Career Fair 2017 Tips

Ian Squires is a Southeastern Business senior, as well as a member of the Alpha Psi Accounting Honors Society, a Becker Professional Education Campus Ambassador and the Toastmasters International District 68 Finance Manager. Ian works an Audit Intern at Faulk & Winkler, LLC, an accounting, tax and business consulting services company, after first meeting representatives at the 2016 Career Fair.

Ian knows first-hand the importance of preparation, and he shares the following advice and encouragement to students and alumni attending the Career Fair.

“It was a long road to get where I am now. I didn’t just show up to Career Fair and magically get a job, nor do I have any special skills or traits that helped me get there. In fact, it took four failed interviews at various places for me to realize that preparing for Career Fair was vital.

I went to a mock interview at Career Services, which helped a lot. At first, I didn’t exactly understand what employers were looking for. The mock interview also helped me develop my elevator speech.

One of my professors provided a resume template that he has perfected over the years by talking to recruiters regularly. I used his template, mixed with the resources on the Career Services website and spent a lot of time reviewing and perfecting it. I had many people review it, including Career Services.

I also took a lot of time to develop my LinkedIn profile. While it hasn’t directly gotten me a job, I feel that it has definitely influenced things and is worth the effort if you get your profile up to ‘all-star.’

The results of all these things weren’t immediate. It took time and it certainly paid off. I now work as an audit intern for a Faulk & Winkler LLC, a public accounting firm and I am very happy.

Sometimes I hear students say ‘I’m not ready for a job yet’ or ‘I already have one’. Let me tell you from personal experience, things change. Some employers hire way ahead of time these days.

You are always on the job market. If you aren’t at this exact moment, you may be by the time employers are hiring. I interviewed for my previous internship 8 months before starting. It never hurts to keep your options open and network. Take advantage of the opportunities like Career Fair and BizConnect provided to you by Career Services.

Take time to prepare for interview questions through career services, work hard on your resume, dress professionally, and act confident even if you’re not. Lastly, GO! You will never regret it.”

Connect with Ian on LinkedIn