
Fall Engineering
Career Fair
Student Guide
Before the Fair
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Brush up on best practices for talking to recruiters, including working on a short elevator pitch.
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Make sure your resume is up-to-date and consider having it reviewed. Take advantage of ECRC resources to help with this!
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Apply for jobs you are interested in online before talking to recruiters. This gets you one step ahead of the game and allows you to have more conversations with recruiters.
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Research companies you are interested in and formulate specific questions for their recruiters or relevant skills to which you plan to draw their attention
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Attend Receptions! The more times you can talk to recruiters the better. Let the recruiter remember you!
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Visit here for more information on companies and job postings. The preliminary company list is now posted, and the full list will be available closer to the event.
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Visit here for events like interview workshops or Clothes Closet which allows a student to pick out up to three articles of business clothing donated from the community.
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Prepare a clean, professional outfit to show your best self to recruiters. Business formal attire is strongly encouraged; remember that you’re trying to leave a positive impression!
During the Fair
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Be calm. You’ve done your research, and are fully prepared to talk to any recruiter that comes your way. Let your personality shine!
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Be memorable. Recruiters will be talking to hundreds of students throughout the day, so make sure to make an impactful connection.
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Connect with the recruiters on a personal note and give them something unique about yourself.
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Be patient. Waiting in line can be time consuming. Make the most of that time. Go over your elevator pitch or do some more company research in line.
Advice for First-Year Students
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Don't be afraid to check out the career fair! Practice makes perfect, and the earlier you start going to career fairs, the sooner you will become a pro at talking to recruiters.
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Update your resume to show your college major and any activities you’ve already started. Your involvement does not have to be extensive.
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Even if you haven't declared a major, a career fair is a good way to explore different options. Consider asking company representatives about their own major and how they use it in the organization.
Advice for All Students
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Have an electronic version of your resume ready if needed, but print more copies than you think you’ll need.
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Perfect your elevator speech: make it short, 30-60 seconds
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Start with your name, year, and major
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Include these four topics to pull it all together:
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Skills: Include your experiences and skills you bring to the table.
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Confidence: Show off your strengths and why you are a good fit for this type of job.
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Goal: What are you looking to gain?
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Motivation: Why do you want to work there?
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Go to short lines if you’re looking to maximize the number of companies you can visit. If there’s a company you strongly want to visit that is popular or more likely to have a long line, go very early or very late in the day to avoid the largest crowd.
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Remember to jot down contact information and any additional notes as you speak to recruiters.
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Update your LinkedIn profile. See the LinkedIn Profile Checklist in the ECRC Career Guide for more information.
To volunteer at the fair, contact us at careerfair@umich.edu!
Good luck! You got this!