The Job Fair

By Matt Guerriero, Campus Representative, University of Pittsburgh

Students are always looking for ways to be noticed and stand out in the crowd among their fellow job seekers. One place to make a great impression is at job fairs. Many companies do the majority of their recruiting at these events so it is crucial that students attend job fairs. However, students must make an effort to be noticed by the companies that are present. Recruiters will appreciate students that have confidence and walk up to a booth and start asking questions about their company. A large amount of preparation should go into researching the companies that will be at the job fair a prospective employee will attend. Collegegrad.com offers some general suggestions to improve one’s performance at job fairs.

Unless you do your homework, you will end up wasting your time at a job fair. Job fairs are the meat markets of the entry level job market, with employers sizing up candidates quickly, based on appearances, communication skills, and first impressions. Job fairs have a set of rules and protocols all their own. But if you understand how to effectively work within the system, you can easily double or triple your productivity and effectiveness.

This is extremely important for juniors and seniors because the market for potential jobs is not very good at the moment. A good first impression could be the one thing that gets a student a job. At the University of Pittsburgh, we have job fairs at least once a semester on campus and many students obtain internships and full time positions from them. The key is to do your homework to have the best presentation as possible.