It’s that time of the year again. That time when you get one shot to impress that special someone. The time when three little words could lock you into a long-term commitment. The time you spend hours planning what to wear and what to say, just hoping that it all goes over well. Call me a dreamer, but this may actually be my favorite season of the year. I’m, of course, talking about Career Fair season. Here are a few tips to prepare you before you drop those three special words (here’s my resume).
First off – do your homework! You’re not going to impress anyone with that fancy cologne / perfume / mixture of the two, unless you’ve taken the time to really get to know them. You should absolutely be sure of what companies are attending the Business Career Fair – but you should also be aware of their current vacant positions. When approaching a company at the Business Career Fair, lead off with specific questions regarding their vacancies. Recruiters come prepared to fill positions – and only fill them with candidates that are aware of this. You should approach these interactions like a first-round interview.
After you’ve created your annotated road map, get to work on your resumes. Yes, resumes plural. If you are applying for more than one type of position, it is important to have various resumes that highlight your selected skills / experience for each. A common mistake that attendees make is to only bring one resume but apply to many types of positions. You are not simply a one size fits all solution, and are not doing yourself any favors by presenting yourself as such.
Finally, you must suit up! Business Professional dress is mandatory for all Business Career Fairs and goes beyond the clothes you wear. Not sure what that means? Come check out our Career Fair Prep Session: What Not to Wear and What to Say on Wednesday 2/5 at 5:00 p.m. in SCE Illinois Room A.
Business Career Fair
Monday, February 10
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Illinois Rooms, Student Center East
- Caterpillar
- CIA
- Collaborative Solutions
- Coroplast
- Crowe Horwath LLP
- Crystal Equation
- Deloitte
- Farmers Insurance
- First Midwest Bank
- GE Capital
- Gordmans
- Hoopis Financial Group
- InternshipDesk
- Jewel-Osco
- JP Morgan
- KPMG LLP
- LAZ Parking
- Mariano's
- Maxim Healthcare Services
- The McTigue Financial Group- Northwestern Mutual-
- Ryan,LLC
- Staples Advantage
- Target
- The Effner Financial Group-Northwestern Mutual
- The Hertz Corporation
- Total Quality Logistics
- True Partners Consulting