Are you Career Expo Ready?

Everything you need to know about how to prep, practice and be polished for the Career Expo on Sept 13th.

Career Expo

Each semester Lehigh hosts a career expo on campus (Fall/Sept, Spring/Feb). The fall event will be the biggest of the year, but both are important events for job or internship seekers.

Research employers before you arrive.

Expect the event to be busy and noisy, which means the location itself it not the place to try and figure out who is hiring your major and who is worthy of a conversation.

Visit the Expo event on handshake to view all employers registered, sort and filter companies and review jobs/internships associated with each.

Register for the Event on Handshake:

This will short cut your check in process and provide a pre-printed name tag for you.

Take Notes

Use the Career Expo cheat sheet from Career Expo tile on the handshake resource page to organize information on companies and positions of interest. Bring the cheat sheet with you in order to keep information organized and show your preparation. This will also help you start conversations, prepare questions to ask, and demonstrate your interest.

Prepare a 30 second commercial to pitch to each company:

• Your name, major, class year, and graduation date

• Express your interest in a position or department

• Demonstrate your knowledge of the company/organization

• Highlight your related experience / show how your major applies to the position

• Summarize your experiences both in and out of the classroom that connects to the job

• Give an example of an accomplishment or success

• Explain how you can be an asset to the company/organization

• Ask a prepared question

Example:

My name is ___________________ and I am studying ______________ here at Lehigh. I plan to graduate in ______________ so I am looking for a _________________ position. I saw that you are hiring for _______________ and I was interested because __________________. Some of my key skills/experiences have come from _________ and I feel prepared to take on roles in ________________. Most recently I have _______________ that has prepared me for __________________. I spent some time learning about your company from ____________ and I was especially interested to learn ___________. Could you tell me a little more about _______________________?

Sample Questions:

· Tell me a little about the training process new hires complete?

· Is there a mentor program for new hires/interns?

· What type of projects do new hires/interns work on?

· How is success measured by your company?

· What are some of the skills you look for in candidates?

· What type of experience is necessary to work in this role?

· What type of long term career is possible with your company?

· What is culture of your office/location like?

· Could you describe the leadership in your organization?

· Do you expect to visit campus again this year?

· What is your hiring timeline?

Practice Your Pitch on Big Interview:

Go to http://lehigh.biginterview.com

(Must use a webcam or laptop with built in camera to utilize the program)

• On top right of the page click green Register button if you are first time user or returning users Click “Login”

• Click Practice, Practice Interviews from the top menu

• On top right side of page click “Custom sets” , and choose “30 Second commercial”

• You can review the recording or email the link to others for feedback

Approach recruiters with confidence

At the career expo approach the booth/table, be prepared to wait your turn if the recruiter is occupied with another student. Lead with a handshake, and your 30 second commercial. Be prepared to answer a few questions and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Have a resume easily accessible to hand them and don’t forget to ask for a business card. Take notes if you need to and be sure you understand any application instructions or next steps they share. Don’t reach for the goodies on the table until your conversation is over, then help yourself to the freebees.

Look the part

Business professional attire is required at the event. Be aware students wearing jeans and casual clothing will be turned away at the door with the option to change before reentering. A full suit is expected. Don’t forget to iron or dry clean!

Take the Bus

Dedicated Career Expo shuttle times and locations:

9:30AM – 3:00PM: Shuttle stopping at Drown Hall, Saucon Village, & Iacocca Hall

3:00PM – 7:00PM: Continuous shuttle stopping at Alumni Memorial Building bus stop, Williams Hall triangle, Drown Hall, Saucon Village, & Iacocca Hall

6:00PM – 7:00PM: Continuous shuttle from Iacocca Hall to Saucon Village, Alumni Memorial Building bus stop, Williams Hall triangle, and Drown Hall

Stop by the free LinkedIn photo booth

Stop by the photo booth where a professional photographer will be taking headshots for students for LinkedIn. You will be able to download your image a few days after the expo to use on LinkedIn.

Follow up

After the Career Expo we will post a list of the all the recruiters who attended the expo on the Expo to Career Center website under the Quick Links menu on the far right side of the page. Feel free to follow up with thank you notes and be sure to follow any instructions given by the employers.

Use additional job/internship search paths

Remember, the Career Expo is ONE way to job or internship and this should never be used as an indicator of hire-ability within your academic major or the only way to discover available jobs in your industry. Explore other job or internship search options on the via the Handshake resource job or internship searches tile.

For more information on how you can prepare for the Career Expo visit the Career Expo Prep tile on the handshake resource page where you can review the Career Expo Quick Guide and other resources.