{"id":1737,"date":"2025-02-21T12:54:13","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T19:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/career\/2025\/02\/21\/first-time-at-the-career-fair\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T18:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:53:43","slug":"first-time-at-the-career-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/career\/2025\/02\/21\/first-time-at-the-career-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"First Time at the Career Fair?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When I first heard about the career fair, my initial reaction was \u201cwhy should I go if I\u2019m only a freshman? I\u2019m not looking for a full-time job yet\u201d.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what to expect. The whole experience seemed daunting. It was incredibly scary to imagine myself talking to potential employers. Plus, I had no idea what I was supposed to do at the actual fair.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I ended up talking to members of the Career Team and learned a lot of what to expect from handshake. SO here are the important things to know if you are considering going to the next career fair (which I highly encourage):<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1. The purpose of the event is to teach students about <\/span><\/b><b><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">possible<\/span><\/i><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> career paths and connect students with people working in all sorts of areas.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There is no obligation to commit yourself to a company right away, but you can feel secure in having a connection in a field of work you are interested in that can answer questions you may have about the company, the job, and its qualifications.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">I spoke wit<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">h a few <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">companies who<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> were looking for full-time employment<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">. T<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">hey <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">weren<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">\u2019<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> dismissive of me when they found out I <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">wasn\u2019t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> a potential candidate, instead they were <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">very interested<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> in what sort of career path I was <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">looking<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> for. They encouraged me to ask them <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">questions<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> about <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">their<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> own <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart CommentHighlightPipeRestRefresh CommentHighlightRest SCXW9898066 BCX0\">career <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentHighlightRest SCXW9898066 BCX0\">journeys<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentHighlightPipeRestRefresh SCXW9898066 BCX0\">and reassured me that <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">I <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">don\u2019t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> need to have everything figured out <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">right now. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">They actually told me to not limit myself by trying to create a path.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\"> They shared that opening their minds to different possibilities led th<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">em to the career they have now.<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW9898066 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW9898066 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\">I\u2019ve<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\"> always been a <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\">planner,<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\"> so this was <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\">a hard thing<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\"> to come to terms with but <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\">honestly<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\"> it was for the better. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\">I\u2019m<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\"> no longer stuck in this singular line of thinking and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\">I\u2019m<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\"> instead able to keep my options open and mind open to learning<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\"> about other careers<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW168214334 BCX0\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW168214334 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">Th<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">e <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">employers<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\"> also<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">assured me that <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">if <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">I<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\"> reached out to them with any questions, they would be more than willing to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">assist<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\"> me in planning <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">possible paths<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\">with<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122813608 BCX0\"> my career.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW122813608 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">2. All you need is to bring yourself!<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (and a few resumes)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Craft an elevator pitch about who you are, what you&#8217;re passionate about, and what you hope to do after school (once you practice it a couple times, it begins to become second nature).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">I spent ten minutes in front of my <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW148641830 BCX0\">mirror, and<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\"> even practiced in front of my room<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">m<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">ates until I felt c<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">onfident in my pitch. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">Your friends can be <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart CommentHighlightPipeRestRefresh CommentHighlightRest SCXW148641830 BCX0\">great hecklers <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentHighlightPipeRestRefresh SCXW148641830 BCX0\">to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">help with building<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">y<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW148641830 BCX0\">our confidence.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW148641830 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">3. Talking to people is easier than you think <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(I\u2019m talking to you my fellow introverts)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It was a lot easier than I expected to talk to the employers, especially if I came with a couple of questions in mind before approaching.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">Conversation<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\"> flows easily when <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">you\u2019re<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\"> passionate about the company. One of my <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">top<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\"> companies at the last career fair was The Peace Corps. I ended up getting <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">into<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">a long <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">conversation<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\"> about the <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">employer&#8217;s<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\"> personal experience serving in The Peace Corps and <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">even some stories about his co-workers. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\">He loved serving so much he decided to continue to work for the organization. It<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW108675728 BCX0\"> was cool to see how far one decision can take you in life.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW108675728 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">4. You can see a list of all employers beforehand to help prepare<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you\u2019re anything like me, I need to know exactly what to expect and who I\u2019ll see.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">Knowin<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">g<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\"> who <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">was<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\"> going to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW66354654 BCX0\">be<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\"> there helped me with c<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">rafting <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">questions, and a game plan for who I would talk to first (starting with the leas<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">t<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\"> intimidating <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">company and<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\"> ending with the company I was most excited to talk to)<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW66354654 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW66354654 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">5. Dress as if you already have the job<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A business casual outfit leaves a good impression<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This tied to a confident elevator pitch can show employers that you are a good candidate.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I planned my outfit out the night before with the help of my roommates. It didn\u2019t take long, but it did take a lot of thinking about how I wanted to present myself.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I came to the career fair feeling uncertain and nervous even though I had followed all the recommended preparation. I left having gained a better understanding of what I\u2019m looking for in a work environment and feeling more confident in selling myself and the skills I have to offer. The career fair is a great practice run in the professional realm, and a good low stress opportunity to build interview and networking skills. <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Look out for the <\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/chapman.joinhandshake.com\/career_fairs\/54157\/student_preview?token=ZmjpR1PMgIzynDtQyVZWq9-q2o74ftMNounjm-vFqWMwoI8-bb76xA\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">next career fair<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0on Wednesday March 12<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">! You won\u2019t regret going.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s What to Expect<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4893,"featured_media":1741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"custom_author_name":"Charlot Born","chapman_pin_hero_slider":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33,119,11,5,6,17,26,8,15,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-fairs","category-colleges","category-event-recap","category-alumni","category-students","category-handshake","category-internships","category-job-search","category-networking","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Career and Professional Development | Chapman Blogs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/career\/2025\/02\/21\/first-time-at-the-career-fair\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First Time at the Career Fair? 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