The annual Career Fair is coming back to Oakland University on Sept. 25 and 26 this fall.

The fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second floor of the Oakland Center both days. The first day will be geared toward students studying business, liberal arts, health sciences, human resources and natural sciences, while the second day will focus on engineering, computer science, information technology and management information systems.

While following along the basis of a “Career Fair Prep” flier, Carol Anne Ketelsen, a career consultant from Career Services, discussed how a student can prepare for the fair, what to do while at the fair and how to secure a position with a company after attending the fair.

Before

Polish your resume.

“We have what’s called a ‘Career Studio,’ and that is where you can go and [staff] can help you with your resume from beginning to end,” Ketelsen said.

Once you have your polished resume, bring around 25 to 30 copies with you to the Career Fair so you can pass your information along to prospective employers.

Do your homework.

“You want to know who is coming and what they’re looking for,” Ketelsen said in regards to Career Fair employers.

When going into the student Handshake link from the Career Services website, students can access the list of employers who are attending under the events tab. From there, do your research on the companies that interest you.

Develop a list of questions.

Ask the employer how you can apply and other questions regarding their company.

Practice your elevator pitch.

Fill in the blanks of Ketelson’s elevator pitch with your own information.

“You want to be able to walk up to the table, shake hands, introduce yourself and say, ‘Hello, my name is … I’m a … at Oakland University receiving a degree in … I’m really interested in your company because I noticed that you do …’” she said.

Now that you’ve prepared yourself properly, what should you do when you arrive at the Career Fair? Ketelsen has answers.

During

Be on time.

“If you can show up right at 10 a.m., great, because you’re catching the employers right when they’re fresh,” Ketelsen said.

Being one of the first candidates that an employer sees that day can help you stick out compared to other students who are attending the fair.

Use positive body language.

“Smile, have a good handshake, have good eye contact,” Ketelsen said. “And, you want to do the professional dress.”

Present yourself as a professional with your physical appearance and your demeanor.

Take notes.

“You want to take a notebook, or if you have a padfolio, take your padfolio,” Ketelsen said. “Many of you have spiral notebooks. That’s OK, take your spiral to write down questions.”

Ask for names, next steps and business cards — and write down all of the important information you gather.

Respect the booth.

“It’s not Halloween trick-or-treating,” Ketelsen said.

Focus on the information that the companies have to offer, rather than the free stuff they might be giving away.

Be courteous.

Be brief and informative when talking to an employer, as they have many students to meet that day.

Once you’ve prepared for and attended the fair, don’t relax yet. There’s more to be done, according to Ketelsen.

After

Send a brief “thank you” note or email.

“‘Dear … It was a pleasure meeting you at the Career Fair. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me more about opportunities at …’ and you attach your resume to the email even though you may have physically given it to them,” Ketelsen said.

Note where and when you met the employer when sending them a “thank you,” and this could rank you higher on their list of candidates.

Take next steps.

If the employer gave you information on how to apply to a position, do that as soon as possible.

Schedule an appointment with Career Services.

Career Services could assist you with practicing skills for an interview or giving you career-related advice.

Be patient and stay on track.

Some employers might not respond to your follow-up immediately, but stay patient and be sure to act when you do hear back.

Connect on LinkedIn.

“You should have a Handshake profile and a LinkedIn profile,” Ketelsen said. “Once you have a picture perfect resume, it’s very easy to take your resume from [Microsoft] Word and do a ‘copy-paste’ directly into Handshake and LinkedIn.”

Send a message with your request to an employer on LinkedIn to make you stand out.

While this information may be overwhelming to some, the Career Services office is right on campus. Use this campus resource to secure the job or internship that interests you by reaching out to a career consultant for tips.

For more information about the event or how to schedule an appointment, visit the Career Services tab on the OU website.