Black man in glasses and suit shaking hands with young Black female in suit

5 Easy Ways to Stand Out at Career Fairs

Career fairs are a great way to explore your future career or land a job before you graduate. Here are five ways to stand out and improve your chances.

The fall semester of your senior year of college is the perfect time to start the search for a job. And there's something your school offers that not enough students take advantage of: career fairs. Career fairs are a great way to explore your potential career options for the future. Whether it’s an on-campus or off-campus position, there are multiple ways to make yourself stand out at a career fair. These tips range from sharpening your résumé to dressing professionally—all of which will catch an employer’s eye!

1. Personalize your résumé

Employers are so used to seeing white Word documents. By adding some color or detail, your résumé will catch the attention of any employer. This step is especially helpful for those majoring in the arts, including Photography, Graphic Design, or Art Therapy. Websites like Canva and Novorésumé provide multiple templates and layouts that allow you to create a visually pleasing résumé or CV.

Related: How to Use Keywords to Craft a Better Résumé

2. Ask questions

When visiting tables at a job fair, it is crucial to ask questions. It lets a recruiter know you are interested in their organization. It is also important to avoid asking simple yes or no questions—this will cut your conversations and networking time short. Instead, make sure to research the organization before the fair and ask thoughtful inquiries about the company or specific positions you are interested in. 

3. Dress to impress

Unless stated otherwise, it is usually required to dress business casual or in interview attire. Although you don’t have to wear a blazer and dress pants, it would help you stand out as a professional student. In addition to your outfit, make sure to bring a folder or clipboard and pen to jot down notes when interacting with employers. By dressing up for job fairs, employers will recognize that you take this seriously and have the potential for working in a business or office setting.

Related: How to Establish a Professional Online Presence

4. Confidence is key

By researching the organizations or companies and having a list of questions, you will come across as confident and driven. Not to mention, taking the initiative to attend a job fair, approach certain companies, and really have a conversation with them will say a lot about you too. Not only will this show employers you are enthusiastic and actively searching for a job, but it will also highlight that you are confident in your skills and abilities.

5. Thank the recruiters

Treat the job fair like an interview and always thank the recruiters you met and had a connection with. Typically, recruiters will give out their contact information to students to answer any questions they may have after the fair. By sending a simple thank-you email, the recruiter will know you are interested in their positions and company. This will also help you stand out as a personable and polite candidate for hire. Additionally, it doesn’t hurt to connect with recruiters via LinkedIn—especially if you had a long conversation and a strong networking connection.

Related: How to Write a Strong Professional Email People Will Read

Hopefully, these tips will help you conquer your school’s next job fair. We know approaching professional adults can seem intimidating, especially when you may not know exactly what company, or even what industry, you want to work in. But attending job fairs can only help you in finding the right career fit. Now grab your résumé and get hired!

Are you actively looking for a job? Check out some great advice to help you land one with the articles in our Internships and Careers section.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Christiane Townsend

Through her experience of living internationally throughout her childhood, Christiane Townsend has firsthand knowledge of other countries, cultures, and religions. A student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she has been able to use her writing both in an academic and leisurely setting to spread cultural acceptance, awareness, and growth. Christi believes in educating others on topics such as feminism, travel, college life, and striving for excellence, which is depicted through her writing.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

The Ohio State University

Columbus, OH


Jeff Parsons

Jeff Parsons

Counselor

Thank you so much for this valuable information about these opportunities. I truly appreciate the CollegeXpress communications and use them to keep my high school seniors informed about their opportunities!

Kyla McClain

Kyla McClain

High School Class of 2024

I found CollegeXpress when you partnered with Bold.org for a scholarship. I found your website, put my information in, and got connected. I only wanted to stay in North Carolina [for college] and not move far from home, but you all opened a door up for me. I started researching colleges you suggested for me. On your social media platforms, you also give really good test-taking tips that I used and suggested others to do the same. It helped me a lot on my exams, so thank you.

Bri'Yana Brown-Dunn

Bri'Yana Brown-Dunn

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me gain interest in many colleges/universities and many scholarships. I would say the most helpful thing CollegeXpress has done for me is sending me emails that tell me certain types of colleges are interested in me as well as emails about scholarships that I can look at and possibly apply for.

Jasmine

Jasmine

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me find the school I am currently attending by consistently sending me emails of other schools. This allowed me to do research on other schools as well as the one I am in now!

Lu Diehl

Lu Diehl

High School Class of 2022

I never would have found the college I plan on attending without CollegeXpress! I've always been a person of ambition and have been dreaming of studying and working on my passion for law, legal studies, and political science. Washington College is where I plan on pursuing my career. My journey with my education has been difficult, and oftentimes, I was told I would never amount to much, but now I'm dual enrolled at Caroll Community College and have had experience in the fields I am dedicated to. Without the help of CollegeXpress (even in its early days), I would never have found Washington College and the information I need to apply and become a part of their community.