I’m not sure which was more terrifying: the day I watched “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” in film class or my first time at a career fair. Sure, the company employers aren’t covered in blood or chasing after you, but just being in a room with all those important people at once is enough to give me nightmares.
Even though it can be intimidating, it’s never too soon to get a feel for what goes down at career fairs. One of my professors freshman year encouraged us to attend a fair as an assignment, just for the experience. And an experience it was.
At my first fair, I definitely realized that there are certain things that should be given extra attention that I had previously overlooked.
What better place to start than the handshake? Not too hard, not too weak. I’m hoping this part gets better with muscle memory. This two-second gesture can literally make or break you. Just let that sink in. Your entire interaction at a particular booth where your handshake was subpar is doomed. And you haven’t even opened your mouth yet. I wish there was a do-over button to press until you get the perfect handshake and smile. I guess that’s why practicing beforehand is that much more important.
Next up, the introduction. Calling it an “elevator pitch” really undermines how difficult they can be. A few statements about yourself, what you’re there for … how hard can that be? As a freshman, that sounded pretty simple. I mean, who knows me better than me, and obviously I was at the fair for a reason. But whenever I got up to an employer my rehearsed-17-times speech that seemed just short enough not to bore the employer ended up being just long enough to forget the whole thing and do nothing but stare like a deer into headlights. Off to a great start, right?
After you’re acquainted, you better have done some homework. Although you might be missing class to attend the career fair, you have a major assignment due at each booth. Do some research about the company and the positions that interest you. Otherwise, you won’t be able to contribute to the conversation, and not saying anything says a whole lot of something. There’s a good chance the employer just figured out that you stopped by for the free pen or the big-name company banner. And that’s just flat-out awkward. Show them you actually care, or they won’t care about you either. Plus there are plenty of free pens you can accumulate throughout the semester on campus anyway.
Those experiences are inevitable if you went to a high school similar to mine, where we learned how to get to college, and that’s about it. They didn’t say anything about what comes next. Obviously, you get a job. But no one ever taught us how to actually get said job. Thankfully, NC State’s Career Development Center is a great resource that can prepare you for just about every situation. It’s essential for colleges to offer these programs to assure that their students are as ready as possible in the corporate world.
With all the career fairs going on this month, best wishes go out to the Wolfpack trying to master their handshakes and elevator pitches while trying to get those competitive internships. You’re already a step ahead because any company coming to one of NC State’s fairs is, without a doubt, reputable and prestigious. Even if we weren’t particularly looking to get a position, getting familiar with the whole ordeal can only help for when it really matters. No student wants to get caught discovering all the “don’ts” at the first career fair senior year. No room for improvement there. It’s better to find out what you should practice a few years in advance. Practice can only help. And hopefully, after becoming an expert, career fairs won’t feel so much like a horror movie but rather an opportunity that could be your big break after college and the beginning of your happily ever after.