Preparing for the Alumni Job Fair
Both the Stanford Career Development Center and the Stanford Alumni Association offer career services to alumni. Visit their Web sites for more information.
The following information was developed by the Career Development Center at Stanford to help you prepare.
What is a Job Fair?
Job fairs, also referred to as career fairs are usually one day events set up to connect employers with job fair participants. Employers are there to recruit employees, so if you are interested in looking for a job or finding out more about a potential career, don't miss out.
What Can I Expect?
You can expect approximately 40 employers represented at different booths or tables. Employer representatives are interested in providing you information about their companies via brochures and other promotional materials. Their job is to meet as many attendees as possible and promote their organizations to you.
Benefits of a Job Fair
Consider a job fair to be your opportunity to market yourself to and gather more information about numerous employers at one time and place.
Some direct benefits of attending a career fair include:
- An efficient and economical way to make contacts.
- An opportunity to learn more about specific industries, careers and organizations.
- Actually talking to a company representative instead of just mailing in or submitting an on-line resume.
- Asking someone in the field for feedback about your resume, education or experiences.
- Making a company contact.
Plan to use your best networking skills at the Job Fair
Many employers use jobs fairs to screen applicants and/or collect resumes to bring back to their organizations. It is ideal to engage the recruiter in a conversation so he/she will remember you and your skills. Do not be discouraged if this does not happen; there can be numerous people to compete with in this setting. Use your time to collect valuable company information via conversation and company materials so that subsequently you can write an incredible, well-informed cover letter stating your interest in an organization.
The job fair can be separated into three stages:
- Before
- During
- After
BEFORE
the preparation stage
Do your homework.
Review the list of participating companies. Conduct research on those that interest you.
Put together your resume.
You may have a dichotomy of interests and in that case it may be ideal to have different versions of your resume. Be realistic in your preparation time and remember that it is most important to have a well-polished resume that shows off your education, skills and experiences. Be sure to have your resume critiqued by at least three people. It is better to attend without a resume than to NOT attend the job fair at all. At least in this case you can pick up pertinent information about an organization to use later.
- Consider preparing tailored CVs for the companies of greatest interest.
- We also encourage you to post your current resume on the Stanford Engineering Alumni Job Board.
Have a plan.
It is easy to feel intimidated at such an event. Wandering around aimlessly will only enhance this feeling. Have a plan—even if you only plan to explore. This will help you to have some idea as to which organizations you want to approach. An example of a plan may be geographic, industry based, or by experience/majors requested. Many organizations will publicize the types of majors or job titles they are seeking. Be open-minded and flexible; you might be surprised at what you find.
- Bring a pen, folder, note pad and/or some sort of log sheet to keep you organized.
- A highlighter can be useful to help indicate which organizations you want to target on your employer list.
Bring your pertinent questions.
Your questions will depend on your goals (career exploration vs. job search). Sample questions include:
- What qualities and background are you looking for in employees?
- What is the application process for your organization?
- Do you have a business card I could have for future reference and contact?
DURING
the actual event
Hand out your resume.
Have plenty of copies of your polished resume easily accessible (if you chose to distribute your resume). If you have two versions of your resumes, color-coding them can be very helpful. Gray, white and off-white are all good choices. A new trend is for employers not to collect resumes on site but to just refer you back to their Web site for on-line resume submission. Try and use the face time at the fair to gather pertinent information to enhance your application.
Thank employers for any brochures or promotional materials you were given.
This is not a time to pick up gifts for your friends and family. Be reasonable with your consumption of recruiter giveaways.
Collect business cards.
Jot down a fact on the back to jog your memory when you write a follow-up letter/e-mail.
Approach a company representative and introduce yourself.
Don't sit back and wait to be approached. Shake hands, make good eye contact and tell the employer your name, background and your interests. The more focused you are the better. If you are unsure how you would fit into the organization ask the employer open-ended yet specific questions. What qualities do you look for in your employees? What types of positions are currently available?
Create a one-minute commercial as a way to sell yourself to an employer.
This is a great way to introduce yourself. The goal is to connect your background to the organization's need. In one minute or less you need to introduce yourself, demonstrate your knowledge of the company, express enthusiasm and interest, and relate your background to the company's need, and end with a question. This is meant to be a dialogue NOT a monologue.
Other dos and don’ts:
- Be assertive without being rude
- Be sensitive to others waiting behind you
- Realize that recruiters like to talk to groups
- Maximize your time at the career fair
- Observe other attendees/employers for clues
- Have positive, relevant facts at hand, e.g., “congratualtions on launching your new xyz product.”
- Carry and use breath mints
- Don’t ask for general information on the company — do your homework so that you are knowledgeable
- Don’t ask about salary and benefits
- Don’t monopolize someone’s time
- Don’t exhibit a lack of direction and focus
AFTER
the follow up
You are only as good as your follow up.
Keep track of those companies and representatives with whom you spoke.
Send a thank you letter/e-mail to those representatives you wish to pursue.
This will set the stage for future correspondence.
Dress appropriately.
Professional is best unless it is a more casual event.
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