Career Fairs Do's and Don’ts
I'm a senior undergrad and have just attended my 5th career fair a few weeks ago. I've had the opportunity to visit career fairs in four different countries in the past seven semesters. A bit about my background: I'm an International Business student (specializing in Finance) and am currently studying at a European university. While I've attended many fairs in the past few semesters, I'm no expert so if you think anything needs to be addressed, add it to this list. Also, some of the tips may sound generic, so I'll make sure to give examples to emphasize the importance of these points. Also, while this post is focused on finance career fairs, you can still apply most if not all the concepts mentioned below to any other type of career fair.
What to do BEFORE the fair
Research the firms (ESPECIALLY the smaller ones). The first thing you want to focus on is researching all the firms you plan on visiting. All the fairs I've attended had the visiting firms announced before the event. If yours doesn't, email the event coordinator and ask them for a list. If they also don't have one, make sure to reach the event early and take note of all the companies that are there, leave the fair for a bit and do some quick research. This is a crucial point, and I'll talk more about this point in depth throughout this post.
Print your CVs in advance. Please don't be one of those people in the printing room who is waiting in line to print their CV's while the event is going on. I even saw this guy editing his CV next to the event's entrance! Print it a couple of days in advance, and if you've done your research, you'll know how many copies you'll need. But don't forget to get extra copies. Sometimes you'll chat to more than one person at a booth, or you'll talk to a company you didn't plan on doing so at first. Always be extra prepared.
Brush your teeth. You’re going to be so damn close to these people you're trying to market yourself to, and I'll bet you anything they'll stop listening to what you're saying the minute they smell what you had for breakfast/lunch. As dumb as it may sound or look, I have a spare toothbrush and mint with me in my bag whenever I'm at university networking events. If I eat anything, I brush afterward. Just make sure you are brushing in a bathroom that recruiters don’t have access to.
Do's and Don’ts at the fair
DO remember that you're networking. It would be so much better if they were called “networking fairs” instead of “career/job fairs.” So many desperate people walk up to recruiters, hand them their CV’s, chat for a few seconds and leave. Why on earth would you think that anyone would want to hire someone handing out promotional fliers to people?? Whether or not recruiters are hiring freshmen or sophomores, it shouldn’t matter to you. It’s your chance to go up to industry professionals and hear what they have to say as well as to learn all about the different positions available and firms you’re interested in working for one day. Also, be and sound enthusiastic; don’t bore the recruiters to death.
I’ve been to career fairs where recruiters go straight to the point. They ask for your CV and want to hear why you’re interested in a particular position at their firm (this usually happens with the smaller firms). If a recruiter isn’t interested in small talk, you might as well cut to chase and start marketing yourself.
DON'T beg for business cards. I see that at all sorts of networking events. Desperateness is a turn-off. I feel like some people go into career fairs with the intent of collecting business cards as though they were rare trading cards. Your goal should be to learn from the professionals in your industry and build relationships, not suck up to people because they work at Goldman.
But DO ask for their contact info if you've had a pleasant conversation. Usually, when recruiters like you, they'll give you their cards/emails without you having to ask them. Of course, sometimes they forget. No big deal. Just ask 'em and try not to sound so desperate when doing so.
DON'T huddle up with friends. If you tend to group up with friends in a large circle at social events, feel free to do so as long as you are less than four people. I swear there was a group of 8 people in the middle of the fair standing in a vast circle. I watched how people, including me, were forced to circle them to walk through. It's just awkward, man. You guys are students from the same school. Just go to the cafeteria or the corner of the room and chat over there. Personally, if I bump into a buddy, I talk for 30 seconds and then go back to approaching the companies. Stay focused. You’re there to talk to as many recruiters as you can. Follow up with your friends later.
But DO attend with a friend if you're a bit shy. Trust me. I've been there. I used to be a shy introvert in freshman year and still have many introverted tendencies. The only difference between now and freshman year is that recruiters can no longer tell that I am an introvert (no problem with being one, you just got to show them that you are a people person. For some people, networking and approaching strangers is a natural thing. For others, it can be a real struggle and to some extent intimidating. In my first two career fairs, I approached recruiters with my friends. Did I get any offers? Well, my CV sucked and approaching with a friend made it difficult for me to stand out, so I didn't really get any offers, not to mention many firms weren’t even hiring first years. But at least I got some nice exposure and helpful tips from these recruiters.
