Each semester, Iowa State hosts a variety of career fairs where students have the chance to engage with companies to seek internships and full-time job opportunities.

Whether as a first-time career fairgoer or a seasoned veteran, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start preparing and making a strong first impression with potential employers.

“We find that students are most successful when they can have that face to face interaction with an employer,” Kate Cossa, engineering career services specialist, said. “We highly recommend that students attend career fairs when they are job searching.”

The career fair can also be a time of exploration and curiosity, according to Tiffany Atilano, design career services director.

“If you’re looking between declaring one program or another at the end of the year… if you’re farther along, really thinking about what it would be like to work there… it’s a chance to interview them,” Atilano said.

The career fair is also about building connections, exploring specific jobs or internships and beginning to build professional networks, according to Atilano.

Do research

According to Atilano, the most important piece of career fair prep comes through doing research.

“Know who you’re going to talk to ahead of time,” Atilano said. “Be prepared to talk about your skills that align and have some good questions for them too.”

Because hundreds of companies may attend the career fair, one of the most important parts of research is knowing who will be there and where they are located.

Prioritization and planning are key, according to Cossa, otherwise, students may miss opportunities to speak with their employer of choice.

“Do your research of who is hiring your major, the type of involvement you’re seeking,” Cossa said. “Learn about what a company does, what types of positions they have and where the company is located. See what aligns with your values and preferences.”

Resources

All Iowa State students have access to CyHire, a career management platform. Within CyHire, students can see what jobs are posted, upcoming events (such as career fairs) and do company research.

“It may be an engineering student and the company they’re interested in is attending the Business Industry and Technology Fair or the Design Fair,” Cossa said. “Make sure you’re doing your research in CyHire ahead of time.”

Cossa also highlighted the MyState app, which can mirror information from CyHire.

“There is a map section so students can see the companies, research, filter down by their major or employment type and then also pin where those companies are going to be on the map to make their most effective plan,” Cossa said.

According to Atilano, from both CyHire and the MyState app, students can click on individual firm and organization websites to see their mission statements and other valuable information to have on hand when talking to companies.

Each college, through its respective career services office, is also available as a resource, retaining career advisors who can aid in crafting effective resumes and conversations.

Resumes (and portfolios)

A good resume is vital to a good first impression: The skills highlighted serve to show who the applicant is.

“With resumes, make sure you do a really thorough inventory of all your skills and experiences, making sure those are as complete as possible,” Atilano said.

According to Atilano, if a student does not yet have professional work or internship experience, there are still other ways to show what the student can bring to a company.

“You really need to look at the skills you’re building in classes and extracurricular activities and other jobs you’re holding–what your accomplishments are so far,” Atilano said. “They should always be clean, clear, concise and error free.”

For design students and other creative fields, a portfolio is often necessary to visualize work.

“For a portfolio, showing your best work,” Atilano said. “Include a little bit of process so that an employer can see where you made key decisions.”

Introductions

According to Brooke Hartmann, design student services specialist, it is best to think of the introduction to a firm less as an “elevator pitch,” and more as a “conversational connection.”

“With the elevator pitch, sometimes it can come off as sales-y or robot-y,” Hartmann said. “With the introductions–practice it, but don’t memorize it word for word.”

According to Hartmann, it is best for the student to mention their name, major, when they expect to graduate and what they have done at internships or through extracurriculars that can make them stand out among their peers.

“If you did your homework beforehand and you saw projects that really aligned with your values, then talk about that project with them, ask them what they thought about it, or if they had involvement… anything that keeps the conversation open,” Hartmann said.

Cossa offered similar advice, noting that the introduction should leave conversations open.

“Knowing there’s a back and forth conversation, it’s not just a scripted speech–the employers may ask you about experiences on your resume,” Cossa said. “They may ask you, ‘why are you interested in our company or our positions?’ Being prepared with what is on my resume, how can I share those effective experiences and align that with what the employer is looking for?”

Following up

According to Atilano, asking for a business card and keeping track of the contacts can be effective ways to follow up with an employer after a career fair.

CyHire also has an option companies may use to share their contact information.

“Note any next steps,” Atilano said. “Know if you’re supposed to email your resume to somebody or apply through their website. Keep track of who you talk to there. Make sure to note those conversations.”

Cossa said some companies may host on-campus interviews the day after the career fair.

“Oftentimes that career fair is a stepping stone,” Cossa said. “The goal is to get an internship or an offer to interview. After interviews, the goal are those job offers. So career advisors can help every step of the way–preparing for job interviews, evaluating those job offers, helping you negotiate all the way through.”

Career fair dates & times:

• Engineering Career Fair: noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday
• Business, Industry and Technology Career Fair: noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday
• Design Career Fair: noon to 5 p.m. Feb. 20
• People to People Career Fair: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 26
• Teacher Education Career Fair: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 10