This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Manhattan chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
I recently attended Manhattan University’s Fall Career Fair as a sophomore for the first time. In my freshman year, I never participated in the career fairs, assuming I would have to take a summer course, which I did. Going into this career fair, I had an idea of what to expect, but it was not what I completely expected.
I went prepared with my ‘elevator’ pitch of, “Hi, my name is Madelyn, I am a sophomore Chemical Engineering major, class of 2028. I am interested in (company name) and want to know what you have to offer and if you have internship opportunities for this coming summer.” Following my elevator pitch, I expected to have a good conversation with each company.
The first company I visited went great; I had a good conversation and gave them my resume. However, after that, I realized not everyone is the same, and each person representing a different company has a different attitude. The second company I visited initially spoke with me, but I didn’t get a chance to get a word in. The gist of the conversation was that I had no experience/knowledge as a sophomore, but they took my business card anyway and suggested saving it for next year. Throughout the career fair, I learned to play each company by ear, because it was a mix of people who talked first, versus those who wanted to hear about me first.
Some things that prepared me the most for the career fair were having my resume set and knowing what I was looking for. It is essential to have an updated resume that includes information relevant to what a company is looking for, such as your GPA, campus involvement, past job/internship experience, volunteer work, athletics, scholarships, etc. For your involvement, even if you are in a club that’s not related to your major, still put it down, like theater. I’ve heard from many people that companies like to see that you’re a well-rounded individual. Having a good resume with a good format will help a lot. You should avoid using weird fonts or font sizes.
I also looked up the companies I wanted to speak with to see what they do and where they are located to determine who I wanted to speak with the most. My research helped me come up with questions to have an engaging conversation with the companies. It is important to take business cards, connect on LinkedIn, scan QR codes, and sign up for different things. At the career fair, I was able to enter a raffle with the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, and I won the raffle, which was a bonus and made my experience very fun.
Overall, if you attend your institution’s career fairs, you will quickly learn which companies you would want to work for or not. For the companies you are most interested in, make sure to have questions ready. The company I am most interested in, I probably talked with for 10 minutes, connected on LinkedIn, and was able to hand in my resume. I felt like it went very well, and I hope to hear from them in the future.