DON'T complain about your lack of experience. Do you know what is by far the most cringeworthy thing that happens at these events? People complaining about their CV's and lack of experiences to recruiters. I'm not talking about asking recruiters to critique your CV's. Look, if you're just starting out and need advice on what to mention on your CV, I would recommend you do that. But I feel like this issue should be addressed when you have master's students complaining to recruiters about not being able to get any M&A experience. Like seriously?? You think these recruiters flew all the way here to hear you complain about your lack of experience? Ask politely for guidance and don’t f***** complain while doing so!
DON’T always expect the bulge brackets or elite boutiques to recruit. Of course, this may not apply to all schools, but after attending a couple of career fairs in Europe and Asia, I’ve realized that bulge brackets and elite boutiques don’t always recruit at fairs. Sometimes, they’re there to answer your questions and provide you with tips and insights. It’s frustrating when that happens because the real appeal to these events is seeing names like Goldman Sachs and Rothschild attend them. If they don’t recruit, no worries. Have a list of questions prepared for these firms and feel free to ask anything. You’re not there to impress them so have fun, network and ask for advice and tips. My personal favorite question to ask is: How do I differentiate myself from other candidates both on paper and in interviews? It’s funny because at the career fairs that I’ve attended, the firms that are actually recruiting don’t have any lines but the bulge brackets booths' are always so crowded. Use that to your advantage. You can even warm up with these big companies before talking to other firms that are recruiting.
And for the final and most crucial point of all…
DO know as much as you can about the firms that are recruiting. As mentioned at the beginning of the post, this point is critical when trying to impress recruiters, especially the ones at smaller firms. It’s also the easiest way to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Read up on their history, key stakeholders, corporate culture and structure, the types of positions they offer, the company’s stock price and its recent performance (if public), any significant news that involve the firm, the variety of clients they deal with, the different services they offer and anything you can find about the company. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. DO NOT visit firms before researching them. You want to give them the impression that you are interested in working in their firms. For example, a firm that I talked to was looking to fill 5 positions at their firm. Because of that, you have to do whatever it takes to differentiate yourself from other candidates. If you can’t find specific information about the firms you’re interested in, that’s the perfect opportunity for you to approach the recruiters and ask them for more information. They’ll appreciate that you took the time to research their firms and the positions they offer.
Well, how do you remember all this information? You don’t. Before the event, while researching the firms, write down all the relevant information about the companies that you plan on visiting. Once you’re done, place the notes in your padfolio and read up on each firm before you decide to talk to their recruiters. This tactic works wonderfully for me and will most certainly give you an edge over other candidates.
Try to research as many companies as you can even if you don’t plan on talking to them. For example, in my recent career fair, there was this firm that I didn’t bother researching because I thought they were only hiring grad students. During the event, I discovered that they were hiring people undergrads as well. I quickly looked up the firm and approached the recruiter at the booth. At some point in the conversation, after she figured my country of origin, she asked me if I knew that the CEO of their company was also from that country. She could tell I didn’t know even though I tried playing it off as if I did know. She let me off the hook with that one, but I feel like I had the chance to impress her even more if I knew additional information about him. It shows that you’re interested in working with them.
What to do AFTER the fair
DO follow up with the recruiters. Send them an email. Thank the recruiters for taking the time to visit and talk to you. They’ll appreciate it.
DON’T sound desperate when doing so. At the end of the day, career fairs are networking events. Even if you already secured a full-time position, it is still worth attending. You get the chance to learn so much from the recruiters and professionals that are attending the events. These are people with a healthy amount of experience in your desired career path and have been in your very position at some point in their life. While career fairs may be nerve-wracking, just remember to have fun and enjoy yourself. But don’t forget to research the firms and follow up with recruiters after the event. Ask for as much advice as you want but don’t be rude. Seriously, these recruiters are giving up their valuable time to be there at the event so don’t be that annoying kid. Don’t underestimate the power of recruiting events or even networking in general. If anyone tells you that career fairs are not worth your time, ignore them. They don’t know what they’re talking about.
Just remember that when trying to get a position in finance, the odds are stacked against you. At the end of the day, a considerable part of the recruiting process depends on how lucky you get. But keep in mind that luck is a number’s game. The more companies and professionals you expose yourself to, the more “lucky” or, in other words, the more probable it is for you to get your desired position.
