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Before the Fair:
- Sign up for our Career Fair Tips workshop.
- Have your resume polished, printed and ready for distribution. View our online resume seminar, look at resume resources in our career resource room, build your resume in OptimalResume, then schedule a resume critique with your career counselor.
- Review the list of participating organizations on the Career Center website.
- Target your top 10-20 organizations. You won't have time to meet hundreds, so ask yourself, "Who do I REALLY want to meet?"
- Research the organizations you plan to target.
- Plan your professional business attire. Dress as a professional and that is how you will be perceived. Make sure your shoes are shined and your suit clean and wrinkle-free. USF Career Fairs have a strictly enforced dress code.
- Be sure you have plenty of resumes, a notepad and pens.
- Prepare a list of questions you would like to ask each of the employers.
- Rehearse responses to sample interview questions. Practice an "elevator speech," a one-minute self-introduction.
- Activate an account in Career Connections and upload your resume in the database.
- Remember to bring your student I.D., since you'll have to show it to gain entry into the fair.
On the Day of the Fair:
- Have your student I.D. ready to gain entrance into the Fair.
- Submit one copy of your resume when you sign in at the student check-in table.
- After you sign in, pick up a list of participating organizations and their location in the Sun Dome.
- Review the employer location diagram closely and develop an action plan to target your top 10-20 employers.
- Don't network in a group...it's difficult to showcase your assets if you're in a crowd.
- Respect the privacy of conversations already going on. You can at least pick up literature while you wait.
- Watch for cues and signals (eye contact, a smile in your direction, nod of the head) that the employer is ready to talk with you.
- If you have a portfolio, make sure it's in your left hand so you can easily shake hands with the employer.
- Make eye contact, listen attentively and communicate in a professional manner.
- Collect business cards from everyone you meet.
- Leave time to make notes after speaking with each employer.
After the Fair:
- Follow up. Write a thank you letter to each employer with whom you spoke.
- Be sure to confirm your interest and enthusiasm for the organization in your letter.
- Check Career Connections to see if the organization has scheduled an on-campus interview.
- If you haven't already activated an account in Career Connections (which requires uploading your resume into the Career Connections database), do so immediately, so you can apply for and schedule on-campus interviews and have your resume referred to employers looking for USF students.
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