The document provides guidance on maximizing one's experience at a career fair. It recommends preparing in advance by researching companies that will attend, developing a 30-second introduction, and having polished resumes. At the fair, students should introduce themselves professionally, ask insightful questions, and follow up afterwards with any contacts made. The overall goal is for students to learn about career options and potential employment opportunities by networking with employers.

1. Maximizing
Your
Career
Fair
Experience
Cindy
Broderius,
M.Ed.,
NCC
Assistant
Director,
Counseling
&
Programs
January
14,
2015
Career Center

2. Steps
to
Maximizing
Your
Career
Fair
Experience
1. Prepare:
what
to
do
before
a
Career
Fair
2. Ac=on:
what
to
do
at
the
Career
Fair
3. Follow-­‐up:
what
to
do
a(er
a
Career
Fair

3. What
is
a
Career
Fair?
A
career
fair
is
a
forum
where
a
job
seeker
or
career
explorer
meets
with
employers
to
learn
about
career
opKons
and
work
opportuniKes.
The
poten=al
candidate
(you!)
and
the
employer
exchange
informa=on,
assess
if
the
company
could
be
a
good
fit,
and
oPen
a
determinaKon
is
made
as
to
whether
or
not
there
will
be
a
next
step.
The
fair
also
offers
employers
an
opportunity
to
meet
a
large
number
of
poten=al
candidates.

4. What
does
a
Career
Fair
look
like?

5. When
is
the
Career
Fair?
Thursday,
January
22•
10am
to
3pm
•
Wilson
RecreaKon
Center

6. Preparing
for
the
Career
Fair:
Research
1. Check
the
Career
Center
website
for
a
list
of
employers
aVending
the
fair
2. Access
eRecruiKng
for
up-­‐to-­‐date
informaKon:
posKngs?
3. Conduct
employer
research
4. PrioriKze
a
list
of
employers
according
to
your
interest

7. Research:
What
To
Know
about
a
Company
ü Services
&
Products
ü Industry
Standing
ü Customers
ü CompeKtors
ü #
of
Employees
ü Industry
Trends
ü Revenues
ü Projected
growth
ü LocaKons
ü Rankings/RecogniKons
ü News
&
Headlines
ü Training
Program

8. Where
Do
I
Research?
For
Corporate:
•
Employer’s
website
• Hoover’s
online
• Forbes,
The
Wall
Street
Journal,
Business
Week,
Fortune
• CareerBeam
• Duke
Library
Job
&
Career
Research
Guide
e.g.
LexisNexis
For
Government:
• USAjobs.gov
For
Non-­‐Profit:
• Idealist.org

9. And
More
Research!
UKlize
social
networking
sites
to
locate
employers,
research
the
company,
and
learn
about
job
opportuniKes.

10. Prepare:
Polish
Your
Resume
•
Objec=ve:
To
have
or
not
to
have…
•
NOT
merely
a
list
of
job
responsibiliKes
•
DO
highlight
qualificaKons,
skills,
and
accomplishments
•
BRING
10-­‐12
copies
of
your
resume
on
resume
paper
(or
24
lb
white)
•
Don’t
be
offended
if
a
recruiter
does
not
take
your
resume
or
asks
you
to
apply
on
their
website

11. Prepare:
Have
Your
Resume
Cri=qued!
Career
Center
Drop-­‐in
Advising
Hours
in
Smith
Warehouse:
•
Weekly
M-­‐F
1:30pm
to
4:30pm
Resume
Reviews
on
West:
•
January
15
&
16
•
9:30am
to
11am
•
Griffith
Board
Room
in
Bryan
Center

12. Prepare:
Career
Fair
A`re
Source:Tarelton
State
University
Career
Services

13. Prepare:
Be
Smart
Perfume
Cologne
Visible piercings
Tattoos
Cell Phones

14. Prepare:
“30-­‐Second
Intro”
• Also
known
as
an
“elevator
pitch,”
your
30-­‐
second
intro
is
your
first
chance
to
introduce
yourself
to
someone
and
give
them
a
short
synopsis
of
your
skills
and
experience
with
the
goal
of
gekng
them
to
ask
you
for
more
informaKon.
• Key
Kp:
PRACTICE!!!
Out
loud,
in
front
of
mirror,
with
friends,
etc.

15. Your
Approach:
The
Pitch
• Name
• Degree
level,
GraduaKon
date,
study
areas
(major/minor/
cerKficate)
• State
your
interest
in
the
company
–
Job
FuncKon
–
Industry
– What
YOU
have
to
offer,
not
what
you
want

16. Your
Approach
•
Highlight:
internship,
experience,
and
skills
•
Reason
you
selected
this
parKcular
employer
•
Use
informaKon
from
your
research

17. Your
Approach:
The
Right
Ques=ons
•
CharacterisKcs
of
ideal
candidate
•
Hiring
projecKons/trends
•
Staffing
needs
of
your
locaKon
preferences
•
Travel
opportuniKes/requirements
•
What
are
the
next
steps?
NOTE:
Speak
posiKvely
and
enthusiasKcally

18. Examples:
Ques=ons
• How
would
you
describe
the
ideal
candidate
for
<interesKng
posiKon>?
• I
saw
on
your
website
that
your
company
is
involved
in
<interesKng
new
iniKaKve>.
What
impact
do
you
expect
that
having
on
your
company
in
the
next
few
years?
• I
noKce
that
your
posted
posiKons
include
<parKcular
jobs>.How
might
I
connect
with
someone
in
your
company
about
my
interest
and
skills
in
<a
different
type
of
job>?

