Miami’s Spring Career and Internship Fair is always a big event, with lots of employers and opportunities, and you may not know where to start or how to prepare. Whether or not you are looking for internship job opportunities, it is nice to make connections, get experience in meeting a lot of new people, and prepare you for future events or career fairs. 

Preparation Before Career Fair

Whether it is your first or 10th time, when going to a career fair, you want to be prepared and ready for what comes up. 

Update and Print Resume

If you are involved in a course or organization that talks about career fairs, you have likely heard that you need to have an updated resume. So, in addition to updating your resume, take that extra step to print some resumes to take with you to the fair. Before printing your resume, make sure to have at least one person review it. Whether that be a parent, classmate, career center, professor, or anyone else you know, it is crucial to review it. Once your resume is updated, print out multiple copies to give to the different companies. As a Miami student, there are resources at the career center to create, review, and print resumes for free. 

Update LinkedIn and Handshake

In addition to your resume, make sure that your LinkedIn and Handshake accounts are up to date. Usually, you will be able to do this with the information you already have on your resume and just move it over to the online platform. 

Create an Elevator Pitch

Make sure that you have an “elevator pitch” ready. This should be about 30 seconds to highlight your name, graduation year, major, experience, and (if there is additional time) what you are looking for (internship, job, etc.).

Look Through the List of Employers

Take some time to look on Handshake for the employers who will be at the career fair to see which organizations are hiring for what you are specifically looking for (internship versus job, location, position, etc.). Take note of those employers that you are interested in learning more about and want to talk to and make connections with. Bring a notepad to the fair and write down the employers you want to see, their booth number, and specifically what you want to talk about (what the job/internship entails, questions for them, etc.).

Email Employers Before the Career Fair

If you are looking for an internship or job, consider sending an email to the organization(s) you’re interested in a few days before to introduce yourself, attach your resume, and express interest in talking to them at the career fair. This puts your name in the organization’s mind and lets representatives from that organization know that you are serious about working for them. 

Day of Career Fair

Dress Professionally

Make sure to dress professionally for the career fair. Here are some examples of professional attire: suits, blazers, button-down shirts, cardigans, dress pants, blouses, and closed-toe dress shoes. It is also helpful to make sure any shoes, socks, jewelry, hairstyles, accessories, perfume, and cologne are all professional and not overdone.

Orient Yourself

When you first get to the career fair, orient yourself to where everything is located. There are multiple locations with a map, so, before talking to any employer, look at the map to know where you want to go. It also helps to make a game plan, even if only in your head, so you know the general direction that you will be walking and path you will be taking.

Practice First

Talk to employers that you are not as interested in first. This helps you to get some experience and practice your elevator pitch, so you feel confident when going up to those companies that you really want to talk to. At the same time, don’t leave your top employers until the end, because you are more likely to be tired and not give it your full attention at that point.

Take Notes

When going around and talking to different employers, make a few notes about those contacts and what you talked about. If they have business cards, take those as well for more information. 

After the Career Fair

Follow Up

Within 24 hours, but preferably on the day of, follow up with the people you talked to. To follow up with employers, email them (from your Miami email) and then connect with them on LinkedIn. If you talked about anything specific at the career fair with someone, add something to your email that will bring that employer back to that conversation. You can also mention that you appreciated the information and will be applying for a position. Even if you aren’t planning on applying somewhere, still send a follow-up because they can be a connection in the future. 

Apply to Internships or Jobs

Within the following weeks, make sure you apply to any internships or jobs that you are interested in. This will give you experience in applying and possibly interviewing for jobs, allowing you to make more connections.

Reflect on the Experience

Finally, we recommend that within a week after the career fair, you take some time to reflect on your experience — what went well, lessons learned, and everything in between. Make sure to note your reflection somewhere, so when the next career fair comes around, you can be better prepared. 

While career fairs may seem overwhelming, these events can also be really good opportunities to build connections and prepare for your future career. So, just relax, and make the most of it. For other tips around career success, take a look at the eight ways Miami’s Center for Career Exploration and Success has strengthened its efforts to help students.