The ABCs of the Career Fair

Here’s what you need to do to prepare and knock the socks off the recruiters attending this year’s fair!

BUSINESS & COMMUNICATIONS CAREER FAIR
Wednesday, September 27: 3 to 7 p.m. at the JMA Dome

A – Appointments at the Newhouse Career Development Center utilized.
Schedule an appointment on Handshake to discuss your résumé, networking, or anything else Career Fair- (or just “career” in general!) related.

B – Business casual attire acquired.
Suits aren’t required (but won’t be out of place if you want to wear one) but you should dress nicely. Leave the jeans, sweats, joggers, yoga pants, leggings, etc. at home and wear an outfit that makes you feel good AND projects professional, polished vibes. If you’re unsure if what you plan to wear is appropriate, come show us a picture in the career center (313 Newhouse 3). We have helped many students figure out how to make what they have work for a career fair environment.

C – Companies of interest identified.
Check out the full list of companies attending here, then check out their websites. Make a list of those that are of interest and others that MAY be of interest if you have time to check them out. Look at their social media and see what is posted on their websites in terms of opportunities. Write down any questions you have and bring those to the fair with you.

D – Drop-in hours attended.
Make use of the Newhouse Career Development Center’s drop-ins, which are held every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 313 Newhouse 3.

E – Emailed a copy of your résumé to nhcdc@syr.edu.
Get quick, specific feedback about your résumé in a matter of a few days by emailing a copy as a PDF to the Newhouse Career Development Center.

F – Friends reminded.
This fair is for EVERYONE at Syracuse University who is interested in communications. Remind your friends who are also here at Newhouse, as well as anyone else on campus who has an interest in communications.

G – Goals set.
What are you looking to get out of the fair? New connections? Familiarity with career fair events? Practice speaking to professionals? Any and all reasons are valid but identifying what you want to accomplish by attending will help you make your day-of plan (see M!).

H – Handshake app downloaded and résumé uploaded to profile!
You will need to download the Handshake app (available wherever you usually download apps) in order to check in with each company you speak with at the fair. Checking in allows the company to have access to the résumé you have uploaded to your Handshake account, which is a very good thing!

I – Iron/steamer ready to make your outfit look its best.
Make the best possible first impression by making sure your Career Fair outfit looks its best, too. Get the wrinkles out the night before so you’re ready to go the day-of.

J – Jitters are normal.
Remind yourself that the companies coming WANT to talk to you and your conversations at the fair won’t be the “be all, end all.” You’ll need to follow up on your first interactions via email, so any in-person awkwardness you feel will

K – Keeping an eye on CDCNews/CDCGradNews.
We will continue to send out updates about Career Fair prep options and seminars, so don’t ignore your weekly CDCNews/CDCGradNews emails!

L – List of questions for each company ready (see C and W!)

M – Make a plan for the day of the fair.
What time(s) will you attend? You may leave and return, or speak with everyone you want to talk to in one go. Do whatever works for your schedule but try to avoid coming only at the end of the fair. Some recruiters may have booked flights out (there are only so many in/out of Syracuse) close to the end of the fair and may have to cut out a few minutes early.

N – Note why each company of interest (see C, L, and W!) is a fit for you specifically.
What do you bring to the table that’s unique? What about the company or its opportunities would allow you to let that quality/ability shine? These are good notes for your pitch (see P!).

O – Outfit picked out and looking good (see B and I!)
Do this the day before if possible so you wake up the day of the fair ready to go!

P – Pitch practiced.
You need to know how to talk about what you’ve done and how that relates to what the company does, and to do that well, you need to practice (see T!). If you haven’t really acquired much experience yet, don’t worry about talking about what you’ve done and instead focus on what classes have taught you in terms of skills relevant to the company or in terms of the direction you want to go with your interests.

Q – QR code-familiar.
Have a new phone? Not used to QR codes? Make sure you are ready to do some scanning at the Fair since you’ll have to use QR codes to check in at companies’ tables.

R – Résumé ready (see A and V!).
Get started on this ASAP so you don’t feel rushed in the days right before the fair! Check out the Newhouse CDC’s full range of résumé resources here.

S – Social media research completed.
Check out the companies you’re into on social platforms (see C!) to feel out their vibe and be sure to follow them, too!

T – Talked to yourself!
Practice what you will say about yourself (see N and P!) aloud so that you feel comfortable putting what you want to say into actual words (as opposed to in your thoughts) when you’re at the fair. Practice putting these thoughts into words in the car or while walking to campus, showering, or fast-forwarding ad breaks while watching TV. A little prep in this fashion will help you a LOT when coming face-to-face with reps at the fair.

U – Updated your calendar.
Add a reminder for the Career Fair itself and a day later to follow up with all of the recruiters you speak with after the fair. More tips on how to stay in touch and make the most out of the connections you make at the Spring Communications Career Fair are available in our video here.

V – Video watched.
Feeling stressed about the whole communications résumé thing? No worries! Start by watching this video, which really breaks down what you need to have and why for a strong communications industry résumé.

W – Websites reviewed.
We know that telling you to check out companies’ websites is kind of a no-brainer, but it’s worth reminding you that you need to avoid asking questions that are easily answered by the site. In general, you want to ask questions that can’t be answered by a simple “yes” or “no,” and that demonstrate that you actually DID look at the website. Asking about departments, past work, posted positions, or other specific details are a good way to do this.

X – X-tra close attention paid to the tiny details.
We know we already said “get your resume ready,” but give it one last once over. Make sure you didn’t miss a typo that spell check didn’t catch. Once you feel ready, print more copies than you think you’ll need. Yes, bring hard copies! Print one for each company of interest and a few extras – you never know if in person another organization may catch your eye!

Y – Yippee! We are almost done with this list.
Here’s your one last reminder to DOWNLOAD THE HANDSHAKE APP on your phone. It will make attending the fair 100 times easier. You’ll thank yourself.

Z – Zip into the Newhouse Career Development Center (313 Newhouse 3) at any time with questions! We are here to help.