It is important to look your best, act your best and be well prepared before going to the career fair. Here are lists of things to remember to do before you go and bring with you.

Preparing to go

1. Dress professionally – You don’t have to go out and buy a new pant suit, but stay away from short skirts, jeans and low-cut tops. A pair of khakis with a polo or dress pants with a button-up shirt would work well for the gentleman. Ladies, a pair of nice dress pants and a nice shirt will work. As far as footwear, try to be as professional and comfortable as possible – stay away from high heels as you will be walking a lot.

2. Portfolio – Gather some of your best samples and display them professionally in a portfolio of some sort. You can find some at Staples and the University Book Store.

3. Resume and cover letter – Take the time to update your resume and make it look nice. Also, write a general cover letter you can give to any of the employers you plan to meet with.

4. Research employers – Read through the lists of employers that will be at the career fairs and research the ones you’d like to talk to. This will help you talk to them about what they do without having to flat out ask what they do.

5. Elevator speech – This would be something good to prepare to help sell yourself in the few minutes you have to talk to the employers. This should emphasize the strengths already listed in your resume and cover letter.

6. Business cards – It wouldn’t hurt to have some business cards printed up. You can either use an online template and print them at home or have them done somewhere like Copyworks. All they need to include is your name, phone number and e-mail. It wouldn’t hurt to put your Twitter handle or link to your online portfolio on there if you like.

Things to bring with you

1. Portfolio – After spending all that time putting it together, why would you leave this at home? If possible, try to bring extra copies or a CD with an electronic version. If you have an online portfolio, make sure you have something with the link to it on it.

2. Resume, cover letter and business cards- Again, make sure you bring these with you. Make sure to bring a few more copies than you think you’ll need. For example, if you plan on meeting with five employers, bring eight or nine copies of your resume and cover letter. A good handful of business cards wouldn’t be a bad idea so you have plenty to exchange with employers and maybe even fellow students.

3. Pen, paper and binder – Not only will a binder give you a place to carry your cover letter, resume and business cards, it will also give you something to carry business cards you get from employers. Having a pen and paper is always a good idea to jot down whatever notes and things you need to remember.