What is a Career Fair?
A career fair is a chance for students to speak to employers about their companies, positions they have available, and to learn more about the industry or the types of roles within a company. Many NDSU students attend career fairs seeking part-time employment, internships, and full-time jobs following their graduation.
How to Attend:
- Students do not need to register for the in-person Career Expo, but they should bring their student IDs to check-in at the event.
How to Prepare:
Research the employer(s).
- Utilize Handshake to research the employers who are coming to the fairs. This can be found within the career fair event in the Handshake platform.
- Watch this video to learn how to find companies attending the career fair.
- Go to the company’s website, social media or LinkedIn page to learn more about the company and their hiring history.
Update your resume.
- Bring extra copies of your resume, you never know how many you may hand out.
- Tailor copies of your resume to different companies or positions to stand out further.
- Watch this video for more information on how to tailor your resume, or view our resources for creating a resume or cover letter.
- For a review or feedback on your resumes or cover letters, stop by the Career and Advising Center in Ceres Hall 306, schedule an appointment, submit a document for review, or email us at ndsu.cac@ndsu.edu.
Develop your pitch and the questions you will ask of the employer.
- Plan ahead for what you would like to say to the employer and how you would like to introduce yourself in your elevator pitch.
- Employers like when you ask questions about them, their jobs, and the company. Be sure to do your research ahead of time and don’t ask questions to which you could find the answers to yourself by searching online.
Plan what you will wear.
- Plan to dress for the occasion and “one-level up” from what you would be expected to wear in the day to day work environment at that job/company. For example, if they wear polo shirts and jeans every day, plan to wear a nicer blouse or button up shirt and dress pants or khakis.
- Looking for something to wear? The Career and Advising Center has the Career Closet where you can get business casual and business professional clothing for free to ensure you are dressed to impress for the fairs!
Follow-up:
After talking to a company, make notes of who you talked to and what you talked about so you can follow up later
- How to follow up: connect on LinkedIn, or send an email or a message through Handshake or LinkedIn
- Keep track of your contacts: Networking Management Log or Job Search Log
Send a “Thank You”: Send a thank you email or message to each employer that you chatted with during the career fairs. You can do this via email, Handshake, or LinkedIn.
Apply! Apply for any positions as recommended by the recruiter(s) you chatted with during the fairs. Be sure to keep notes on which positions were specifically mentioned, what method they recommend that you apply, and so forth. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your communication and attention to detail abilities!
