BEFORE THE FAIR
Visit the Engineering Career Events page to locate the fair you plan to attend and see the full list of employers recruiting at the fair.
Profile updates
- Create or revise your Handshake and CareerFair+ profiles
HANDSHAKE | Update career interests and search factors you are prioritizing such as location, type of role, industry, and more.
CareerFair+ | Update profile qualifications, including major, year, type of role you are seeking
Identify employers attending
- Research employers attending through Handshake, CareerFair+, LinkedIn, and company websites
- Create a list of your 5-10 top employers
Prepare for employer interactions
- Research and tailor your approach!
Think about the company’s
- Products and services
- Company culture
- Recent news such as acquisitions, name changes, or any interesting projects
- Prepare 3-5 questions for each company
- Create and/or revise your resume and print enough copies to give to recruiters. Make sure to upload your most recent resume to Handshake and CareerFair+
- Prepare and practice your personal introduction or elevator pitch
- 30 second – 1 minute personal introduction
- Plan out your arrival to the career fair including travel time. Give yourself enough time to arrive with time to spare and collect your thoughts upon arrival.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
- Dress professionally. Career fair attendees are most commonly expected to dress in business casual. On-campus interview attire is business professional. Professional Dress + Attire guidelines can be found here.
- Expanding your professional wardrobe? Schedule an Campus Career Closet appointment via Handshake through Career Discovery and Success.
- Pack your pad folio, pen, resume copies, and confidence.
DURING OR DAY-OF
As you approach the beginning of the career fair, remember to take a deep breath. Review your resume, notes you prepared about companies you hope to interact with. Most importantly, be yourself!
- Check-in and familiarize yourself with the event map.
- Develop your career fair game plan using CareerFair+. Create your list of employers in the order which you plan to approach them.
- As you greet the company representative:
- Offer a strong handshake or another form of greeting.
- Make eye contact when greeting and speaking with recruiters.
- Be mindful of your body language and movements such as posture, fidgeting hands, proximity to others.
- Begin with personal introduction. Project your voice, as the space may be loud.
- Ask prepared questions.
- Discuss any next steps for applying to opportunities that will occur after the fair.
- Take notes after each interaction before moving on to the next employer.
TIP | Ensure you receive contact information such as a business card, or confirm the best way to follow up with questions.
AFTER
Follow up
- Send an email thank-you note within 24-48 hours.
- Personalize the note to each company or recruiter.
Include in your thank-you note:
- Appreciation for taking the time to speak with you
- Something you enjoyed or learned from the conversation
- The action you plan to take or completed based on your conversations
Keep your message short -- under 100 words. Attach your resume for reference.
Hint: Keep contact information you collected from the company representative in an organized place so you can refer back to it in the future.
Dear Mr. / Ms. [ Name ],
It was a pleasure to meet you at the [Career Event name] this week. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about your company’s vision for [ what company is working on ]. I really enjoyed learning [ something you learned from conversation ] and am excited about the ways [ developing or new ] engineers can contribute to this effort.
Per our conversation, I explored the position openings you indicated are available and look forward to submitting my materials in the coming days.
I look forward to keeping in touch. Thanks again for your time [ yesterday / this week ].
Sincerely,
[ Name ]
Take Action
- Follow the recruiter’s instruction about applying for positions within a few days.
- Consider asking recruiter for follow-up call, virtual chat, or informational interview connection.
- Attend any follow-up recruitment events with companies you are most attracted to. You can find them on the Auburn Engineering Career Events page, the company website or LinkedIn page.