Spring 2016 Career Fair

MLK Student Center, 2nd Floor Parlors

Sponsored by the Office of Career Services

Career Fairs have grown in popularity in recent years. Career Services at Delaware State University hosts two career fairs annually, one in the fall and one in the spring semesters.  The Career Fair has emerged as an effective recruiting vehicle for employers. They are an alternative to the university's on-campus recruiting program and an additional job-hunting strategy for students to use.

To the uninitiated, unprepared job seeker, Career Fairs can be confusing, overwhelming and intimidating. The noise, crowds, long rows of employer booths and even longer lines of anxiously waiting candidates may add to the apprehension.

The following tips on how to prepare, how to present yourself, and what to expect afterwards can help you feel more confident and have a more successful Career Fair experience.

Spring 2016 Career Fair Participants

How to Prepare for a Career Fair

• Clarify your goals and what you want to get out of the Career Fair. Check to be sure your goals and expectations are consistent with the purpose of the event. Employers attend Career Fairs for several reasons: to increase awareness of their organization; to provide career information; to increase their applicant pool; and to locate good candidates for jobs they are trying to fill now or in the future.
• Research the employers and narrow the list to the most promising. Know enough about these employers to tell why you are interested and to connect your background to their needs. Please do not let the name of the organization fool you.  Many organizations have opportunities for all majors.  
• Prepare a resume that presents your background and interests clearly and concisely. Employers will want to know about your education, such as major, relevant courses and GPA as well as your employment experiences, extracurricular activities and volunteer work.
• Prepare a one-minute "commercial" that introduces yourself, demonstrates that you know something about the organization and the work it does, expresses why you are interested in the organization, and briefly relates your background to what you know about the employer's needs.
• Practice your commercial. Try to anticipate the kind of questions employers might ask and prepare sample answers. The best way to make a positive lasting impression is by relating your interests and goals to what you know or can discover about the employer's needs. When approaching an employer you know little about, ask several probing questions that will obtain the information needed to connect your background, interests and goals.
• Prepare questions you want employers to answer.
   

Registration

Employers and Graduate School, to register click this link: http://bit.ly/1kczNvV
(To ensure a diversity of employers for all our majors, we might limit registration for employer types with an over representation)