All the Career Fair Tips You Need to Succeed

You’ll need to stand out from a sea of college hopefuls hungry for their first job. No pressure, right? This is how you can own the stage.

By Jennifer Verta, Monster Contributor

Are you heading to a job fair soon and looking for career fair tips to make the most of the event? Career fairs are unmissable opportunities both if you’re entering the job market for the first time or if you’re a more experienced candidate.

Recruiters couldn’t be easier to reach than at these occasions. But you need to make sure you interact with them effectively. In this article, learn all about how to make the most out of job fairs.

What Is a Job Fair?

A career fair, also called a “job fair”, is an event where job seekers meet with recruiters and potential employers to learn about their organization, job openings and career prospects. One of the most common types is the college job fair. It’s targeted specifically to students to help them navigate possible work opportunities and understand the field they’re interested in as well as which companies are looking for in candidates.

However, there are career fairs available for everyone. Some are targeted to specific industries, others to certain job seekers. For example, a job fair for IT and digital professionals, or one for veterans and their spouses.

How Do Job Fairs Work?

Job fairs are traditionally in-person events, but virtual recruiting is also becoming common. They take place in large halls or online platforms, where multiple companies have dedicated booths with HR employees ready to engage with candidates like you. What happens at a job fair is essentially that job seekers pass from one booth to another to briefly get to know each company, their mission, and their hiring needs. In rare cases you might also be able to fill out an application on the spot. But more commonly, recruiters will invite you to apply online.

What to Expect at a Job Fair?

If you’re afraid of suddenly finding yourself in the middle of a job interview, the first of our career fair tips is to relax. This won’t be the case.

Even if you get to spend enough time with a recruiter to convince them you’re a good fit, the chances of getting hired at a job fair are quite low. That is simply not the purpose of this event.

Career fairs are instead an opportunity to establish a connection with recruiters in a more relaxed environment, and to network in your field. They are not designed for you to land a job on the spot.

Why Attend a Career Fair? Tips to Reap All the Benefits

Whether you’re a freshman exploring your job prospects or a more experienced professional in your field, participating in job fairs has many benefits, including:

1. Learn How to Talk to Recruiters and Build Confidence

Learning how to sell your skills with confidence takes time, and often a bit of refreshing every now and then. Job fairs are the perfect environment to practice talking about yourself in a professional setting without as much pressure as a job interview.

2. Connect with Employers You’re Interested in

Talk with recruiters from companies you’re already interested in to get useful insights into what they’re looking for and what they consider the most important skills in candidates. In many cases, they’ll also share information about application deadlines, and advice to make your resume pop.

Consequently, preparing your job application gets much easier. Moreover, if you make a lasting impression, you might have an easier time getting your foot in the door when they receive your application.

3. Learn About New Companies

You’re probably heading to a career fair with a few big-name companies in mind. However, be open to engaging and learning about as many companies as you can. You might end up finding an even better fit. Everybody wants to work with the biggest and most famous firms, but don’t underestimate all the interesting opportunities you can find at lesser-known businesses.

4. Build or Expand Your Professional Network

Finding a job at any stage of your career is much easier when you have the right contacts. Attending a career fair and talking with recruiters and other job seekers is extremely useful to establish professional connections.

Employers often prefer to hire candidates that are already known in the industry or recommended by other employees. By introducing yourself in such settings, you can start to build that trust and respect, which could lead to a job later on.

How to Prepare for a Career Fair: Tips to Ensure You Walk in at Your Best

To get the most out of what job fairs have to offer, it’s important you take some time to prepare appropriately. Here are our top career fair tips to take before you arrive for the big day:

1. Research the Employers at the Fair

When over 150 companies attend a career fair, it’s going to be impossible to dedicate the right amount of time to each one of them. That’s why one of the most important career fair tips is to plan your time.

Research the companies prior to the event, pick three to five that you’re most interested in, and prioritize those. But don’t forget to build a baseline knowledge of others as well. That way, if you still have time at the end, you’re prepared to interact with them.

2. Update Your Resume and Cover Letters

Once you decide which companies you’re going to approach, you must write a targeted resume for each one. This means including skills and knowledge that are important to each company. Without a specific job opening to consult it can be difficult to be specific. However, looking through their current job ads and the “about” section of their website section can still give you a good idea.

Another of our career fair tips is to also write targeted cover letters. Of course, you might have more to add after you speak with the recruiter, but it’s good to have something to hand.

It’s also a good idea to prepare a more general version of your resume. This will be useful for interesting companies you come across that you weren’t expecting. Keep your resume short, sharp, and easily digestible so that recruiters can find key information as they’re speaking to you.

As for how many resumes you should bring to a job fair, that depends on how many companies you want to target. However, a safe bet is 10 to 15 copies. This should be enough to allow you to leave your resume with all the recruiters that you had a meaningful conversation with, but not with every booth.

