST BE SURE TO HAND THE RIGHT RESUME TO THE RIGHT EMPLOYER.
•  Look up a good 3-5 companies that you definitely want to talk to, learn what their purpose and mission are, what they are looking for in a new employee, and what they have been doing most recently.
• Showing familiarity with a company shows that you have a drive to work for them and gives you the advantage over other candidates.
• Practice your elevator speech
• This is a brief blurb about who you are, what you are doing, and where you want to go. Think of it as what you would say to the CEO of a major company on an elevator ride. Time is ticking and you want to present the best of yourself!

•  Generate some questions to ask employers.
• Ask what employees do on a day-by-day basic, ask about the application process is like for their positions, ask what they enjoy most about working there.
• Forbes has an excellent article about the top 10 questions to ask an employer.
• Relax! It’s just talking and networking at this point, but it’s definitely a great starting point for your career path.

If you have any more questions about how to prepare for the job fair next Tuesday, or even job fairs after that, check out the VT Career Services page at www.career.vt.edu.

Good luck! 

Written by Olivia Brescia, Peer Career Advisor