By Rachel Dhaliwal, GCDF
Contributor and Career Coach, APUS

Before a virtual career fair, it’s important to follow three steps to prepare yourself for speaking to an employer and create the best possible impression. These steps are recon, research and represent.

Recon

So there’s a virtual career fair coming up, and whether you’re interested in networking only or you’re truly on the hunt for a new job, you’re considering attending. Your first step is to find out which employers will be participating. Most events will have a flyer or a webpage you can search.

If a list isn’t provided, contact the event’s organizers. Be sure to check back before the day of the virtual career fair to see if any new employers have been added.

Research

Once you have that list, research your employers of interest both on their company site and in the news through your favorite search engine.

Search their job board to see if they currently have any job openings you would be interested in. If yes, explore their full site to get an idea about their mission, values and culture to see if they would be a good fit for you. If you like what you see, go ahead and apply before the virtual career fair, so that you’re a step ahead of your competition. Make note of any reference number or similar information you receive in response to your application.

It’s important to note that even if you don’t find a current opportunity, the recruiter could know about positions that haven’t been posted yet or the company could post one in the future. If you are interested in the company, plan on approaching their recruiter at the job fair to establish a connection that may pay out later.

Represent

Now that you have done the research, you will be able to present yourself as a much more prepared candidate to the recruiter. If you applied for the job previously, let him or her know and provide the job title and the reference number if applicable. You can then ask questions about the hiring process, the company or the position. Perhaps the recruiter will even pull your resume out of the inbox and forward it to the hiring manager!

If you haven’t applied previously, your research will prepare you to ask questions with more depth than “What positions do you have available?” or “What does your company do?” These questions are a waste of the recruiter’s time and make you look lazy and ill-prepared.

Be respectful of both your and the recruiter’s limited time together by having some quality questions and information prepared. This will allow you to represent yourself in a very positive way, helping you to make a memorable impression on a day when the recruiter will talk to a lot of candidates in one session.

If you would like to speak with a career coach about preparing for a virtual career fair, please use the coaching request form on the Career Services page in your ecampus or send us a detailed email at careerservices@apus.edu.