Six Post Career Fair Tips

You did it! You attended a career fair. Congratulations on taking a positive step forward in your career journey!

Do you know what your next steps are? What you do after the fair is almost as important as attending the fair itself. Take a look at these tips to keep the momentum going.

Follow up. Follow up with every recruiter. Be sure to pay attention to the directions they gave you. If one employer said to send your documents but another said to check Handshake in a week for a posting, you don’t want to confuse their instructions.

Track your contacts. Develop a tracking method so it’s easy to see how many positions you are interested in, have applied to, are interviewing with, etc. Excel is a great way to track this information.

Check your voicemail. Sounds obvious, but this can make or break your relationship with an employer. Make sure your voicemail sounds professional when employers start connecting with you.

Tailor/customize your resumes and cover letters. Make sure you tailor your resumes and cover letters with experiences that relate most to each position and organization. Need help with this step? Attend our weekly drop-in hours and bring a copy of the position description.

Practice interviewing. Brush-up on your interview skills so you are prepared for this next step. Use Big Interview as a resource to practice. You can also attend an upcoming workshop or schedule a practice interview with a career coach.

Keep moving forward! Continue networking and conducting informational interviews to learn more about industries of interest and what internships or entry-level positions are out there. Check Handshake regularly for upcoming events and information sessions with employers. Join Eagle Exchange to connect with alumni and grow your professional network.

Did you not find what you were looking for at the career fair? It’s ok, we have many other opportunities to network with employers throughout the year, including industry-specific alumni panels, information sessions, and more. We recommend joining a Career Cluster that suits your interests to find out about upcoming events as well as to get resources for your job/internship search.

For additional inspiration, check out this blog post written by one of our past Peer Career Coaches.

—By Scott Carroll, Assistant Director, Marketing and Digital Engagement