Excited, nervous, curious, and overwhelmed. These are some emotions FOSSI scholars have expressed when attending a career fair.
Career Fair READY! is the latest offering of the FOSSI Fundamentals of Success program (FoS), and it aims to calm some of those nerves with advice and helpful tips from four dynamic FOSSI sponsors: moderator Jakell Wilson (Lubrizol), and panelists Brian Black (Hexion), Nicole Moncrief (Sasol) and Jordan Watson (ADM). They have a combined 70 years of experience in hiring, recruiting, and career services, among other professional accomplishments.
Jakell Wilson introduced the panel telling scholars, “We are here to get you career fair ready so that you will have a good foundation for career fair season in the spring.”
Preparing for the career fair
To prepare, Jordan Watson advised students to take advantage of readily available resources. “Career Services is a one-stop shop for everything from resume development, mock interviews, elevator pitches and career counseling. If you have questions about what to wear, what to say, or who’s going to be there, they are going to be extremely helpful.” She also told students to make sure they are on the platform their school uses in order to connect with prospective employers. These platforms include Handshake, Simplicity, and Purple Elephant, to name a few.
“Your one-minute elevator speech is that stand-out piece to start a conversation professionally,” added Nicole Moncrief. “It is how you tell recruiters who you are and why they should want to hire you. Fill out a note card with what you want to say about your goals, values, interests and the hook – that fact you want them to know that will make them remember you. And most important, practice, practice, practice.”
Brian Black chimed in, “Life is a team sport. Whatever your dream is, it will take a team to get you there. Any successful person has a team in life that helped them get there. They have built their board of directors for success. Make sure you develop relationships with Career Services, your school president, and your faculty; and make sure your name is ringing in everybody’s ear because they will help you well past graduation. Also, connect with your FOSSI sponsors, because we are all on your team.”
He continued, “I am 52 years old and I still get nervous. The way to deal with that is to be ready for whatever you do. When you are ready, you can build rapport and you can make a request. Rapport is so important because once you have that, the request is easy and the response is always yes. Remember the three R’s: Be READY, build RAPPORT so you can make that REQUEST!”
Attending the career fair
On event day, Watson counseled students to “Show up. Push yourself to do that. The best piece of advice a professor ever gave me is to always show up because you never know what opportunities will present themselves.”
She continued, “Walk around the room and see who is there. Then step back, breathe and create a strategy. Make an A and B list and have enough copies of your resume for both. Don’t start with your first choice, start with a company you don’t know. Stretch yourself. Say ‘I’m not going to leave until I talk to two companies and then add two more. Dress nicely but comfortably, make eye contact, and be respectful of time limits.”
Moncrief cautioned students to resist the temptation to travel in groups with friends. “You need to make your own contacts and relationships. Make sure you look at the list of companies in advance – do some homework and show you know a little something about them, but don’t be afraid to ask for more information. Be curious and interested!”
In the case of a virtual meeting, Black said, “One of the things that bugs me is when people are looking all around. Make eye contact and focus on the person talking to you. Make sure you are in a quiet place and can totally concentrate on the interview. Think about the appropriate background that doesn’t distract from you. And get fully dressed. When you’re dressed and sharp, it will help you feel good and confident.”
Standing out after the career fair
After the career fair, Watson encouraged students to connect with contacts on LinkedIn and send a follow-up email to new contacts within 24–48 hours. “As you talk to people, write notes about what you learned and discussed at each interview so you can mention it in the follow-up.”
Black added “We meet hundreds of people. Put something in your email to jog my memory.
And most of all, be obedient, be kind, and be humble. It will get you a long way in life. You will get favor with people and that rapport will just blow up.”
Moncrief agreed, “The kindness you show – whether to the secretary, the recruiter, or the manager – builds rapport. Every person you meet is a part of your network and they can help you get to the next level whether you’re a freshman or a junior.”
Final words
Bringing the session to a close, Wilson offered some final advice to students, telling them, “Take advantage of the holiday break to practice with family and friends. If you can survive them, you’ll be in good shape!”
We invite companies not currently supporting FOSSI to build their pipeline of outstanding and diverse talent by supporting a FOSSI scholar. Learn more.