Career Fair Prep Wednesday

Career Fair Prep Thursday

After the Fair

•Send thank you notes to all employers

•File away the literature you have collected. It can be helpful later in writing application letters or preparing for interviews.

•Improve your resume if you learned something which better reflects your qualifications or focus 

Follow Up Letter Guidelines

• Refer to the business cards you collected during the Career Fair for employer contact information.
• Contact can be made through mail, email, or a phone call depending on your own preferences.
• Your message to the employer should include a thank you for taking the time to discuss job opportunities at their company, an expressed interest in pursuing a position there, an inquiry about the resume review and candidate selection process, and an interest in meeting with them to further discuss your qualifications.
• Though email is often a more casual form of communication, it is essential that you treat your follow up email as a formal letter (i.e., with appropriate headings, and a thorough spelling/grammar check).

Example of a follow up letter

Your Street Address
City, State, Zip

 Today's Date

 Employer's Name

Title
Company
Street Address
City, State, Zip

 Dear Mr./Ms.__________________________,

I recently spoke with you at the Engineering and Computer Science Career Fair held at the Indiana Institute of Technology. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to speak with me, and for sharing with me valuable information about the job opportunities at Company Name. I am very excited to hear that you are currently seeking to hire Indiana Tech graduates for entry level positions in your accounting department. 

I am currently an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers where I had the opportunity to get involved in my community to develop solutions for the benefit of other lives. I have also collaborated with other members all over the country in national projects as well as developed new skills with the purpose to help the engineering community.

I am interested in meeting with you to discuss my qualifications in more detail. I can be reached at _____ or by email at _____. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

 Sincerely,

  

(Handwritten Signature)
Your Name

Career Fair Prep - Tuesday

Career Fair Week - Day 2

During the Fair

•Maintain professional space and behavior when approaching the employer’s table. 

•Avoid taking “freebies” until after your conversation

•Use good eye contact, a strong handshake, and body language 

•Speak naturally--avoid presenting your commercial like a speech

•Ask open-ended questions; avoid obvious or salary questions

•Collect organizational literature and a business card

•Ask the preferred way for you to follow up and thank the recruiter by name

Personal Commercial

• Name/Year in school/Major
• Reason for attending the fair
• Knowledge of the company or industry
• How your skills and knowledge relate to the position for which you are applying

Professional Dress for Women

•Skirt or pant suit with skirt length appropriately at or just above the knees
•Conservative-colored suit (grey, black, blue)
•White, off white or light blue cotton or silk blouse.
•Low to medium leather heel with closed toe.
•Moderate amount of jewelry or accessories.
•Neat hair style with hair pulled back from face.
•Cover tattoos.
•Do NOT bring a cell phone.

Professional Dress for men

•Navy, charcoal gray, or black suit

•White, long-sleeved shirt.

•Dark socks

•Belt or shoes of matching color, typically black.

•Well polished shoes.

•Professional briefcase or portfolio

•Minimal cologne.

•Neat hair style.

•Do NOT bring a cell phone.

Career Fair Prep - Monday

PREPARING FOR CAREER FAIRS

Review the list of companies

Select the top five employers you are interested in and visit them last

Know a bit about the company before visiting their table

          What service or product do they provide?

          How large is the company?

          Where is the company located?

          What positions are they looking to fill?

Prepare a “personal commercial” to introduce yourself

Prepare/update materials to bring to the career fair. These may include the following:

*   Resumes
*   Portfolio (professional folder/file to hold your materials).
*   Note-pad and pen
*   Examples of your work (displayed in a Career Portfolio-if applicable). 

     Review possible interview questions. (Note: Some employers conduct on-the spot interviews)

    Develop questions to ask employers

      

     Plan your wardrobe: professional interview attire is always recommended.