What is a Career Fair like for a Freshman?

Before going to the career fair I had a belief inside my head that the recruiters would not be nice people. However as I found out as my first booth, which was Deloitte, most of them were happy to be there. The people at Deloitte were nice enough to call me to the front of the line because they saw that I was a freshman. They really helped me to get an overview of what I should be doing to make myself a good fit for the company, and helped build up my confidence. They were just amazed that as a freshman, being at campus for only a month, I was there. It turns out that everyone really gets an equal shot and more people act very professional because they want to impress employers. It wasn't really a big deal at all. I was also worried that I would make a fool of myself and that these people would point it out or make a big deal out of it. It turns out that I actually did pretty well for a freshman. Yes I did make some mistakes, such as not really doing my elevator speech, but overall most of the recruiters seemed really impressed that I just had the guts to come up to them and show my interest.

After going to the career fair I now know that searching for a job is a four year process. I know that if I start now I will be in good status. It seems that in order to be in proper line for a job, you need to show interest early, and then continuously show it until hopefully you get a job shadow, an internship, and then a full-time position. Since I have realized how important the career fairs are in the search for a job, I will be a regular attendee for the rest of them to come until I graduate. This will not only cause the companies that I am interested in to see my interest, but it will also help me to develop my professional skills through practice. That way by the time I am a junior I will be a much more refined job seeker. Then when it is time to make an impression that will secure me an internship, I will be able to do so.

I also learned just how important a resume is through the resume critique and using it at the career fair. Before BUS 101 I did not really understand its importance. I now know just how to set up my resume, and what to do to make sure that it is the best that it can be. The business dress fashion show also helped me to learn the proper way to dress. I had an idea of how to dress prior to it, but after it I felt much more confident in my understanding. At the career fair I felt more confident because I knew that I was dressed for success. I also felt myself noticing some people who were not dressed correctly

I also learned that the recruiters are happy to talk about their company to freshman. I thought that maybe they would expect me to just know their company well, but it turns out that after asking some questions, I had them going over everything from their job shadow program, to their summer leadership conference. From talking to Deloitte and PricewaterCoopers House I have gained the notion that the summer leadership conferences that companies offer are key and great opportunities to network with company leaders and to secure internships. It appears that those who go to the conferences gain priority over those who do not in terms of hiring. I will be sure to apply to them myself this winter because I know that the key to the job search is starting early.