This Friday and Saturday, the NSBE/SHPE Career Fair will feature over 100 companies looking to hire students for full-time, co-op, and summer positions. Due to the weak economy, positions will probably be scarce and the competition will be intense. Although summer is still a recent memory, you will need to start working on next summer’s job search now.
The career fair features companies recruiting for all majors. It’s even worthwhile for freshmen to attend—you can see how other students are dressed and even try speaking to some of the recruiters. It’s an excellent opportunity to see first-hand how to work your way around the fair.
When you’re getting ready to attend the career fair this week, there are a few things you should probably keep in mind.
To begin with, bring lots of copies of your resume to distribute. To help you prepare, the CDC has walk-in hours and will look over your resume this week. Take advantage of this resource, and get your resume in top shape before Friday and Saturday.
You should also remember that the career fair is a formal event—be sure to dress the part. This will ensure that the recruiters take you seriously and will be beneficial in getting your foot in the door. A suit is ideal, but if you don’t have one, you can improvise with slacks and a nice shirt.
Don’t be discouraged, especially if you’re a freshman. Attending the career fair is a great chance to get first-hand experience for years to come, and you probably shouldn’t be looking for a serious job this first time through. Often recruiters are looking for people who are sophomores or older, but its still good to use this time to learn about the companies that you may look at more seriously when you are older. Even if you do face rejection, you only need one job, the next recruiter you speak to may be the one who offers you an interview.
NSBE and SHPE should be congratulated and thanked for all the work they put into making this career fair a reality. They are doing an invaluable service to all students here and we all definitely appreciate this opporunity they create for us.
