5 Tips to Master Career Fairs

1. Have an answer to the question “tell me about yourself”

You want to make sure that you can clearly explain who you are and why are interested in a job with this particular company. You can cover what you are graduating at Longwood with and when, what you are passionate about, and why you would be a good asset to the company. You want to avoid anything too personal that won’t pertain to explain why you would be a great employee.

2. Make a list of your top 5 employers and see one that is not on that list FIRST

When you walk into a career fair, find a company that you are not looking to apply at and start a conversation. This will allow you to get some of your nervous feelings out before talking to your dream company. You can practice answering their questions and even get familiar to the fair environment before moving on.

3. Carry a Padfolio

When you attend a career fair you want to expect that you are going to be networking to find a job. This means that the employers are going to ask you for your resume or even give you things for you to read about their company. A professional way to carry around your resumes and also business cards if you have them is through your padfolio.

4. Do your research

You want to make sure that when you introduce yourself to a potential employer you already know about their company. The company will be very impressed if you are able to talk to them about their mission statement and values and how you would further support programs the company has put in place.

5. Say thank-you

When you are done talking to an employer make sure that you thank them for your time, but it is also important to send them an email to tell them you enjoyed meeting them. This gives you a chance to remind them that they met you and start a conversation about what positions may become available with their company in the future.

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