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Career Day Tips for Candidates
Prior to the Career Day . . .
Plan to wear a professional outfit—first impressions are critical and lasting:
- Do not wear jeans, t-shirts, wrinkled clothes, sneakers or hats.
- Employers strongly discourage mini skirts, tank/halter/sleeveless tops, low cut or tight fitting shirts, facial or tongue piercings, and visible tattoos.
- Women—wear a suit, pants suit, blazer with skirt or dress, conservative color, no heavy jewelry or perfume.
- Men—wear a suit, jacket & tie with slacks, conservative color, no heavy cologne or after-shave.
Prepare plenty of copies of your resume—more than you think you'll need:
- Have an attractive resume on good quality paper, using bold, underline, and bullets; we strongly suggest white or other neutral-color paper.
- Check carefully for typos, spelling and grammar errors.
- Have it critiqued at Career Services.
- Keep them in a folder or portfolio at the event. Do not bring them to the career day on a disk.
- Prepare a scannable resume free of special effects so it can be scanned into the employer's applicant tracking system for online screening.
- Bring both types of resumes to the career day.
- Some employers may also ask you to submit your resume through their company website for their specific type of applicant tracking system. This is a growing trend and a few employers no longer accept paper resumes in person.
Familiarize yourself with the employers:
- Decide which employers you want to speak with and prioritize them.
- Research, research, research—a list of participating employers is available on our website two weeks prior to each event.
- Click the "Details" button next to each employer for hiring needs and contact information.
- Click on the employer name to go to their website.
Market yourself
- Develop an introduction to use when meeting employers at career days and other networking events.
At the Career Day . . .
Come early in the day—employers are at their peak and there is less competition:
- Bring a pen, folder or portfolio for your resumes, and perhaps a pad of paper.
- Carry as little as possible (no coats or backpacks, etc.)
- Turn off cell phones in the employer areas.
Approach employer representatives with confidence:
- Introduce yourself, make good eye contact, and offer a firm handshake.
- Give the recruiter your resume and tell him/her about yourself and your career interests.
- Ask questions about job openings/descriptions, the organization, application procedures, etc.
- Collect business cards and employer literature.
Speak with as many employers as possible:
- Visit your top choices first. Avoid standing in a long line to speak with one recruiter when you could talk with 3 or 4 others in the same time period.
After the Career Day . . .
Send a thank you letter or e-mail message:
- Thank employers for their time at the career day. Restate your interest to those employers in which you are particularly interested.
- Include a copy of your resume. Since most candidates will not follow up with employers after the career day, this will make you stand out.
For questions or comments about this site, contact cswebpg@rci.rutgers.edu.
© 2008 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.
Last Updated: 04/21/2010
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