|
One of our favorite Career Services events on campus is definitely the Career Fair, which is why we are so excited that the Spring Career Fair is coming up on Wednesday, February 12th from 1pm-4:30pm. The Career Fair is great because it gives us the opportunity to meet face-to-face with employers we’re interested in learning more about, what it’s like to work there, and what opportunities are available.
If you haven’t been to a Career Fair on campus before, we strongly encourage you to check it out. Over 115 employers like BNY Mellon, Deloitte, TJX, Dunkin’ Brands, Rue LaLa (just to name a few), are coming to campus to recruit for positions in all areas from finance to accounting to management, marketing, IT, etc. As marketing majors, we are incredibly impressed by how many marketing and communications firms are making their way to Bentley this spring. In fact, there are more marketing and public relations firms participating in this Career Fair than ever before!
The key to making the most out of the Career Fair is, without a doubt, preparation. Of course, we have a few tips to help:
Prepare: Attend the Career Services workshop, “How to prepare for the Career Fair: Co-sponsored by EMC” on Monday, February 10th from 2:10-3:25pm in the EDR! RSVP by going to the Events tab on BentleyLink.
What to Bring: Your resume and plenty of copies! Chances are you’re going to be interested in more than a few companies at the Career Fair. Show them your interest by leaving them with your resume. This could help spark a conversation about your experience or career interests. You never know, it could even get you into their consideration for an open position! If you don’t have a resume or want to spruce it up before the big day, visit the Virtual Career Center for some resume tips and tricks.
What to Wear: The Career Fair does require business attire and making a good first impression is always a great thing. If you’re not sure what to wear, check out the Dress for Success tips on the Virtual Career Center for some tips.
What to Say: Prepare your elevator pitch! We’re sure we’re not the first students to have been caught off guard when hearing the phrase: “So tell me about yourself.” We can almost guarantee that you will be asked this question more than once at the Career Fair, so why not prepare for it? An elevator pitch is basically a quick summary of who you are as a person and as a professional. It focuses on your strengths, goals, experiences, and, most of all, why an employer should consider you as a potential employee at their company. The most important thing to remember is to keep it brief: they’re not looking for a novel, but rather the SparkNotes about who you are. And don’t worry, as always, the VCC has tips on how to perfect your elevator pitch.
Final Tip:
The Career Fair is a big event—as we mentioned, it includes over 115 employers! It can definitely be overwhelming, but you can make the most of your time by looking up who is coming and planning out which employers you want to visit. This way, you can even do a little research and surprise them by how much you know about their company (talk about a good first impression!).
Check out the list of employers attending by clicking on “Bentley University Spring Career Fair – 2/12/2014 Participants” under “Attend Events” on the right side of the BentleyLink homepage.
We’ll see you there!
