1.) Acquaint yourself with what companies will be in attendance and make a list of who you want to visit. Log into your Careerolina account and find the Career Fair you are attending under the “Events” tab. Here, you will find the list of participants along with information about the opportunities they will be recruiting for at the fair.
2.) Research the companies on your list. You should go in knowing what opportunities you are interested in and a little about their company. Use Careerolina and the company’s website to educate yourself in these areas. Bonus: It’s also a good time to think of a question you might have for that employer.
3.) Make sure your resume is the best it can be. Make an appointment with a career counselor to discuss your interests and see if your resume is in alignment with those interests. UCS also has daily drop-in times from 1-4pm, M-F. Bring enough copies to cover all the tables you plan to visit at the fair, plus a few more just in case.
4.) Practice your introduction. Hello my name is…, Current major and year, interest/skill, question. Here is a sample 30 second intro. Practice yours until it feels natural.
“Hi, my name is John. I’m currently a sophomore in the computer science department. Since coming to UNC, I have had a lot of opportunities to develop and practice programming skills through class projects and projects I’ve done on my own. Some of my favorite skills to use include Java, C++ and Python. I read on your website that the interns at MetLife get the chance to work on rotational teams with many of the skills I have been practicing for the past 2 years. Could you tell me a little more about some of the projects past interns have worked on?”
5.) Prepare your attire in advance. This is a professional event and employers expect you to dress the part. If you will be speaking with very traditional industries such as finance, healthcare, consulting, etc., this means suiting up! If you don’t have a suit opt for business casual. Take a look at UCS’s Pinterest boards to see examples of proper dress and YouTube channel for some fun videos about dress. You will not be impressing anyone in jeans, t-shirts, shorts, super short skirts, etc.
By: Jade Barricelli