Career Fair

How to Survive Spring ICE without having a meltdown

Miami University’s Spring Career Fair is less than two weeks away on Thursday, February 21 from 1-5:30pm in Millett Hall. If you have been to a career fair before, you may understand how overwhelming it can be. The best way to conquer career fair is by preparing yourself for it!

Pack a Bag

Similar to any other journey, there are key essentials you will need to bring. The night before career fair, you should lay out your outfit make sure it is clean and wrinkle-free. You will want to wear comfortable shoes for walking, since career fair is in Millett hall and you will be standing for a long time! Additionally, your outfit should be business professional. Men can wear dress pants, shoes, a button down shirt, tie, and suit jacket. Ladies can also wear a suit or professional dress. Heels or flats are both acceptable.

There will be water fountains around Millett and typically the Career Center provides water bottles to help keep you hydrated. However, If you plan on staying for the whole fair, you may want to consider bringing a protein bar or light snack. Pack gum, mints, or tongue strips as well. We recommend bringing a padfolio to hold all your resumes, extra pens, and anything else you might need to freshen up throughout the event. Padfolios can be purchased at the Miami Bookstore.

Resumes

While your outfit is polished and error-free, your resume will really help you stand out. It’s generally recommended to print 20 resumes ahead of time, but it varies depending on how many booths you plant to visit. One way to impress the recruiters is to print your resume on resume paper from the Oxford Copy Shop. This option is a little pricier, but for some recruiters it makes a big difference! Typically, a student organization in the Farmer School of Business offers to print resumes a few days before the career fair for an affordable price too.

If your resume needs a tune-up, the Career Center has your back! They are located in the bottom level of Armstrong below Café Luxe. They offer workshops (listed below), as well as drop in hours so that you can go over your resume with someone. Even if you feel confident about your resume, this is a good opportunity to have another set of eyes look over it. They can also improve your cover letter or LinkedIn profile.

Do Your Research

There will be a lot of businesses at career fair and it is important to look up which booths you are interested in visiting ahead of time. Map out which booths are where so you are not lost at Millett or miss a company you really wanted to see. Miami also has a career fair app you can download with information on the companies attending and where their booths are located.

Important Dates

Prior to Career Fair, the Career Center has created a few important events to help prepare you. These are a great way to practice networking and learn other valuable tips.

Monday, February 11 – Benton 114

• • • 5:00 – 7:00 pm  • Career Fair Prep

• • Wed., February 13th – Armstrong 0045
    • • 3:00 – 4:00pm • Spring Career Fair Basics
    • • 5:00 – 6:00 pm • Spring Career Fair Basics
    • • 5:30 – 6:00 pm • Networking: Leveraging LinkedIn
    • 6:00 – 6:30 pm • Resume Basics

• • Thur., February 14th – Armstrong 0045
    • • 2:00 – 2:30pm • Networking: Leveraging LinkedIn
    • • 2:30 – 3:30pm • Spring Career Fair Basics
    • • 4:00 – 4:30 pm • Resume Basics
    • 4:30 – 5:30pm • Spring Career Fair Basics

• • Fri., February 15th – Armstrong 0045
    • • 11:00 – 11:30 am • Networking: Leveraging LinkedIn
    • • 12:00 – 1:00pm • Spring Career Fair Basics
    • 1:30 – 2:00 pm • Resume Basics

• • Sun., February 17th – Armstrong 0045
    • • 4:30 – 5:30pm • Spring Career Fair Basics (Webinar)
    • • 6:00 – 6:30 pm • Resume Basics
    • 6:30 – 7:00 pm • Networking: Leveraging LinkedIn

• • Mon., February 18th – Armstrong 0045
    • • 2:00 – 2:30pm • Networking: Leveraging LinkedIn
    • • 3:00 – 4:00pm • Spring Career Fair Basics
    • 4:30 – 5:00 pm • Resume Basics

• • Tue., February 19th – Armstrong 0045
    • • 2:30 – 3:30pm • Spring Career Fair Basics
    • • 4:00 – 4:30 pm • Resume Basics
    • 4:30 – 5:00 pm • Networking: Leveraging LinkedIn

• Wed.,, February 20 – Armstrong Pavilion A & B
  • 4:30 – 6:30pm • CAS Networking Night

Hannah Frier | Marketing