Went to the career fair, now what?

Monday, February 21, 2022

Media Contact: Bailey Stacy | Communications Coordinator, Marketing & Communications | 405-744-2700 | bailey.stacy@okstate.edu

Congratulations, you made it through the career fair! Polished your résumé, wore your new suit, talked to recruiters and maybe even handed out a few business cards and exchanged emails. What’s next? I suggest you do the following things to set you apart from other students. 

If you exchanged business cards with a recruiter:

• Connect with them on LinkedIn. This allows them to see your picture again and then your past accomplishments, work experience, and skills. 
• Send a thank you note thanking them for their time. This email should also include: 
  • A few talking points you had with them to help them remember who you are. 
  • Your résumé. This allows them to have another look at your résumé and keep it in an easily accessible digital format.
  • Follow up and show your interest in particular positions and opportunities within their company. Whether you are looking for a summer internship or full-time position, re-iterate the specific division and length of employment you are wanting. 

If you have an interview time with them, research the company and come with questions to ask them as well. Remember, you are also interviewing them to see if the company and position would be a good fit for you.

Here are a few questions I always ask during interviews:

• What is your company culture like?
• Who is a great employee at your company and what do they do that sets them apart?
• What does a typical day in the office look like for this position? 
• How is your training program?
• Why did you choose to work for this company? 

After the interview, send an intentional and thoughtful hand-written thank you note or email. In this you can thank them for taking the time to meet with you and that you look forward to hearing back from them. In order to appear professional, I suggest you send thank you notes 24-48 hours after the interview and within business hours.

I hope this helped on what to do next! Throughout the semester, the Eastin Center for Career Readiness has résumé paper, résumé reviews and mock interviews to help you become the best business professional you can be. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of our career coaches, they are here to help you.

Story By: Alexis Hightower | alexis.hightower@okstate.edu