Guide to Making a Mark at a Career Fair

Picture this: a packed room, recruiters scanning the crowd, and just minutes to prove you’re a good hire. 

Career fairs can seem intimidating. But there’s one secret to making the most out of your experience — come ultra-prepared. Whether you’re after your dream job or just expanding your network, this guide will show you how to turn quick conversations into real opportunities. Let’s make your career fair debut one to remember! 

What is a Career Fair?

Organized by universities, non-profits, and industry associations, a career fair (aka job fair) is a networking event where job seekers can connect with recruiters, discover different companies, and broaden their professional network IRL. 

A career fair is a cool chance to scout job openings, pitch your skills, and perhaps even score an on-site interview with your dream company. In simpler terms — a career fair is your chance to convert connections into employment. Among those who attended a job fair last year, 45% received an offer to interview, and a quarter received a job offer, according to NACE.  

The best part? Everyone is invited these days — undergraduate students, recent graduates, and event freshers without a college degree. 

Where to Find Career Fairs? 

The majority of universities host an annual job fair, usually at the start of the academic year. Although some have more frequent career events. For example, NYU has a roster of niche career fairs lined up all through Spring and Fall.  If you’re a student or recent alumni, hit up the career center to get the deets. 

Other good places to learn about career fairs are:

• Virtual career platforms like Handshake or JobFairX. Both aggregate information about upcoming in-person events and offer online networking opportunities. 

• Company websites. Larger enterprises occasionally host ‘career’ or ‘meet & greet days’ at their offices or partner campuses. 

• Local Chambers of Commerce. Check their websites about upcoming business networking and hiring events. 

• Government & workforce development agencies also occasionally host state-side events. May be worth a try, especially if you’re looking for a federal job. 

Lastly, a good ol’ Google search should also help you find some local results. 

How to Prepare for a Career Fair

Career fairs are networking events. Meaning there will be a lot of attendants to mingle with. But if you come underprepared and spread your efforts too thin, you might get overwhelmed and accomplish nothing. 

Start drawing your ‘action plan’ at least a week ahead to step in ready to impress. Here are our best tips (and a checklist!) on how to prepare for a career fair. 

What to bring to a career fair? Checklist 

• Resumes (Printed & Digital) 
  • Bring at least 10-15 copies.
  • Have a digital version saved on your phone, in the cloud, or on a USB drive.
  • Portfolio if you’re in a creative industry 
  • Bonus: Business card with your name, contact details, and LinkedIn profile link 
• Several folders
  • Keep resumes, business cards, and notes organized for each employer. 
• Notebook & Pen or an iPad. 
  • You’ll hear a ton of information during the day — recruiter tips, hiring manager contact details, and company insights. You’ll need to jot everything down. 
• List of Target Companies
  • Keep a note on your phone with employer names, industry, open roles, contact person name, and stand number. 
• Phone Charger or Power Bank 
  • You don’t want the phone dying on you. 
• Personal ID
  • Some events may require identification for entry
• Confidence & Positive Attitude
  • Your anxiety and imposter syndrome aren’t invited 🙂

Now let’s run through this list to help you prepare! 

Refresh Your Resume 

You must have a copy of your resume and your portfolio (if it makes sense) at hand while schmoozing with potential employers. 

If you’re attending a virtual career fair, save your resume in several different formats  (.pdf, .doc, Google Drive) to avoid any technical issues. 
Is this your first rodeo? Don’t worry. Writing a resume is not exactly quantum physics. All you need is a professional template to give you structure and about an hour of uninterrupted work.

Here’s a step-by-step walk-through of how to make a fresher resume: 

1. Style a resume header with your name, phone, email, and LinkedIn profile at the top.

2. Add a punchy resume summary, detailing your core competencies, skills, and career goals. 

3. Showcase your work experience. In reverse chronological order, put down internships, research projects, freelance work, and part-time jobs you’ve held. Curate this section to only include the most relevant work (e.g., if you plan to interview for junior accounting roles, don’t bring up babysitting gigs). 

4. List your education. Include your degree, university, and graduation year. You can also add things like GPA or dean’s list, or research,  if you have space left.   

5. Include extra certifications or training. Again, only those relevant to your career field. 

6. Keep it concise. Stick to one page and add three to five bullet points for each work experience entry. Don’t just list tasks you did — highlight the results and impacts you’ve made! 

Psst, did you know we have an awesome free resumes builder to crack out multiple copies in no time? 

Tip: How Many Resumes Should I Bring to a Career Fair?

If the event is taking place in person, print at least 10 copies. Also, if you have LinkedIn, it is also worth updating and optimizing your profile in case recruiters look you up. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, get one immediately!

Prepare Your Elevator Pitch 

Career fairs are busy events. You might get just 5 minutes with recruiters, so you better make those count. To start strong, create and practice your elevator pitch. 

An elevator pitch is a brief, spoken advertisement that helps employers learn about your suitability for a job. Your pitch should be enthusiastic, around 30 seconds long, and include a few things about your education and employment history to date. 