3. Prepare and Practice Your Introduction

In a job fair, you’ll have a limited time to talk to a recruiter, so make every minute count. Among our career fair tips, we suggest that you prepare a short speech to introduce yourself to recruiters. In 20 to 30 seconds you’ll present yourself to recruiters and sell your skills. Your pitch should touch on:

  • who you are
  • your status (e.g., student of X or employed in X field)
  • your experiences, qualifications, and skills
  • why you’re interested in that company

Here is an example of how to introduce yourself at a career fair:

“Hello. I’m John, a senior majoring in Business Administration. I’m exploring options for a career in marketing, as it’s a subject I’m particularly passionate about. Last summer I had an internship with a local retail company in my town, and I had the opportunity to support their email marketing campaigns as well as their social media presence. I gained a lot of great skills from this internship, and I am looking forward to applying what I have learned in a full-time position. I noticed on your company’s website that you manage various brands’ social media pages, and I’m interested in learning more about that aspect of your business.”

Ask for help from family members and friends and practice your speech until you feel confident.

4. Dress to Impress

Although every industry has its own business dress code, it’s a good idea to stay on the formal side at a job fair. After all, non-verbal communication, which includes clothing and grooming, has a huge impact on how you are perceived by others, especially in a first encounter.

Therefore, in this career fair tips guide we suggest you opt for a business professional or a business formal attire. For instance, with a two-piece suit in a dark color, you can’t go wrong. As an alternative, the combo of a shirt, dark-colored blazer, slacks or knee-length skirt, and closed dress shoes will do great too. Keep your hair, make-up, and accessories tidy and understated.

5. What to Bring to a Job Fair

At a job fair, your objective is to connect with recruiters, so you should avoid any distractions. The key here is that less is more. Leave the big, bulky backpack at home and your coat in the car or checked in the event wardrobe. Ideally, you should only carry a folder containing:

  • copies of your resume
  • your portfolio (if applicable)
  • pens, paper, and a notebook
  • your business cards

Women can also bring a purse, but again, it should be small and understated.

Navigating a Career Fair: Tips for the Day of the Event

So far, we have seen the career fair tips to follow before showing up at the event, but what to do at a career fair itself?

1. Arrive Early

They say, “The early bird gets the worm”, so turn up at the job fair early. You’ll avoid the queues that build up later in the day, find recruiters fresher and hopefully with more time to talk to you. You’ll also be able to orientate yourself and locate the specific booths you’re interested in without rushing through a crowd.

2. Don’t Start with Your Top Choice

When you first arrive, you’re likely to feel some performance jitters. Don’t worry, that’s normal! For this reason, it might be a good idea to start with the companies you’re less interested in. This way, you’ll have a couple of interactions to calm down, focus and get comfortable, before approaching your top choices.

3. Talk to Other Candidates

Yes, you’re at a career fair mainly to talk to recruiters but don’t forget to engage with other candidates as well. If you’re in a queue, there’s nothing wrong with some chit-chat with other job seekers. Not only can it help you relax but remember that networking is key.

What to Say at a Career Fair: Tips for Communication

When your turn comes, approach the recruiters with a smile, open posture, a firm handshake and eye contact. After your introduction, line up a few questions to ask at a job fair to make sure the conversation flows. Below are a few question examples that can be used by both entry-level and experienced candidates. Don’t forget to adapt them based on your target company.

Examples of Questions to Ask at a Career Fair

  • What are the characteristics of your most successful employees?
  • What are common career paths within your organization?
  • How many years do employees stay with the company on average?
  • How would you describe your organization’s culture?
  • How can I prepare for applying for X role at your company?
  • Does your company offer opportunities for ongoing training?
  • How long does the hiring process take? What stages does it consist of?
  • How long have you been with the company?
  • What is making you stay with this company?

Extra Career Fair Tips for Making a Good Impression

If you want to be a candidate that leaves a lasting impression on recruiters, genuine interest and enthusiasm to your conversations. This could look like:

  • Showing that you did your homework by asking for clarifications about projects the company is planning or issues they’re facing.
  • Mentioning skills that you have that could be leveraged to solve specific company problems.
  • Asking for the recruiter’s business card and contacts.
  • Being assertive - but not pushy - in expressing your interest to join the company. For example: “What your company offers sounds really interesting, and I think I have the skills you need to help you achieve your goals. What do I need to do to apply?”

Post-Career Fair Tips

Once the job fair is over, follow up with recruiters so your leads don’t go cold. The easiest way to do this is to write a thank you email within 24 hours of the event. This way, the recruiter will hopefully still have a fresh memory of you. In your email, remember to:

  • thank the recruiter for their time
  • mention a meaningful detail or topic from your conversation
  • restate your interest in a particular role or for the company
  • follow up on something that was suggested during your chat (e.g., applying online, sending a digital copy of your resume and portfolio etc.)

Your follow-up should be nice and short, and above all, professional. Check out our career fair follow-up email example for help:

Subject: It was a pleasure to connect at the Jacksonville job fair

“Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you again for taking the time to chat with me about your organization XY, yesterday at the Jacksonville job fair.

I really enjoyed hearing about the bio genome project you are working on, and I believe my experience at Medical XYZ would make me a great addition to your team.

As you suggested during our conversation, I’m attaching a digital copy of my resume. I look forward to hearing from you about the Specialist Research opportunity.

Thanks again for your time.

Best,

John Darwin”

Stand Out at Your Next Job Fair with Help From Monster

Bring the best version of your resume to the career fair. Tips for an impactful resume are waiting for you when you get a free resume assessment from Monster’s experts. Find out what you can improve to catch recruiters’ attention and secure your next job. We’ll also show you how to highlight your skills and which keywords to use for your industry.