How To Stand Out At Career Fairs And Recruiting Events 4 Steps To An Interview

How To Stand Out At Career ritterlichs And Recruiting Events 4 Steps To An bewerbungsinterviewHow To Stand Out At Career Fairs And Recruiting Events 4 Steps To An InterviewFor a lot of the most exclusive companies, its recruiting season. That means coming out to Career Fairs, Job Fairs, panels, networking vorstellungs, coffee chats, and way more. Top companies are doing everything they can to get on campus and meet with top talent.But theres only so much time to look for great talentwhich is why you have to make yourself easy to find.Heres how to stand out at a Career Fair, networking event, or any other in-person, professional opportunity.1. Research, Plan, StrategizeYoull want to be a Hermione on this one, leid a RonOne of the best ways to succeed at a Career Fair or networking event is to do your homework. Heres some of the stuff youre going to want to find outWhos going to be thereBasic info on the companies showing upWhat sorts of roles they hire forThis info will help you make your top ten or top five list, which is a good way to set goals. For example, Im going to put my resume inat leastthe hands of recruiters from eight of mytop ten companies.Learn a little bit about each company what they do, how big they are, and what kinds of roles they hire for. This way, you can know whether or not theyre right for your experience, skills, and long-term goals.2. Come PreparedThis time, Scars actually got your back.You want to look cool, calm, and collected at a Career Fair (or any other event), so pack and dress accordingly.In terms of dress,you want to look nice, but not naive or tactless, so dress accordingly (check out the Networking Guru outfit in thisinterview/event style guide). Make aya you follow event-specific dress codes (if there are any). You dont want to be uncomfortable or overly sweaty, and given that these usually take place in crowded conference halls or gymnasium-type places, that can be a risk when wearing a heavy suit or jacket. So, avoid the t hree-piece, wool suit and opt for a smart casual look instead. A nice button-down or blouse and dark jeans are usually entirely acceptable.Dont bring too much to a Career Fair or networking event. Youll look silly carrying around an over-stuffed backpack or a pulling a resume out of a huge bunch of papers. Just bring a small bag (if any), a folder or leather folio containing copies of your resume, and yourself.3. Make The TransactionsDo you accept C?A?S?H? RESUMES?You want to make a genuine connection with your interviewers, but at the end of the day, going to a Career Fair or networking event is all about the next steps. And the only way to move on to the next phase of the process is to take action while youre there. Heres what you need to doAfter making a polite, enthusiastic first impression, listening to their spiel, and telling them what youre passionate about, give them a copy of your resume and ask for a geschftlicher umgang card. Let them know youre going to follow up and yo u look forward to connecting and learning more. If they give out any other next steps (like go to this website or submit an app through our system), then be sure that you do that before you reach out.Its great to connect with recruiters as a fellow human being, but at the end of the day, its going to be hard for them to really remember each person theyve talked to and what theyre about. Thats why you need to get your resume in their hands and their business card in your wallet.The same goes for you You might not remember the details of every conversation at the end of the event or the day, so make sure you take notes somewhere about the important details, conversational highlights, and any specific actions you need to take.(Pro-tip Dont take notes while talking to the recruiter, rather, use their business card as a place to jot down key talking points to help jog your memory later on.)4. Follow Up With Action Items1. SEND A FOLLOW-UP EMAIL 2. GET YOUR DREAM JOB 3. NOTHINGAfter youve successfully completed the above three steps, youre going to want to follow up with the recruiter you spoke to at the event. Be sure to touch on anything specific you may have noted like a personal detail you remember about them or a website/application they told you to check out.Things to do in your follow-upThank them for their timeTell them it was nice meeting themInclude an interesting personal detail to stand outLet them know you submitted an app and look forward to hearing from themIf theres no app, try to ask an insightful question or for specific advice to establish a rapportAvoid doing stuff like thisSounding like a vorlage (if it reads like a generic response, it is and they wont care about your follow-up)Being awkward, unprofessional, or try too hard to be funny (its a business transaction)Asking them questions that you can easilyhave answered on their website or Wikipedia (its okay to ask some questions, but you dont want to seem unintelligent or unresourceful)The follo w-up email is an excellent touch of professionalism, which is one of the few traits you can actually demonstrate in this type of limited interaction, so dont waste this opportunity.One Small Step For You, One Giant Leap At A CareerNone of these steps take much effort on your part. However, any one of them can end up being a major signal to recruiters that youre a person who is prepared for the working world. One of these tips could help demonstrate that youre ready for the big leagues of a major internship or full-time, post-grad gig.So, be thoughtful about your next Career Fair or networking event, and you might just end up with a job that starts an amazing career.For more recruiting, interviewing, and application tips, check out the WayUp Guide.