Career fair elevator pitch examples: 

“Hi! I’m Susanna, and I’ve just graduated from Columbia with a degree in journalism. I have some experience freelancing for culture and lifestyle magazines and am keen to further my career through in-house employment. I am skilled in reporting, fact-checking, content marketing, and Google Analytics, and am known for my superb copywriting skills.”

“Hello, I’m Robert, a third-year student at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Actuarial Science. Last summer, I interned at Acme Inc., where I assisted in client audits, financial risk modeling, and data validation — gaining hands-on experience with real-world financial reporting. I’m also a leader of the Student Investing Club, where we do annual stock market analysis and company performance evaluations.” 

At career fairs, shyness won’t get you hired. Approach the recruiters proactively. Introduce yourself, then tell them why you’re interested in working for their company. A little flattery goes a long way. 

Research Participating Companies 

Showing up to a career fair without some background employer research is like showing up to an exam without studying—you might wing it, but why take the risk? Ultimately, you don’t want to be stuck in conversations with employers you’re not passionate about. 

So do some grunt work to prioritize your target companies. Check the event’s website or brochure to see which companies will be attending. For those who caught your eye, do some digging to verify: 

• Company profile — industry, size, mission, values, and key services/products 
• Current openings — available positions, qualifications, and hiring process overview 
• Recruiter contacts — identify who’ll be attending the fair and reach out on LinkedIn
• Reviews — employee experiences, pay competitiveness, and benefits 
• Recent news — things like achievements, awards, or major projects are good ice-breakers 
• Industry trends — knowledge about target customers, competition, and market dynamics shows off your business acumen 

Researching the employers in advance helps you hone your elevator pitch, customize your resume, and ask smart questions during the conversation. Read more about the company research process. 

Decide What to Wear To a Career Fair

Let’s be honest — your looks will do the speaking too.  Opt for a business casual outfit such as a good pair of slacks or a midi skirt with a well-ironed shirt or blouse. Jeans may be okay if you’re in a more hip industry, but it’s better to zhuzh up them up with a smart blazer. 

Stick to neutral colors like shades like black, navy, beige, or gray to give a polished impression. For an extra Also, it should go without saying…wrinkle-free and stain-free outfits are a must. Pair your fit with some comfortable shoes. You’ll be doing a lot of walking. 

Keep your makeup and accessories on a lighter side to avoid looking over-dressed. As for the hair, it’s fine to wear it down even if it’s long (males included). 

Make a List of Questions to Ask at a Career Fair

As any career coach will tell you, asking intelligent, company-specific questions is the best way to leave a lasting mark on employers. First, you get to demonstrate your soft skills.  

Then, you also mine ultra-valuable knowledge about potential employers — deets about what they seek in successful candidates, when they usually hire, and what the culture is like. 

While you should always come up with a curated list of questions for each company, here a few solid crowd-pleasers to help you get started: 

Role-specific questions

Asking role-related questions will help you decide whether the job aligns with your career objectives. For example: 

• Does my profile match the requirements for this role?
• Are there any extra skills you’d recommend me to develop?  
• What does an average day look like?   
• How does a career profession look for this position? 
• Do you offer extra training opportunities for new hires? 
• What are some shared qualities of people who were successful in this job? 

Rapport-building questions

Career fairs are all about networking. Not all companies may have the right role for you now, but that might change in the future. So you also have to build relationships with employers. To do so, ask things like: 

• How long have you been at the company?
• What’s your favorite thing about your line of work?
• What achievements are you most proud of?
• How has your role evolved since you first joined?
• What advice would you give someone looking to break into this industry?

Follow-up questions

Had a great chat? Are you confident that it’s gone well? Don’t be afraid to secure your next steps. Follow-up questions could include:

• I’ve had a great time talking with you. How can we stay in touch?
• I’m keen to find out more about this role. Who can I follow up with?
• What’s the best way to stay updated on future opportunities with your company?
• Would it be okay if I connected with you on LinkedIn to keep in touch?
• When do you expect to start a new hiring cycle? I’d like to be notified 

Speaking of follow-ups…

Always Follow Up After a Career Fair

Your job isn’t done when you leave the door. Recruiters meet tons of amazing candidates at job fairs, and your compelling elevator pitch could soon be forgotten unless you follow up stat. 

Here’s how to follow up after a career fair:

• Send a professional email, thanking the recruiters for their time. Reaffirm your interest in the job, re-attach your resume, and assure them you can provide references or any extra information. 

• Log on to LinkedIn and connect with everyone you’ve met. Add a small note to the connection request with your elevator pitch to remind them who you are and why you’re looking to stay in touch. 

• Schedule informational interviews with new contacts to learn more about different companies and industries. Or perhaps even get a mentor who’d help you out with career management. 

To Conclude

A career fair is a great way to connect with a lot of different employers at once. But such events can be draining too since you constantly need to market yourself and compete for attention with others. By following the steps above, you can reduce the overwhelm factor and take the max out of the next event. Good luck!