Freshmen Focus: Career Fairs – What To Do After

You’ve made it! Attending a career fair can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time. Now, the hard part is over. You have spoken with company representatives, received information about their programs, and exchanged information. Now, it is time to follow-up to get the most out of your experience.

• Send Thank You emails: Using the business cards and contact information you received from the company representative, send who you spoke with a thank you email or note in the mail. Mention that it was nice meeting them, and reference something that you two discussed to help jog their memory of who you are (after all, there were hundreds of students at the fair!) Generally, it’s best to send this within 24 hours of meeting the representative.
   
• Keep a list of companies that you spoke with: It is helpful to create an excel document to keep track of the companies you speak with, who specifically you spoke with and their email, and at what event you spoke with them. This can be a master list that you keep adding to throughout your college career and beyond! If you ever need to look back to find someone’s information, you will have it all right there.
   
• Think about the experience: What did you think about the event? Were you prepared? What could you have done differently? Thinking about these things will help you prepare for a future career fair.

Remember, each time you attend a career fair, the whole process gets a little easier and a little less intimidating.

Article By Stephanie Berenson