Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Get Career Fair Ready!

The Career and Internship fair is almost here! Next week, on Wednesday, February 15th, over 100 employers will be attendance and will be waiting to meet you at the McGinley Ballroom on the Rose Hill campus.  Every year before the fair, we hear many of the same questions from students:  How do I prepare for the fair?  What is the structure of the fair? What do I wear? What do I bring?

Here are some tips to consider before you go:

1. If you have a chance before the fair, log onto CareerLink and review the list of attending employersIdentify your top five employers to meet and do some basic research about the companies. Make sure to look up information on their internship/employment opportunities as well as key company background information. When you arrive, make sure you find the time to visit these five tables and introduce yourself. Using your brief research, you will feel more prepared and excited to engage with the professional representatives. 

2. Prepare your resume. If you haven’t already developed a resume to hand-out to potential employers, visit the Career Services website, make an appointment, or come by during our walk-in hours to create a document reflective of your best self. During the career fair, you should bring at least 10 copies of your resume and feel comfortable sharing it with employers you that you speak with and would like to stay connected with. In return, ask for the professional’s business card to follow-up with him or her in the future. 

3. Dress to impress. It is recommended that you wear business formal or business casual attire. If you are a senior or junior this is especially essential, as you will be seeking out current job and internship opportunities and want to make great first impression on the employers. If you are a sophomore or freshman attending the fair to gather information and explore your options for the first time, business casual is appropriate too. 

4. Begin the Journey. Even if you have no clue what you’re interested in, come to the fair anyway! Meet and talk to professionals in different fields and start to explore what you may and may not be interested in pursuing with your degree. Navigating a career fair with more than 100 employers can be very intimidating, so a trial run early in your academic career can help ease your nerves and make you more effective at future fairs.

Additionally, this year we surveyed all of the attending employers and asked them to specify the Fordham majors they were interested in recruiting. Based on employer preferences, we have created fliers listing employer interest in Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Business students.  Each of the attached lists contains more than 80 employers, confirming that there are opportunities for students of all majors. Check out the fliers below:

Humanities Employers
Business Employers

Want more tips? Come to one of the Career Fair Prep Workshops next week!

Career Fair Prep Workshop  - Rose Hill
February 14th, 2012
Faculty Lounge, RH
2pm-3pm & 3pm-4pm

Career Fair Prep Workshop - Lincoln Center
February 14th, 2012
South Lounge, LC
2pm-3pm & 3pm-4pm

See you at the Career Fair!

SPRING CAREER & INTERNSHIP FAIR
Wednesday, February 15th
McGinley Center Ballroom, RH
1PM – 4PM

2 comments:

  1. Are the workshops and fair open to Fordham alum as well?

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    Replies
    1. Hello,

      Yes, the workshops and fairs are open to Fordham alumni. We hope to see you there!

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