Throughout the Fall and Spring Semesters, several career expos will be sponsored by The Career Center. At these career expos, you can come in contact with many employers in a few short hours. You can speak with the organization representatives about career opportunities and present your qualifications for positions you may be seeking. In other words, it is a valuable opportunity to start and/or enhance your job search network.
At all career expositions, employers will be looking for candidates who are professional, articulate, career-directed, and prepared. They are attending career expos to look for potential employees. Many are using career expos as a pre-recruiting screening tool. Therefore, you should present yourself to them as a prime candidate. This means preparing for the career day experience. To make the most out of career expos, we recommend that you:
- Prepare your resume and have several copies available to bring with you that day. If you need assistance in preparing a resume, attend the resume workshops offered by The Career Center, review the information in this guide, and have a career advisor review your resume.
- Dress as you would for a job interview. You want to present the best image possible... jeans, sweats, and backpacks won’t do it. You will only have a few minutes to present yourself as a candidate; positive first impressions are vital.
- Identify the organizations with which you are interested in speaking. You may want to tour the arena and make contact with all the organizations to learn more about them and what they have to offer. Do not eliminate opportunities due to lack of information or erroneous, preconceived stereotypes.
- Introduce yourself to the representative in a positive and confident manner; offer a firm handshake; state your name, your major, and the year you are graduating.
- Tell the recruiter what your interests are, such as:
- discussing a particular position or job with that organization
- learning more about the organization and available opportunities
- discussing co-op/internship or summer job opportunities
- Give the representative a resume and be ready to discuss your background, qualifications, and career goals. Ask what you should do to apply for a position.
- Think of questions you want answered regarding your area(s) of interest.
Take notes on what you learn. Some questions might be:
- What are common career paths with your organization?
- What is the training program for new hires?
- What do you look for in a candidate?
- Make sure you obtain the representative’s name, title, address, and phone number so you may follow up. Collect business cards and literature. After the career exposition, you should make it a point to follow up with an additional resume, a letter expressing your interest in the organization and what they have to offer.
