Students in their best business attire will head to the Xfinity Center tomorrow for the annual Fall Career and Internship Fair, where they will shake hands and meet with nearly 300 potential employers.
Representatives from companies ranging from AARP to Yelp will be present on Wednesday and Thursday for one of the biggest university networking events in the area. First impressions are vital, from what students wear to what they say, said Erica Ely, the University Career Center’s program director of internships.
To help students with the daunting task of meeting with employers, the Career Center holds several programs throughout the semester to make the process easier.
The center holds panels for various job fields a few times each month, in which students can meet with industry professionals. Other panels are geared toward students looking at specific job opportunities, such as international internship experiences or jobs on Capitol Hill, Ely said.
Students can also book a one-on-one appointment with a peer career educator to ask questions about the center’s programs or receive a critique of their resumes. This year, the center added an app students can download on any device to view the list of employers at the fair.
It’s important for students to do their research before attending the fair, Ely said. They should review which companies are attending so they can come prepared.
Without doing so, “you come in with the expectation of not getting an internship on the spot,” Ely said.
Practicing one’s introduction is vital, Ely said. She has condensed it into a simple formula: State your name, major and why you’re interested in a particular employer.
“It can be a little of an overwhelming process,” Ely said.
Dressing well is also an important part when making a first impression count, and writing notes on the backs of employers’ business cards is a convenient way of keeping track of the conversation, Ely said.
While the Career Center’s services exist to help students find an internship or job, some students have their own ideas on how to succeed at nabbing an internship.
“I formulated this joke that when you’re in interviews, you should always state your priorities: the last one first and the first one last,” said Samuel Shin, a senior sociology major. “If you have a really good relationship with the employers and actually build that up, then I think there is a higher chance that you may be called for possibly an interview or possibly an offer.”
While the fall career fair is the largest event of its kind at the university, it’s not the only career fair on the campus. The computer science department and the business school have career and internship fairs later this week, and other colleges and departments will hold similar events in October. The Career Center also holds a university-wide fair in the spring.
Jonathan Schneider, a senior civil and environmental engineering major, kept his advice for fellow undergraduates simple.
“Applying for jobs, the best advice would be: Do your research and be motivated, no matter what the position is,” Schneider said.
