The winter quarter career fair is here, and you’re probably thinking: What do I do?
Fortunately, Cal Poly anticipates the confusion, stress and anxiety that comes with searching for a job. The faculty and counseling staff know how exhausting the career-searching process can be, and they are here to help make the process easier. Before the Jan. 18 and 19 fairs are upon you, take some time to prepare yourself. The amount of effort you put into research and execution will determine your success.
Upon entry, the fair will be populated by many different tables with company representatives. These are the people that you need to converse with.
Business administration senior Andrew Kolchak, who has attended three career fairs, said his experiences at the events have been pretty standard.
“You just go in, and you’re in your business apparel,” Kolchak said. “You bring your résumé, and you go talk to them. You kind of make small talk at first, and then they will ask you what you’re interested in.”
Kolchak went to his first career fair his sophomore year. His junior year, he found his internship with an accounting firm through the career fair. He said he followed some basic tips to achieve success.
“There are going to be a lot of firms there, and you won’t be able to talk to all of them, so plan on what firm you want to talk to,” Kolchak said. “Go on their website, get some information about them. Use that to structure your conversation so you know what you want to ask them.”
“Know (your résumé) like the back of your hand,” he said. “The more eloquently you can talk about something on your résumé and relate it to what you know about the company — tie in what you’ve done to what they want — that’s what they like to see.”
When he attended a career fair his sophomore year, Kolchak said he really didn’t get much out of it except knowing what to expect the following year. He said the information and experience he received from his first career fair allowed him to be less intimidated in his next fair.
Cal Poly career counselor Carole Moore echoes this statement.
“Even freshmen should go and see what they’re like,” Moore said. Even if you’re not sure about your major, “it’s a great idea to go. You can get excited about what’s out there, meet people, take stuff home.”
Business administration freshman Jake Wagner attended the career fair fall quarter, and said he’s looking forward to attending others in the future.
“I’m less worried about it this (quarter),” Wagner said. “Most likely next year I would do the fair thing, and then in my junior and senior year I plan to get more serious about finding internships.”
Many of the businesses that participate in the career fair are on the lookout for freshman and sophomore students, though.
Grant Thornton LLP, an accounting firm with experience in recruiting Cal Poly students, stressed the importance of starting early. Nancy Cook, the university recruiter for Grant Thornton’s San Francisco office, praised Cal Poly students for their hard work and thorough preparation.
“We try to get students involved a couple years before they graduate so they can be familiar with the firm,” Cook said. “Cal Poly students have a great mixture of people skills and technical skills.”
[box] Here are some tips from Cal Poly Career Counselor Carole Moore on how to appear professional at the career fair:
- Research. Choose a handful of companies you’re interested in, and craft separate résumés that go specifically to those employers.
- Dress professionaly. Look sharp from head to toe.
- Practice good social skills. Shake hands firmly, remember names, ask for business cards, make eye contact and smile.
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