Three Tips for Making a Good Impression at a Campus Career Fair

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I’ve been involved with campus recruiting for more than seven years and always get excited when the Fall career fair season arrives.
I know that students can feel overwhelmed by all the information packets they receive and blog posts they read with tips for attending a career fair. It’s sometimes hard to determine just how to truly make a good impression on a potential employer. Our campus team wanted to cut through the noise and offer three simple pieces of advice on to make a great first impression at a career fair.
1. Shake my hand as if we are equals. From the moment we meet, I’m trying to decide if you are the kind of person that would represent Perficient well to our clients. Shake my hand in a way that exudes self confidence, but don’t give me the Adrian Peterson death grip — a handshake is a greeting not a test of strength!
2. Ask me an intelligent question about a specific department/area/team. Recruiters will speak with up to 125 candidates in a day and get asked the same “textbook” questions over and over. We want to see that you’ve put some deeper thought into your upcoming career. Asking specific questions will trigger a much deeper conversation  between us and show that you’re on your game. Here is an example:
Bad Question: “What’s a typical day like as a Perficient IT consultant?”
Good Question: “What are the new technologies that your team has used in 2014?” Or, “What is Perficient doing with technology XYZ?”
3. Don’t travel in herds. Searching for a career opportunity is not a team sport. When four people approach the booth at the same time it’s very hard for a recruiter to connect with any one individual on a meaningful basis. Don’t let anyone infringe on your face time with employers.
We’re looking forward to meeting lots of talented young people at career fairs this Fall!  Please review our event schedule to see where Perficient will be exhibiting.