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Making the Most of Career and Networking Fairs
Why Attend?
Whether or not you are getting ready to look for a job, attending career and
networking fairs can be very helpful. Think of the
purposes of these fairs broadly, and consider
especially these:
- To network. To meet people in
your field and related fields, gathering
information and making contacts that may be
valuable now or in the future.
- To explore and learn. To learn about professional fields,
organizations, types of
opportunities, what the work is like, and what
employers are looking for.
- To practice and plan. To
practice your self-presentation in terms of
your professional preparedness, and to get
feedback on your credentials.
- To seek a job. Fairs typically result in some jobs being
landed directly as a result, and if you are at the point where you are
seeking employment, a career or networking fair may be very helpful to you.
However,
attending fairs alone is often an
insufficient approach to a job search. Ask
us about taking a more comprehensive approach.
Ahead of the Fair
- Develop a relevant introduction. As a
student, you likely developed habits of
introducing yourself that highlight primarily academic interests. These are usually only of
secondary interest to employers. Prior to the fair, practice
introducing yourself in ways that highlight
your sense of purpose, your relevant experience and knowledge, and your applicable skills.
- Prepare a résumé, even if you are not seeking a job.
(See our résumé
tips and links.) You can
often get excellent feedback from
representatives, including input on areas of experience
or training that might be
lacking or that do not stand out in the résumé. If you are
seeking a job, plan to take plenty of copies of your résumé.
- Consider using an objective statement for
fairs. While objective statements are
frequently used in cover letters rather than
résumés, if you are currently seeking a job,
it is wise to put one on your
résumé for fairs because cover letters are
generally not used in these settings. If you are
seeking a summer position, for
example, note this in the
objective statement.
- Consider developing more than one résumé. If you are flexible in terms of the type of work you
can/will do, consider bringing more than one
version of your résumé so that the one you
offer will help the representative easily
see the skills you have that most closely meet
their needs.
- Get feedback on your résumé in
advance. Make an appointment
with the Office of Career Services. Always
get at least one good proofreader to look
closely at your résumé. Consider also
asking a professional in the field.
- Find out about organizations prior to the
fair. If you are seeking a job
currently, this is a very important part of
preparing. Read as much
as you can about the organizations
that are of particular interest to you. Be
prepared to speak in an informed way.
- Stop in and see us. HDS Career
Services provides
consultations and coaching to HDS students and
alumni/ae by appointment. We will be happy
to help you prepare for career and networking
fairs as well.
The Day of the Fair
- Dress appropriately. For most
fairs, we
recommend wearing "business casual" or "business"
attire, depending on the focus of the fair. Most people will not expect
you to dress as you would for an interview. However, it would likely not hurt,
and your attire can sometimes do more than you expect in making a first
impression. At the same time, if you
forget and are slightly underdressed, do not skip a fair for that reason.
- Bring a pen and notebook. Sometimes representatives run out of business
cards and literature. Also, it is a good
idea to take a few notes on some of the information
you gather, as it will be important for
quality follow-up.
- Consider the order of your visits. If there is a
representative you are especially interested in talking with, consider
visiting another representative or two first. This way, you will get in a
little practice, gaining some comfort prior to making a first impression
with the representative you have in mind.
- Relax and be personable. Do not just take
literature or drop off a résumé. Without monopolizing the
representative's time, introduce yourself, talk about what interests you about their
organization or field, and briefly discuss your relevant background. If you have an interaction that does not go as you had hoped,
try not to let it upset you. Sometimes representatives are simply not
particularly motivated, and sometimes conversations do not go well. Consider
taking a break before moving on to visit another representative.
- Broaden your focus. In addition
to talking with representatives from organizations you are most
interested in,
talk to those from other organizations in
the field, and in related fields. The information you
gather or relationships you establish may be
helpful to you in ways you don't expect. Also, many representatives will have
their own networks of contacts, and may think
of a different person or organization you
should contact.
- Arrive well before the end of the fair. Representatives
will often be engaged in conversations, meaning
you may have to wait to
talk with them. Also, at almost every fair,
there are people who are disappointed because a
representative leaves early. Try to arrive
well ahead of the end of the fair.
After the Fair
- Follow up. This
is especially important if you are seeking a
job, but can also be done if you made a
contact you want to hold on to. Help
representatives remember you by
sending a follow-up email or letter. Thank
them for meeting with you, discuss a feature of the conversation that was of
particular interest, and, as appropriate,
express your interest in interviewing. You might also send an additional copy of your
résumé, even if you left one.
- Use what you learn. Use the
information you learned from the fair to revise your résumé, to gain more experience in particular
skill/knowledge areas, and/or to seek new
contacts.
- Continue your search. If you are
seeking a position currently, it is almost
always advisable to keep searching for
opportunities and reaching out to organizations,
even while waiting for good leads to come through.
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