19. Your
Approach:
Inappropriate
QuesKons
• What
jobs
are
you
offering?
• What
is
the
salary
for
this
posiKon?
• What
benefits
do
you
offer?
• What
can
I
do
with
a
major
in…
• What
is
your
background?
• Why
did
you
select
XYZ
employer?

20. Examples:
30-­‐Second
Intro
• Hello,
Ms.
Recruiter,
my
name
is
Candy
Apple
and
I
will
graduate
in
May
2015
with
a
bachelors
degree
in
Psychology.
I
read
that
your
company
is
looking
to
hire
ambiKous
students
into
your
management
trainee
program
and
I
wanted
to
speak
with
you
more
in
depth
about
the
program.
I
have
been
heavily
involved
on
campus
and
served
in
several
leadership
roles
through
my
sorority
and
feel
that
my
recent
internship
working
in
customer
service
has
equipped
me
with
the
skill
set
needed
to
be
successful
with
your
company.
Can
you
tell
me
more
about
the
program
and
how
to
apply?
• Charlie
Wilder
and
the
Career
Fair
(Elevator)
Pitch
• Dr.
Gail
Rooney
and
the
INFOmercial

21. Drad
Your
Own
30-­‐Sec
Intro:
• Sketch
out
rough
draP
of
your
own
pitch:
– Basic
info:
Name,
Major/Minor/CerKficate,
GraduaKon
Year
– Why
that
company:
your
interest,
company
mission/goals,
new
iniKaKves,
etc.
– Which
posiKons
of
interest
(or
general
career
goals)
– What
YOU
have
to
offer,
e.g.
related
experiences,
skills,
etc.
• CriKque

22. Ac=on:
At
the
Fair
• Use
your
Kme
wisely
-­‐
arrive
early
• Register
your
aVendance
and
make
a
nametag
• Get
a
map
of
Wilson
Gym
to
familiarize
yourself
with
company
locaKons
• Stash
backpack,
if
brought
one,
in
Career
Center’s
storage
area;
use
padfolio
to
transport
resume
copies
and
store
business
cards
you
receive
• Check:
hair
combed,
no
wrinkles,
materials
organized

23. At
the
Fair,
cont.
• Talk
to
lower
priority
companies
on
your
list
first
• Exhibit
professionalism
1)
focus
on
the
recruiter,
not
the
freebies
2)
wait
your
turn
3)
allow
space
• Be
confident
and
network
independently

24. Ac=on:
Engaging
Recruiters
• Be
aware
of
non-­‐verbal
communicaKon,
e.g.
walk
confidently
with
good
posture,
make
good
eye
contact
• Shake
hands
with
recruiter
if
offered
• Use
your
pitch,
tailored
to
recruiter,
to
begin
conversaKon;
listen
carefully
• Smile
and
show
your
enthusiasm!
• Have
fun
learning
about
opportuniKes!

25. Closing
the
Deal:
Follow
the
Lead
• Ask
for
a
business
card
from
the
recruiters
before
stepping
away
from
the
conversaKon
• Determine
follow-­‐up:
know
the
next
step
in
the
process
• Say
“Thank
You”
as
you
conclude
conversaKon
• APer
stepping
away
from
recruiter,
jot
down
notes
on
conversaKon
for
later
reference

26. Ader
the
Fair:
Follow-­‐up
Send
thank
you
notes
to
all
recruiters
you
met:
• Indicate
your
appreciaKon
for
Kme/advice/
interesKng
Kdbit
of
informaKon
from
conversaKon
• Share
steps
you
may
have
taken
since
talking
• E-­‐mail
vs.
hard
copy;
24-­‐48
hours
aPer
fair

27. Ader
the
Fair:
Apply
• Follow
employer’s
preferred
method
for
applying
for
posiKons
within
organizaKon
• CriKcal:
stay
organized
and
pay
aVenKon
to
applicaKon
deadlines!

28. Video
Clips
of
Career
Fair
Advice
• Mark
Strom
’11
with
Cisco:
transformed
a
career
fair
conversaKon
with
an
engineering
recruiter
into
a
job
in
finance
• Adedayo
Aderibigbe
‘10
with
Accenture:
be
acKve—have
conversaKons!
• Melissa
Desnoyers
with
GE
Healthcare:
we’re
here
to
have
conversaKons
• Karla
Morrison
with
T.
Howard
FoundaKon:
what
NOT
to
do
at
a
fair

29. Remember
to...
•
Bring
10-­‐12
copies
of
your
resume.
•
Carry
a
padfolio.
•
Check
in
so
we
(and
employers)
know
you’ve
aVended!
• Wear
your
name
tag
on
your
right.
• Network
independently.
• Be
professional
and
confident.
• Show
enthusiasm.
• Turn
your
cell
phone
on
silent.
Note to self:
Imagine the
Possibilities!

30. Ques=ons?
Get
your
resume
reviewed!
Resume
Reviews
on
West
Jan.
15
&
16
9:30-­‐11am
Griffith
Board
Room
(BC)
@
Smith
Warehouse
M-­‐F
1:30pm
to
4:30pm

31. Contact
Us
Facebook.com/DukeCareers
Career Center
Twitter.com/DukeCareers
(919)
660-­‐1050
hVp://studentaffairs.duke.edu/career