{"id":22227,"date":"2017-10-02T15:50:57","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T19:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=22227"},"modified":"2021-05-21T07:35:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T11:35:43","slug":"survive-networking-career-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/survive-networking-career-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Survive Your First Career Fair in 9 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

As fall approaches and the Halloween season draws near, college students delight in haunted houses, pumpkin-spice-everything and classic horror movies. However, for some college students, the biggest spook of all \u2014 finding a job after graduation \u2014 can be scarier than Pennywise the Clown jumping off the screen of a midnight showing of Stephen King\u2019s IT.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, Stony Brook\u2019s Career Center \u200bhas compiled a list\u200b to help students conquer their fears and connect with employers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Career<\/p>\n

1. Make sure your resume is in top shape<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you do not have a resume<\/a>, begin by creating a rough draft. Once you have a resume, visit \u200byour school’s Career Center to have it reviewed by a staff member. You should have your resume critiqued early. This will give you time to polish and review it. Remember, the closer it gets to the job fair, the longer the wait to have it reviewed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u200b2. Have a plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Make a list of the companies you would like to meet and prioritize them in order of importance to you. Research is essential; you want to show that you are passionate, knowledgeable and interested in the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make a list of important points and questions for each employer. (HINT<\/strong>: You don\u2019t want to ask questions that you could have answered yourself by doing research beforehand.<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Prepare your pitch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Prepare your 60-second commercial. This is a brief introduction to give to an employer when you first meet. While it isn\u2019t necessary to memorize a speech word for word, having an idea of what you will say to employers will enable you to approach them with confidence and poise. Come up with a commercial at least a few days before the event; this will give you time to rehearse it until it sounds natural.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Organize the night before<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Make sure that you have several copies of your resume printed out. Ideally, you should have your resume printed on high-quality paper. You can purchase this at any store that sells office supplies. Lay out your clothes and pack your briefcase\/bag. Business casual<\/a> or business professional attire is \u200brecommended.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Mentally prepare yourself<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Aim to make a great impression, but maintain a positive mindset of outcome-independence to avoid becoming overly anxious.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Be confident<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You want recruiters to remember you. Even if you aren\u2019t feeling particularly confident on the day of the event, convince others (and yourself!) by using positive body language. Walk upright, speak clearly, project your voice, enunciate and make eye contact with everyone you speak to. Don\u2019t slouch, avert your eyes, fold your arms, or mumble; it will make you seem distracted and unprofessional. Greet the employer with a firm handshake and a smile. Display your interest by being attentive and asking them the questions you have prepared. Make sure to exchange contact information before concluding the conversation with a handshake.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Slow down<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Give yourself time to calm your nerves. Don\u2019t go to the company at the top of your list first; warm up beforehand by approaching employers lower on your list of priorities. Take breaks if needed. Sometimes it\u2019s very easy to get overwhelmed. Step to the side, collect your thoughts and get ready for the next employer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200b8. Stay focused<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you happen to be waiting in line to talk to an employer, don\u2019t waste valuable time talking to your friends. Stay focused. Read some brochures to learn more about the company while you are waiting. This may give you a few more talking points and help keep you focused. It might also impress the employer.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Follow up<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Make sure to follow up properly with any employers you spoke to. Whether through email or LinkedIn, reach out to them<\/a> within 24 hours to solidify the connection you made at the fair. Send a polite, concise message saying that it was a pleasure to speak with them at the event, and that you look forward to hearing from them in the near future. As an alternative, you might consider sending a personalized thank-you note. Either way, following up with an employer is the polite thing to do and will reiterate your interest in the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As fall approaches and the Halloween season draws near, college students delight in haunted houses, pumpkin-spice-everything and classic horror movies. However, for some college students, the biggest spook of all \u2014 finding a job after graduation \u2014 can be scarier than Pennywise the Clown jumping off the screen of a midnight showing of Stephen King\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":22228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[661,667,12,601,616,446,228],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ace-college","category-career-advice-ace-college","category-favorites","category-internship-advice-ace-your-career","category-networking","category-stony-brook-university","category-student-guide"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair.jpg",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair-224x144.jpg",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair-300x193.jpg",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair.jpg",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair.jpg",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair.jpg",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair.jpg",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Joanna Durso","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/joanna-durso\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"As fall approaches and the Halloween season draws near, college students delight in haunted houses, pumpkin-spice-everything and classic horror movies. However, for some college students, the biggest spook of all \u2014 finding a job after graduation \u2014 can be scarier than Pennywise the Clown jumping off the screen of a midnight showing of Stephen King\u2019s…","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/career-fair.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}