One great way to land a job or internship is to attend job fairs because you can meet 70 to over 100 employers/recruiters in a few hours. They are excellent places to find employment because:
- Employers are actively searching for candidates to interview and hire.
- You can network with fellow professionals and gain knowledge about companies and positions you are interested in.
- You get the opportunity to practice your presentation skills.
- If you’re a candidate who has an underwhelming resume, a job fair is a great opportunity to impress a recruiter.
- Employers attending will be recruiting for full-time, part-time, temporary or summer positions as well as internships or co-op employment.
The Magner Career Center hosts its own on-campus Job Fair, once every semester (twice a year). Check out our page on the Upcoming Job Fair for more information.
What is a Job Fair/What Can You Expect?
A job fair is a recruiting method used by a large number of employers. They can be general or industry-specific and include multiple types of applicants or positions. Typically, they involve employers with one to two representatives hosting a table. This 2-minute video can help you get a sense of what to expect. Representatives attending will mainly be hiring managers. At the fair they may:
- Provide information and literature about the organization and employment opportunities and possibly applications.
- Collect applicants’ resumes (Some employers will not collect resumes and will refer applicants to their websites where the resumes may be uploaded).
- Answer applicants’ questions.
- Provide applicants with important follow-up contact information.
- Meet with you for a few minutes, depending on how busy they are, most attempt to do quick assessments of applicants to determine those they wish to follow up with after the event.
- Recruit for current openings or for future anticipated openings.
- Have large crowds/lines of applicants waiting to talk to them.