Collin Urban

With the career fair vastly approaching, the opportunity for students to obtain a job, an internship, or a summer position has arrived.

Unfortunately, some students have trouble making the most of the career fair. Some students lack career fair experience, while others are intimidated by the idea of striking up conversation with an employer. In order to help students make the most of their career fair experience, NJIT’s Career Development Services center invited the campus community to a meeting with a Johnson & Johnson recruiter, who presented a quick list of Do’s and Don’ts at the career fair.

Tips for making the most out of the Career Fair

Men should wear full dress clothing: dress pants, dress shirt, a suit jacket, a tie, and loafers, all in dark coloring. Women should wear pants/skirt, a blouse, and simple jewelry. Avoid low cut shirts.

Students should show up early, have several copies of their resume and a 30 second “commercial” all neatly prepared in a folder as opposed to tucked away in a bag. This not only shows that a prospective employee is well prepared, but also that they are dependable.

First impressions are extremely important. For example, wasting time fumbling around for a crumpled up resume stuck in a backpack will show disorganization and a lack of preparedness.

Be polite and concise. A 30 second “commercial” or introduction informing the employer of your highlights, skills, and goals should be rehearsed beforehand.

A skill highly sought by employers is leadership. Be sure to include in your introduction experiences in which you have lead a community, whether it be involvement in Boy Scouts or a church group.

Prospective employees should put effort into researching their top 3 or 5 companies, so that when speaking with an employer, interest can be demonstrated in conversation. For example, Johnson & Johnson has a creed, and knowledge of the creed can show interest in working for that company.

Job applicants should remember that each recruiter is only human, however, by personally impressing a recruiter, an applicant can get their resume to the top of the pile.

Do not ask questions with the expectation of obtaining a job. For example, questions such as “What kind of job can you give me?” can make an applicant appear desperate and rude.

Most importantly, being confident and maintaining a positive attitude is most attractive to recruiters.

A job fair can be quite the undertaking, but with proper preparation, a prospective employee can meet other people currently involved in a professional field of their interest, and eventually take a step in the right direction towards the career of their dreams.