The career fair is an invaluable opportunity available to students each semester. It is a chance to hone your interviewing and networking skills – and potentially score a dream job or internship. As the key to all success is good preparation, we decided to help you accomplish that preparation by compiling a list of our best advice to students attending the career fair over the years.
Common Career Fair Mistakes and How to Correct Them
Now that the semester has settled in, it’s time to start searching for jobs. It’s the last thing you want to think about, but it’s stuck in the forefront of your mind, and nothing rushes that reality faster than Fall Career Days.
It’s like a smack in the face when you suddenly realize you have a lot of preparation to do—tweak your résumé, organize a speech, prepare your outfit—who has time for that? So before you pull your hair out, check out Valley‘s list of common mistakes made at career fairs – so you have one less thing to fret about. Read more.
Career Fair Preparation: You’re Hired
Employers have said they love recruiting PSU students. The Wall Street Journal even ranked us #1 on its list of “The Top 25 Recruiter Picks” from 2010, ahead of schools like Carnegie Mellon, Notre Dame and MIT.
But when you’re competing against hundreds – make that thousands – of fellow job-hungry classmates, standing out at the Penn State Career Fair might seem impossible. To improve your odds, we asked Director of Career Services Jeff Garis for some pointers on how to leave your best impression on recruiters and hopefully land your dream job or internship. These tips are sure to help eliminate any intimidation and leave you feeling prepared, confident and (hopefully) employed! Continue reading.
Career Fair Preparation: Remember Me Introductions
Does the thought of the career fair give you some serious anxiety? Have you spent hours searching through your wardrobe trying to discover what exactly “business casual” means? Worried that you won’t make the right impression?
Career fairs may seem a bit overwhelming― but with the right preparation they don’t have to be! Spring Career Days are just around the corner, and now’s your chance to land that internship or job you have been dreaming about. Follow these tips to make a lasting impression, and we promise you won’t be forgotten! Continue reading.
What Not to Wear: Career Fair Special
This week on What Not to Wear, Valley Magazine tunes in with Career Services to help you dress for the upcoming Career Fair.
While business suits and pantyhose may come off as a bit formal, it’s always best to look professional when interviewing for a job. Jade Perry, Diversity Program Coordinator at Career Services, says to dress formally until you don’t have to. Continue reading.
How to Dress Business Casual
Some might say business casual is a casual version of professional attire—duh. But what exactly does that mean?
When students hear they need to dress business casual for an interview, they start to panic because they don’t want to look too dressed up and they don’t want to look too informal. However, business casual can work in any girls favor because this allows them to mix their business clothes with cute items in their closet. Continue reading.
The 8 Emotional Stages of Career Fairs
Now that the bigger career fairs of the year are over, it’s time to look back and remember every painstakingly awkward and triumphant detail. The emotional stages of career fairs differ for everybody but it all starts the same way.
1. Discovery/realization
There it is: the email or flyer or whatever that announces the career fair days. You may ignore it for a few days (or a few weeks) but eventually it boomerangs back to you. You have to go.Continue reading.
