{"id":11625,"date":"2026-03-03T10:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/?p=11625"},"modified":"2026-03-02T16:49:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:49:03","slug":"the-guide-to-conquering-the-career-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/the-guide-to-conquering-the-career-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"The Guide to Conquering the Career Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"11625\" class=\"elementor elementor-11625\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b608699 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b608699\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e2618af\" data-id=\"e2618af\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cae99d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cae99d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><strong>Before the Career Fair<\/strong><\/h3><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Pre-Register on Handshake<\/strong><\/h3><p>Sign up early so you can:<\/p><ul><li><p>See what companies are coming<\/p><\/li><li><p>Check out open jobs or internships<\/p><\/li><li><p>Plan who you want to talk to<\/p><ul><li><p>Walking in with a plan = less stress<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Fix Your Resume<\/strong><\/h3><p>Your resume is your first impression.<\/p><p>Before the fair:<\/p><ul><li><p>Update your resume<\/p><\/li><li><p>Have Career Services review it<\/p><\/li><li><p>Print multiple copies (not just one!)<\/p><\/li><li><p>Keep it neat in a folder<\/p><\/li><\/ul><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Research a Few Companies<\/strong><\/h3><p>You don\u2019t need to research every single employer, just a few you\u2019re interested in.<\/p><p>Know:<\/p><ul><li><p>What they do<\/p><\/li><li><p>What positions do they offer<\/p><\/li><li><p>Why you might be interested<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>It makes conversations way smoother.<\/p><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Dress the Part<\/strong><\/h3><p>Dress professionally. It doesn\u2019t have to be super fancy, just clean, polished, and put together.<\/p><p>If you need help with professional clothes, check out the Career Closet.<\/p><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Start the Conversation<\/strong><\/h3><p>Smile. Introduce yourself. Use your elevator pitch.<\/p><p>Remember: recruiters are normal people. They\u2019re not there to judge you; they&#8217;re there to meet students.<\/p><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Ask Good Questions<\/strong><\/h3><p>Here are some easy ones you can use:<\/p><ul><li><p>What skills do you look for in new employees?<\/p><\/li><li><p>Based on my major, where could I fit in with your company?<\/p><\/li><li><p>What is the company culture like?<\/p><\/li><li><p>Are there opportunities for growth or training?<\/p><\/li><li><p>What made you choose this company?<\/p><\/li><li><p>Asking questions shows you care.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>After the Career Fair:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3><p>Don\u2019t stop once you leave.<\/p><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Follow Up<\/strong><\/h3><p>Send a short thank-you email within 1\u20132 days<\/p><p>\u201cHi ___, I enjoyed speaking with you at the SAU Career Fair about internship opportunities. Thank you for your time. I look forward to staying connected.\u201d<\/p><h3>\u00a0<\/h3><h3><strong>Final Advice<\/strong><\/h3><p>You don\u2019t have to be perfect.<\/p><p>You don\u2019t have to know your entire life plan.<\/p><p>You just have to:<\/p><ul><li><p>Show up<\/p><\/li><li><p>Be prepared<\/p><\/li><li><p>Be confident<\/p><\/li><li><p>Follow up<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>Career fairs aren\u2019t scary once you realize they\u2019re just conversations about opportunities.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d3a4157 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d3a4157\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7b3102c\" data-id=\"7b3102c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ac7dd2 elementor-author-box--image-valign-middle elementor-widget elementor-widget-author-box\" data-id=\"6ac7dd2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"author-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-author-box\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div  class=\"elementor-author-box__avatar\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/files\/2025\/11\/IMG_2898-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of Jaqoune Brown\" loading=\"lazy\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-author-box__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-author-box__name\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJaqoune Brown\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-author-box__bio\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Jaqoune is a junior at SAU, majoring in Social Work with a minor in Psychology. He is from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he learned the importance of community, compassion, and hard work. Those values inspired him to pursue a career helping others and making a difference in people\u2019s lives. He is passionate about supporting youth and those who may not always have a voice, and he hopes to use his education to give back to his community and create positive change.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before the Career Fair \u00a0 Pre-Register on Handshake Sign up early so you can: See what companies are coming Check out open jobs or internships Plan who you want to talk to Walking in with a plan = less stress \u00a0 Fix Your Resume Your resume is your first impression. Before the fair: Update your&#8230; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/the-guide-to-conquering-the-career-fair\/\"> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1730,"featured_media":10721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[29425],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11625","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 08:26:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1730"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11625"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11632,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11625\/revisions\/11632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/career-services\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}