Tips and Tricks for Preparing for LBCC’s Spring 2019 Career Fair
Whether you’re attending the LBCC Annual Career Fair on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to find work immediately, or just browsing for possible future job prospects, you’ll want to be prepared. Here are some tips to get the most out of the career fair with.
If you’re attending the career fair to find work immediately, you’ll want to make sure to give a good first impression. One easy way to do that is to make sure to dress appropriately and pay attention to personal hygiene. Make sure attire reflects the seriousness in which you take job hunting. Make sure there are no holes or stains and that your clothes are clean and wrinkle-free. If you have a pet, you may consider bringing a sticky roller with you to remove any missed pet hair once you get to the event. When attending to personal hygiene, having clean hair and no body odor are important. Body odor is a sure way to leave a bad first impression. Clean hands and fingernails are important as well. – you’ll be shaking a lot of hands.
Having a resume ready is key. Potential employers won’t be able to tell if you’re a good option to join their team if they don’t know anything about you. Your resume will showcase your experience and skills in a neat and legible way – so long as you have a well organized resume.
Some basic resume tips include: keeping it short enough to fit on the front of one page, use fonts that are not too elaborate and easy to read, if you have a lot of work experience, keep only what’s most recent and/or most relevant, don’t be afraid to use this space to drop some names of people you’ve worked with if it will help you get the job.
You may consider having a visit with your advisor or someone in the advising office to give you advice on how to put together a good resume. If you don’t have time to meet with an advisor, check the internet for some good tips.
Employers aren’t the only people who will have questions when looking for a new hire. You will likely have a few questions as well. Before attending the fair, jot down some questions you think you might have, and consider creating some specific questions for specific booths you want to visit. You can also go online to the LBCC Annual Career Fair webpage to see a list of sample questions. https://www.linnbenton.edu/current-students/work/annual-career-fair.php
Make good use of the time you have by mapping out which booths you want to visit first. This will allow plenty of time with the companies you’re most interested in working for. You could also consider “warming up” with some other companies you may not be as interested in working for by speaking with them first if you have time to spare.
Make sure you have everything you need for the career fair. Take your resumes in a folder so they stay clean, dry, and unbent. Typing up and printing the list of questions you have is also a good idea. Make sure to take a pen and paper with you to jot down notes you may want to write down from each booth.
AT A GLANCE:
LBCC Annual Career Fair Webpage: https://www.linnbenton.edu/current-students/work/annual-career-fair.php
When: Wednesday, April 17, 2019 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Column by Sarah Melcher
