1. Career Fair Prep Develop your future

2. 2009 Fall Career Fair When: September 29, 2009 Where: SDC Multipurpose Room Time: 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

3. A Successful Approach Develop a strategy Solid resume Practice your interview skills Dress appropriately Understand employers’ expectations Use available resources Upload resume to NACElink

4. Bring to the Job Fair? Copies of resumes Transcripts Professional notepad/pen and notes Firm handshake Your calendar Research the companies Confident and enthusiastic attitude A polished, professional appearance

5. Choose the right employers! Reviewed registered employers on Career Services website: www.career.mtu.edu Develop a “target list” Categorize employers into A,B, and C lists Practice on one of the C list employers Then hit you’re A list Don’t stand in line too long

6. Research the Employers Website Hoover’s Online Dun & Bradstreet (dnb.com) Fortune’s 500 Biggest Companies Bus. Week’s & Forbes’ 100 Best small Companies Google National, local, and trade specific publications USAJobs.org

7. A Solid Resume Your “ticket” to an interview A resource for filling out applications Evidence of what you have done A conversation starter Different for the college grad vs. someone with years of experience

8. A Strong Resume? Consider the following categories Objective(what you want to do) Education(schools, locations, degree, dates, GPA, relevant courses) Project Experiences (Capstone, hobbies coursework) Work Experiences (paid, unpaid, volunteer) Skills(Computer, Technical, Language) Accomplishments(don’t be shy)

12. First impressions are important! Introduce yourself using some of these topics:Name Degree, major, and minor Grade point average Work, co-op and internship experience Leadership Projects Knowledge of company!

13. Mock Info-mercial

14. Dress for Success Dressing Tips For Men Suit: Dark blue, brown or gray Shirt: White, light blue Tie: Contrasting (with some red) Shoes: (Black or brown) Belt: Matches shoes, socks match slacks Hair: Trimmed or pulled back Avoid: Earrings, hats, heavy cologne

15. Dress for Success Dressing Tips For Women Skirt/Slacks: Dark blue, brown, gray Blouse: Light colored, not floral Shoes: Conservative Hair: Pulled away from face Avoid: Tight or revealing clothing Shoes with straps, high heels, light colored Excessive jewelry, perfume and make up

16. Employers look forSKILLS & EXPERIENCES Planning and managing projects Building relationships Analyze and evaluate data Engage in continuous learning Communicate through persuasion and justification Seek global understanding Mentor others Build a team Create new knowledge

17. The InterviewThe next day Perspective > Preparation > Practice > Performance >

19. Does the job-seeker possess the enthusiasm and work ethic that the employer expects?

21. An interview should be approached as a conversation

23. Thoroughly review the job description

25. Preparation Traditional Questions: Be concise, explain answers, give examples! Behavioral Questions: Describe situation thoroughly, enough for the interviewer to understand Focus on YOUR actions. Why did you take a specific action? How did you decide what action to take? What were the results? What did you accomplish and learn? What do you want them to know about you????

28. What is the company’s biggest challenge at this time.

29. Where would the company like to be in 5 years?

31. Focus on positive, specific examples

32. Practice helps to reinforce memory

33. Practice fine tunes responses

35. Listen carefully

36. Body language: eye contact, gestures, posture

37. Chemistry, make a connection: Remember, it’s a conversation

38. Employers are much more interested in your “why’s” and your “how’s” than your “what’s”

39. Concise answers, explain answers, provide examples to complete “picture”

41. It is Raffle time