Career fairs can be intimidating. Unfortunately, there will be some Barnard students that will walk into LeFrak tomorrow and walk out five minutes later. Why?-The innundation of internships/job options and the overwhelming mass of people can be terrifying. I’m here to assure you, and let you know that you don’t have to be one of those people.
I want to show you that the career fair and every other networking event are essentially the same game.
And as everyone knows, games have certain rules and regulations and if you heed to them carefully–you have a great chance for success!
The Networking game is one that needs some extra explaining as the rules aren’t always properly taught to us.
Let’s begin with some of the big tips I have learned along the way:
Be Prepared:Take the time to pre-register for every Career Fair and beat the long lines. Also do some research on companies that you know will be attending the Career Fair. Preparation goes a long way in making you appear to be someone that other people will want to get to know. People do business with people they like. And you will be judged by others based on their first impression of you, so make a great first impression!
Arrive early:Be “unfashionably early”! The other early birds will be more available and easier to approach with fewer people in the room. Beginning a conversation among the first-to-arrive crowd means you’ll already know a few people once the rest of the attendees show up. Plus, you’ll automatically be in the middle of the Career Fair as others come in around you. When you arrive early and have your resumes ready to go, you can relax and focus on learning about the other people in the room. As an early bird you can pause to calmly gather your thoughts and your intentions so that your time spent networking will be of benefit to you and your goals.
Have a plan:Always have an idea of what the goal is for each event you attend. Know, before going in, what the outcome is that you want for yourself or for the people you meet at each event. Do you want to meet 3 people and focus on getting to know 1 really well or meet as many as possible? Are you looking for an introduction to a certain field? Are you looking for information or connections that will get you that information? When you have a plan, it is easier to stay focused and achieve your expected outcome. And, when you have a plan it is easier to stay on task as you meet with people.
Leave your troubles behind: Put on a happy face at the door and remind yourself that it is “show time”. This is your time to sparkle and shine. People will look forward to seeing you and meeting you if you are energetic, positive, and outgoing. Again, people enjoy doing business with people that they like. BE a person that others will like.
Listen with focus: When someone is speaking with you, give that person your entire focus. LISTEN. Really hear what the person is saying. Keep your eyes and ears focused and keep your self talk and thoughts focused too. The greatest gift that you can give to another person is to truly hear what that person is saying.
Ask questions: Ask about the other person. Inquire about their line of work, their educational background and career path, advice they may have for someone looking to go into their field of work, or discuss any similarities you might share. Be sure to ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.
Be Genuine: Be genuine in your interactions with others at an event. Again, it comes back to building trust and branding yourself. There is a huge difference between being INTERESTED and in trying to be INTERESTING. When you are interested in learning about someone and their business entirely for the sake of learning about the other person, you will leave a lasting impression as someone who genuinely cares.
Follow up:The whole point of attending networking events is to foster relationships, so following up is key to keeping them moving forward–especially if you’re looking for work.After the event, send a thank you email to each person that you had direct contact with. Mention something from your discussion in the thank you email (it helps if you jot notes on the back of each person’s business card that you collect). Showing up and following up are the two most important parts of networking. Showing up, in most cases, is the easy part. The follow up is, sadly, the most neglected part of networking. Since so many people fail to follow up, you can really stand out by just doing this simple act of reaching out to remind someone of who you are and what you do … and that you are interested in exploring a relationship.
So, there you have it. Hopefully these key tips made sense so tomorrow you will score that internship or get that job you have had your eyes on since last career fair!
Good luck!