Why Attend a Career Fair? Here's why!

Career fairs are a very important step in your search for potential job opportunities after graduation and summer internships. Many college campuses will host a career fair, where employers from the area, or even from around the country, come to campus in search of employees for internships and full time jobs. Check your college Career Services for a list of dates, locations, and times. Some schools will gear these fairs to your specific majors such as Engineering, Business, Industry & Technology, Human/Social Services, Education, Health/Wellness, Government, Agriculture and Life Sciences. Other schools will list it as a Career, Internship, and Graduate & Professional School Fairs. If your campus hosts a career fair, it’s a good idea to attend, regardless of what year in school you are.

My son recruits for a company in Iowa and has given me a couple of helpful hints to share when talking with potential employers.
  • Practice a 30 second pitch to sell yourself on why you would be valuable to an organization. 
  • Employers struggle with people not being able to communicate effectively. So practice, practice, practice and sell yourself. 
  • Make a good impression right from the start-dress professionally! 
  • Recruiters see over 200+ students over a 10 hour fair, so the more you stand out the better chance you have in getting a call back. 
Freshmen: Start to get a feel for the career fair environment. Set a goal of talking to three employers, and ask them general questions about their company and what they look for in employees. This will help you formulate some ideas about what you’re looking for in a potential career or internship, and help you determine what skills you should be building throughout your time in college. It will also help with you gain confidence in your ability to interact with others in the job

Sophomores and Juniors: Seek out internship opportunities. Talk to several companies about potential internships and be flexible -- an opportunity might not be what you’d envisioned, but it could be a great way to develop new skills. Bring updated copies of your resume and make sure engage company reps in conversations about what you could offer as an intern.

Seniors: Go to a career fair with concrete ideas about what you are looking for in a full-time job (position, location, organization), and talk to companies with positions that meet your criteria. Do some research ahead of time and choose specific companies to speak to. Bring updated copies of your resume and be confident in expressing your interest in the company.

No matter your age or what you’re hoping to get from your career fair experience, make sure to show up prepared. Dress professionally, have several copies of your resume on hand, and prepare a short pitch that you can give to employers about your qualifications and what you are looking for in a job or internship.

Good Luck!



Cindy - ICAN Hiawatha Center