Career Fairs are one-day events that occur once a semester and are centered around students meeting employers for information regarding internships, to discuss potential career interests, and network with a variety of contacts. Minor workshops often happen throughout the semester where a student can come in to polish their resume or secure information about a job.
Before a student attends a Career/Job Fair on campus, there's a process called Career Fair Preparation that should be followed to guarantee success at the fair.
"The key to all of that and being successful in a career fair is the preparation. Too many students' kind of take the approach that they're going to show up at the Career Fair - maybe pass the resumes around a little bit and they're going to learn as they go, but the key to success is the preparation that happens upfront," Director of Workforce Development and College of Liberal Arts Administrator Wayne Stark said.
Other measures for preparation include registering with WSU's Career Center Handshake to be entered into the system, research the companies that will be at the event, prepare a 30 second spiel and well-prepared questions, practice interview questions, and attend workshops offered by your college.
"Most importantly, they need to develop a very strong powerful resume and that means that they need to talk to a career advisor - someone who knows what they're talking about to make sure that that resume is very much powerfully oriented," Stark said.
At the Career Fair, a student should bring their resumes, be prepared for interviews and to take notes, be confident and friendly, should seize an opportunity to talk to any company, and be prepared for a follow-up.
Stark emphasized the importance follow-up and a thank-you note, which "will help the recruiter remember you and I think you know that's really powerful too."
