Look professional.

All Texas A&M Career Fairs have a business casual minimum requirement for attendees. Dress for the job you want—some Career Fairs will have companies that prefer business casual. When you are not sure what to wear to the Career Fair, err on the side of caution and wear business professional attire.

The Career Fair will offer adhesive name tags that you can use at entrances. Be sure to have your name and major visible before visiting booths. If you want to buy a professionally made name tag before the Career Fair, you can order one from oso-clean.com/collections/all. You may also want to print a business card to hand out while networking. Go to the Texas A&M University brand guide to download and print the official A&M business card template here.

 

Be prepared.

Bring a professional portfolio or folder with plenty of resumes, a pen, paper, and notes. Print your resumes on resume paper and bring more resumes than you think you will hand out—it’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared! Bring your “cheat sheets” on companies before you arrive to the event and think of a few questions that expresses your interest based off of the information you have found. Refresh your memory before you approach each booth.
 

Talk to recruiters and have memorable conversations.

When meeting recruiters, greet them with a firm handshake and remember to take note of their names. Walk up to them and introduce yourself regardless of your comfort level at the time. It’s normal to feel nervous before social situations; chances are the recruiter feels awkward as well. During the conversation, you should discuss mutually beneficial and interesting topics after your initial introduction instead of just what you are interested in. 

Many students approach recruiters with the idea that they just want a job. Remember that employers dislike desperate attitudes. They want to hire people who will help them succeed and fit into the organization’s culture. Let recruiters know that you are interested in fulfilling the needs of the company and learning more about the industry.

The recruiter may ask questions about you. You can structure your answers using the S.T.A.R. Method that we recommend for interviews.

The S.T.A.R. method is useful because it will allow recruiters to see the whole picture of the situation and follow your thought process. This lets the interviewer gauge your abilities in problem-solving, reasoning, and other soft skills that are otherwise difficult to demonstrate. When talking about your past experiences, try to include relevant technical details such as software skills in your descriptions. Only use language that the recruiter will understand, so avoid technical jargon when talking to a non-technical person.

In addition to questions you have prepared from your research, here are some good example questions to ask at the Career Fair:

• Based on your experience in the industry what should I be paying attention to or learning that professors aren’t speaking about in school?
• What characteristics or skills make for a good _________?
• Where do you see evolving needs or areas of emerging opportunities in the company/industry?
• How would you describe the culture of your organization?
• What can I do to make myself more marketable in your industry?
• What advice can you share to help someone like me prepare?

After you talk to the recruiter, ask for their business card and store it in your folder or portfolio. A tip to make yourself stand out to the recruiter is to step across the aisle after your conversation and write down what you remember from your chat. This will make writing thank-you notes easier, and shows that you paid attention to what the recruiter said. When standing in line for a booth, it’s okay to hear the conversations around you, even if it feels strange because of your cultural background. Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions to a conversation someone had in front of you!
 

Here are some do’s and dont’s for the Career Fair.

DO:

• Brush your teeth, fix your hair, and shine your shoes before heading out the door because recruiters will take note of whether you paid attention to the details of your appearance. 
• Arrive early so you can plan for which booths you want to visit.
• Have some mints with you to avoid bad breath. 
• Use deodorant and make sure you don’t smell bad. 
• If writing your name tag, print your name and major in neat, large handwriting.
• Print resumes on good quality white paper and bring more than you think you will need.
• Listen to the recruiter and form a genuine connection. It’s okay to not jump straight into shoptalk. Instead, ask them about their day and find some common ground first.

DON’T:

• Approach a recruiter in a pack. This will lessen the likelihood of a memorable and comfortable exchange with the recruiter.
• Put on too much cologne or perfume. It is recommended that you smell neutral while attending the Career Fair.
• Be awkward or scared to start a conversation with recruiters. They are interested in looking for new talent, and you may be just the person they need.
• Argue with the recruiter or contradict them, even if you disagree with what they say. Respect the advice that they give because they are the experts.

Remember that everything you do in the Career Fair is a reflection of your professional conduct. There is no such thing as “off-the-record” when talking to other people in the room (including your friends).