After high school, college serves as a way to gain higher education, friends, and the degrees necessary for one to pursue their desired job. However, getting into a position or even knowing where to start can be quite a troubling issue. What do you do when you have so many options open to you? A good place to start is Shawnee State University’s Career Fair. The Career fair will be held on March 22 at 4 p.m. at 940 2nd Street.

What is a Career Fair?

A career fair is an event in which different employers come and establish connections with other students. Their primary goal is to inform students about specific jobs, but they are also able to establish relationships that are professional and discuss the opportunity for job and internship offers amongst students. While career fairs can be generalized to appeal to a wide variety of different audiences, they can also be specialized to appeal to a specific category of students.

Sometimes, career fair employers that attend are returning graduates that offer jobs to those who study at the college they used to attend. Their knowledge of the college field allows them to help students find what they are looking for through their guidance. Something important to realize is that career fairs are open to any student, not just seniors. A career fair offers students the chance to plan out their future if they are misguided or uncertain of what they wish to do.

While seniors may go to a career fair to secure a full-time job position for themselves, freshmen and sophomores typically visit fairs to secure an understanding of what field they want to go into. If a freshman is not sure of what major they want to pursue, a career fair could be the deciding factor in what major they take.

The most important aspect of a career fair is for participants to expand their job networks, as well as to learn more about similar events that may be held in the near future. Just by going to a career fair, you are able to widen your horizons and find job listings you might be interested in. Make the most of the visit!

Just by showing up, you will plant promise in employers for yourself and create a bounty of opportunities for yourself in the future. All it takes is showing up and presenting yourself in a positive light. Showing up, after all, is free!

Career Fair Tips

When attending a career fair, there are a few things one should keep in mind in order to maximize the impact and performance your presence will have. These tips will help in any career fair, personalized or not.

Dress Your Best

When going to a career fair, dress professionally! If you show that you can dress in clothes that show that you are able to present yourself in a proper manner, you will leave a great impression on the present employers. Something worthwhile to keep in mind is that many of your interactions will be visual. While words are vastly important, so is the way you present yourself. Dressing nicely will help improve your appearance.

Construct a Resume

Having a skillset of the various things you are good at and the accomplishments you have done over the years is important. Make a resume that details your work experience, positive attributes, and contact information. You may want to make a few copies of your resume so you can pass them around to employers and the like. Print a reasonable number that aligns with your expected number of employers that you may talk to. If need be, make several different resumes depending on who you speak to. Just as presenting yourself visually is important, showcasing the right skillset is important, too!

Pocket a Portfolio

Organization is everything. If you are not organized, you may send a message of clumsiness to employers. Come to the career fair with a portfolio to keep everything you gather in one place. Not only will the portfolio help with organization, but carrying it around will send the message that you are ready and prepared for what the career fair will offer to you. It will also let you keep your resumes in check, and you can also use the blank paper within to take notes on what you see and what you need to keep track of.

Ask Questions, Get Answers

A career fair is a place of discovery. Ask questions about jobs you are interested in! If you ask questions, you will get answers, which may, in turn, lead to employers seeing you as an idealist who is eager to partake in the job process. Take notes of the answers you get and keep them in mind for the future. Any information you learn can be helpful!

Picking a career can be hard, but learning about them does not have to be. Give the career fair a try, and you might find yourself picking up an interest in something you did not have in the first place. You can register for the career fair here. Entry fee is fifty dollars.

If you are interested in participating and have any questions, please contact Career Services.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 740-351-3027