Preparing for Career Fairs

While spring may not seem as busy as fall and winter when it comes to employer recruitment, there are still a number of events coming up. Just around the corner are 4 career fairs which will bring more employers looking to hire for full-time, intern, DFW, and volunteer positions. Mark your calendars!

Startup Career Fair: April 8^th, 3:00-5:00 PM, 1100 NE Campus Parkway, 98105

Roughly 30 fully established and vetted startups will be attending this fair. Make sure to RSVP at the link above (it’s free) and show up early! They already have 2,000 RSVP’s and counting.

UW Tacoma All-Industries Fair: April 13^th, 11:30-2:00, Williams Philip Hall- UW Tacoma

A small-ish fair and chance to meet with about 25 companies representing all industries. This fair is free to all students (yes- that includes UW Seattle).

2016 Spring Career Fair: April 14^th, 3:00-7:00 PM, HUB Ballrooms

One of the largest fairs on campus, the UW Spring Fair will have employers from all industries looking to hire for a variety of positions (internships/DFW’s too). 120-140 employers are normally in attendance. Be on the lookout for the employers who are hiring technical roles, there should be a lot, but you’ll have to weed through those who are hiring sales/marketing roles.

UW Tacoma Technology Fair: April 15^th, 11:30-2:00

Similar to the Tacoma fair listed above, this will be another small fair but focused on tech hiring. Currently there are 10 employers signed up for the fair which could allow for a less crowded and more personable atmosphere. This is also free and open to all UW students.

How can you get prepared?

1. Do your research: You’ll have a better time at fairs if you do a bit of research ahead of time on the employers that are coming and what they’re hiring for. Spend a few hours going over the list of employers, learning about them, visit their careers pages, look to see if they have postings in HuskyJobs, iCareers, and prioritize who you want to make sure you visit at the fair.
2. Prepare your elevator pitch. Watch and listen to Don’t Be Awkward to get information on creating the perfect pitch and introductions that you can use when you meet people at the career fair!
3. Prepare your resumes. You’ll want to tailor your resume as much as possible for the roles that interest you. Prepare several versions of your resume that you can hand out depending on which employers you’re visiting, so that you are still marketing yourself for each position type that is of interest to you. Consider adding an objective statement that specifically states an employer’s name you plan to visit. Put your tailored resumes in folders or use sticky notes so that you know which one to give to each company you visit.

Remember to collect contact information and follow up afterwards with the recruiters and companies that seem like a best fit for you!

Looking for even more ways to prepare? Watch this recording of Career Adviser Alycia McKenzie on Navigating a Career Fair.

-Dean Kirkpatrick

TOP JOBS/OPPORTUNITIES: 

• Database Administrator, Institute of Health Metrics & Evaluation: apply via iCareers, ID 4418
• Academic Technology Assistant, City University of Seattle: apply via iCareers, ID 4421
• Head of User Services, CSU San Marcos: apply via iCareers, ID 4425
• Metadata/Discovery Librarian, Amherst College: apply via iCareers, ID 4422
• Software Engineering Intern, REI: apply via iCareers, ID 4389

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

• 4/8: Startup Career Fair by Startup Hall, 3:00-5:00 p.m., 1100 NE Campus Pkwy, #200
• 4/11: Meet the Employer: US Department of State, 6:00-7:30 p.m., MGH 134
• 4/12: Cisco Innovation Challenge Information Session, 12:30-1:30 p.m., OUGL 220
• 4/13: Employer Info Session: Wipro, 12:30-1:30 p.m., BLD 070
• 4/19: Drop-In Hours w/Justice Steve Gonzales, 12:30-1:30 p.m., MGH 015H