Research the industry and specific roles within the industry.
Understand the industry you want to work for. Stay updated about your chosen industry by subscribing to relevant newsletters and articles. Network and reach out to at least 10 people in the industry over email or LinkedIn to gain career insights before the Career Fair, preferably during summer or winter break before the semester begins. Tailor your resume to fit the specific roles you want and identify the skills you still need to learn. The internet is a great place for you to learn new skills, especially if you want to pick up new software. Take courses on LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) for free using your Texas A&M email. Click here and type “tamu.edu” into the textbox to log in using your NetID and create a new account. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are another way for you to gain new skills to add to your resume. Www.edx.org is a resource that offers free online courses for you to take. If you are an international student looking to work in the United States, figure out if the industry you are interested in has H1B visa or Green Card sponsorship opportunities.
Create a target company list.
Next, it is time to create a target company list. This is the list of companies you want to talk with at the Career Fair and work for in the future. You can first look at the organizations that are registered to attend the Texas A&M Career Fair. Companies of varying sizes will go to the Career Fair, so this is an opportunity to learn about companies you may not know about.
- The Texas A&M LinkedIn page is another place to search when building your target company list. On the A&M LinkedIn alumni page, you can view which companies employ the most former students.
- Texas A&M surveys graduating students every year for their starting salaries, and data for “Who hires my major?” You can view the results of these surveys here.
- CareerShift is a resource you can access through HireAggies to find information about companies and jobs. Watch this video to learn more.
- International students may also consider using MyVisaJobs to look for companies that will sponsor H1B visas and Green Cards. If you want to see more about MyVisaJobs, please watch this video.
Follow the companies you are interested in on LinkedIn and other social media to stay up-to-date on company news.
Research topics.
Now that you have identified a list of companies to talk to, learn more about them so you can have a memorable conversation with the recruiter. A recruiter on average talks to 60-70 students in a day at the Career Fair. If you show up at their booth without adequate preparation, you will end up just being a number.
You should research and ask yourself:
- Have you reviewed the job descriptions you are interested in?
- Have there been any recent news/press releases about the company?
- What training programs are offered?
- Are there notable alumni working in the company?
- Do you have a familiarity with their services or products?
- How is their organization structured?
- Are they organized into operating units?
- How do they compare to their competition in the marketplace?
- What is their market share on the product line/service you are interested in?
- Do their website and social media outlets provide a sense of what they do and the workplace environment?
- What majors do they hire, and how would you fit in?
- Can you identify any recent projects, new products, or new initiatives?
- How about long and short-term goals?
- How has the company resolved challenges in the past?
- Have there been recent employee layoffs, lawsuits, or merger discussions?
- Have they received any major awards or recognition?
- What are the backgrounds of the managers?
- Have you reviewed their financial statements?
Your ultimate goal is to be able to speak about the company with as much detail as a current employee of their company for 6 months. Apply to positions in companies you are interested in through their corporate website and on HireAggies before the Career Fair. You can print those job descriptions and bring them to the Career Fair, so you are able to articulate how your unique qualifications match the positions in their company.
Write a “Cheat Sheet.”
Gather the information you have found and write a “cheat sheet” to remind you of the details of each company and prepare some questions that you can ask at the Career Fair. As you wait in line to talk to the company, the cheat sheet will be a refresher on what you want to talk about with the recruiter.
Apply to positions.
Employers appreciate students who apply to positions posted on HireAggies and on their websites before the Career Fair. Applying early shows you have done your homework and preparation before the fair. Employers are required to post positions on Hireaggies in order to interview on campus. Over 300 companies interview on campus and a majority of them interview right after the Career Fair.
Note: Some companies will have an application deadline even before the Career Fair, so keep an eye out for job postings.
Prepare an "Elevator Pitch"
An elevator pitch is a short self-introduction that you can use to answer the question, “Can you tell me about yourself?” An elevator pitch can be as short as 30 seconds to as long as 5 minutes. Prepare multiple versions to be flexible for different job positions.
The elevator pitch is tailored to each company based on their requirements. A good pitch will articulate your present, past, and future. A recommended approach is to start with your present education/projects, past education/experience/internships/projects and future goals/ambitions as it relates to the company.