Career Fair Advice

Walk up to me and introduce themselves. A nice firm handshake and, "Hi my name is," whatever it is. Show me that you're really interested in coming to meet with me. Let me know what your major is. It's always good for me to kind of understand we're you're coming from, what you're looking for, so I'm able to tailor our internships or our positions that we're offering to what you're looking for.

When you come to the job fair, make sure you're well dressed. Especially no gum in the mouth Ð chewing gum. We had a couple of them. That disqualifies you right from the onset. You want to be personable, affable. Talk to whoever is at the desk. Ask them a lot of questions. 

Really take a chance and ask the company what their mission and their vision statements are. A good recruiter and a good company will always know what that is and be in line with it, and be happy to tell you about their organization.

Don't be afraid to talk to employers. Every single one of those employers was in your same shoes, so don't feel intimidated. Go out there and talk to them as if you're best friends. Be positive. You guys have been going through school for four years and you need to make sure that you show that.

It's important if they know where they want to go, if they've studied our organization, know what department or what job title they would like to pursue. And then we can do a more effective job of giving them the information they need that will assist them in actually obtaining a career in government or in civil service.

As a student, prepare your self. Think about your background, your past experiences, what makes you special, and really be ready to tell your story. Highlight what you have done that you're proud of Ð special accomplishments, recognition. We want to see what results you've had in the things that you've done while in school. 

Make sure you have a resume, and you're able to talk about what you're taking at school, when you're graduating, the classes that you like, the classes that you don't like. And then finally it would be, show some enthusiasm for the position and company you're talking about. Do some research. Try to have some background on the organization, and just show some enthusiasm.

Be prepared. Think about what you want to do. Don't just kind of come up and say, "What do you guys have to offer. I don't know what I really want to do." Be prepared; be ready to say, "This is what my career looks like, and this is where I want to be when I graduate." And we can definitely assist you and tell you what we have to offer you. Do your research. You are an asset. You are an asset to every company. You want to sell yourself, but you want to make sure the company is selling to you. Don't just settle for the first thing that comes along. Make sure you do your research. Make sure it's what you want to do. Make sure it's what you're passionate about. Make sure it's what you want to wake up every morning and go out and do.

Dress professionally. Be dressed for success. I'm looking for students that are dressed for success. Make sure you're dressed to the nines. Dress for success. Dress professionally in a suite. Have clean shoes. Have a nicely ironed shirt. Gals, make sure that you have a nice suit on as well. Nothing too low, nothing too tight. You need to be professional looking. 

And have fun. Don't be serious; it's all fun, it's all good. Most of all, have fun.