This document provides 7 tips for students to succeed at a career fair: 1. Dress professionally and do research on the companies attending to focus your networking. 2. Speak to recruiters about the specific work and culture of their companies rather than generally. 3. Attend pre-fair events to build familiarity with recruiters and leverage your existing connections. 4. Highlight your strengths and accomplishments without dwelling on weaknesses in your resume. 5. Consider opportunities at all attending companies without limiting options prematurely. 6. Ask questions of recruiters to engage them while avoiding inquiries about compensation. 7. Emphasize your interpersonal and leadership skills over just your academic credentials.

1. 7 Tips to Rock A
Career Fair
Including recruiter
pet peeves and
student tips!

2. Zach Zapinsky, MPA ’14, managed to be the first person in line
for the Expo, despite a full day of classes and an internship.
1. bring Your
A Game

3. RECRUITER PET PEEVE:
“There’s no point wearing a nice suit if you’re going to put on white socks.”
– Jay Goldstein, Tradition Energy recruiter from New York City
No white socks
in sight.

4. McCombs students
make San Jacinto
Drive look more like
Wall Street than a
college campus.

5. 2. Do Your Research
“You can’t talk to everyone,
so narrow it down to five to
10 companies. Be sure to
know what the company
you’re speaking to does.”
– Angela Biscardi
AON Corp.

6. “Do your homework. Know the company that you’re interested in. It drives me crazy
when people ask, ‘Do you sell credit cards?’”
– Jesse Marin, Visa recruiter from Foster City, Calif.
RECRUITER PET PEEVE:

7. “My goal is to visit 10 companies today, and I looked through all of
their websites. I spoke to anyone I knew who worked there, gather-
ing pros and cons for each company.”
Vivian Tan, MPA ‘16

8. 3. Network, Network,
Network
Isabelle Arrellaga, BBA ‘16 attended company night, where she was
able to get to know some of the recruiters beforehand.

9. “I’m already familiar with one of my target companies, because
I attended a consulting workshop with them last month.”
Tyler Vender, BBA ‘16

10. 4. Be enthusiastic —
not desperate

11. “I once interviewed someone who started their pitch by saying, ‘I know my GPA isn’t great, but…’
Be sure to focus on the positive. Own your resume and be confident in yourself.”
– Chelsea Saunders, Target recruiter from Austin

12. “Stay calm, don’t oversell
yourself, and don’t violate a
recruiter’s personal space.”
– Jesse Marin, Visa
RECRUITER PET PEEVE:
This polished McCombs student looks like she’s doing great.

13. 5. be open–minded
“If you don’t recognize the
name of the company, it
doesn’t mean that it’s not a
great company.”
– Jay Goldstein,
Tradition Energy

14. “I once interviewed someone who started their pitch by saying, ‘I know my GPA isn’t great, but…’
Be sure to focus on the positive. Own your resume and be confident in yourself.”
– Chelsea Saunders, Target recruiter from Austin
“Don’t limit yourself geographically. Be sure you work for a company that you believe in. Find the
right leaders to work for and stay open-minded about the industry.”
– Kimiko Saito, DaVita recruiter from Dallas/Fort Worth

15. 6. ask questions and
engage your audience
“It’s OK to ask about
corporate benefits, but
asking about title,
salary, and office size
are completely off–limits.”
– Jesse Marin, Visa

16. “Don’t just say, “Yes.” Ask questions.”
— Matt Napiorrowski, ExxonMobil recruiter, BBA ’08
“As a candidate, it’s your job to break the ice.
Be sure to lead the conversation instead of
waiting for a recruiter to ask questions.”
– Ross Lanzini, ExxonMobil recruiter, BBA ’05 These alums landed their
current jobs by attending
this very expo.
(Love the burnt orange, guys.)

17. 7. Sell yourself, not
just your resume
“Strong communication skills
are the most important
attribute of potential
candidates, followed by an
outgoing personality.”
–Angela Biscardi, AON Corp.

18. “GPA is the last thing we look for. It’s more important for us to look at the number of student
organizations, sports, and other extracurricular activities.”
– Chelsea Saunders, Target

19. good luck

20. Thanks for reading. Get more career advice, faculty expertise and student success
stories, CEO insights, business school news and more:
McCombs Today News Website: www.today.mccombs.utexas.edu
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@UTexasMcCombs