• All College of Charleston students and interested alumni are invited to attend; however, upcoming fall and spring semester graduates are especially encouraged to attend in order to meet with visiting recruiters and learn about job and/or graduate school opportunities and requirements
• This event is not open to the public

• Pre-registration is not required, but you will have to come to the registration desk to sign in

• Review the list of participating organizations (link from Career Services' home page)
• Research organizations of interest using the employer websites on the list
• Develop a short introduction to help employers quickly learn about you. Include your name, class year, major and other relevant experience
• Write and refine your resume

• Copies of your resume. Take at least 10-15 copies
• A portfolio with pen/notepad to write down information and with space to collect written materials and business cards from recruiters.
• Enthusiasm...remember, good first impressions are key!

• Any time you interact with potential employers you should try to make a good impression by dressing in a manner that is appropriate to their industry. Remember, you don’t want to be perceived as a “student,” you want to be perceived as a potential employee.
• Students planning on careers in business or related fields should wear business professional attire, especially if you are a graduating student. For those students pursuing careers in other fields, i.e. computer science, social work, retail, etc., business casual attire can be appropriate. Remember, you are not dressing for a date, you are dressing for a professional situation.

  Men:

• Suit with dress shirt (business professional)
• Khakis and a polo shirt (business casual)
• Nice shoes, no sneakers, sandals or flip-flops
• No ball caps
• No shorts

  Women:

• Suit with a plain blouse (business professional)
• Dress pants or skirt and nice shirt/sweater (business casual)
• Minimal jewelry
• No heavy make-up
• No short or tight skirts
• No low cut tops, crop tops, or spaghetti straps
• Closed toe, medium heel pumps. No sneakers, sandals or flip-flops
• Plain, sheer hosiery in neutral colors. No patterned or decoratively styled hosiery

• Career Services will provide interested students with transportation to the Career Fair. A van will transport students between the Stern Student Center and the Gaillard Auditorium every 15 minutes, starting at 11:45 am.
• If you wish to drive, you may park in the City of Charleston Parking Garage adjacent to the Gaillard Auditorium (enter from Calhoun St.), and there are also a limited number of metered spaces surrounding the Auditorium. However, you will have to pay the parking fees for either of these options.

• The Gaillard Auditorium offers ample space for the number of organizations attending this event, as well as adequate parking and loading/unloading facilities, and it is within walking distance to our campus.

• First, sign in at the registration table.
• Next, review the list/location map of the organizations of interest to you. Determine a plan for making your way around to them. Then, go to your first booth.
• At each booth, introduce yourself once the recruiter is available to speak with you. Do not wait to be addressed first.
• Don't just take the freebies and leave!
• Avoid traveling in a "pack" with your friends.

What questions should I prepare for? What questions should I ask?

• Prepare a short introduction that tells the recruiter your career interests, major, and anything else pertaining to your interest in their organization
• Prepare a list of potential questions to ask organizations, such as:

  1. I’m interested in opportunities in ___________(your career area of interest). Does your company recruit for these types of positions? How might I apply for these types of positions?
  2. What skills or abilities do you look for in a new hire?
  3. Can you tell me about your training program?
  4. What is the next step in the application process?
  5. Can you tell me about your internship/summer job/part-time job opportunities?

1. Inquire as to the next step in their process. Should you contact them after the Expo? Will they contact you?
2. Find out the name and contact information of the individual you may follow up with after the Expo. Request a business card, if you aren't given one.

• Allow a minimum of an hour; more if you have several organizations in which you are interested.
• After you finish talking with the organizations on your list, seek out additional organizations if you have time
• Please note that the staff in Career Services is not able to excuse students from classes or other obligations. Please be sure to work out potential conflicts with professors in advance.

• If you don't see organizations recruiting your major, talk to those recruiting similar majors, or those open to any major.
• Expand your horizons at an event such as this. Talk to organizations even if they have nothing to do with your major – see what they have to offer. For example, you may not have a major in a healthcare related field, and might not have considered working in a hospital setting. However, hospitals also employ people in business, information technology, social services, and other areas.
• Take the opportunity at the Career Expo to learn how to talk to/interact with employers. You’ll need to get comfortable with interacting with professionals, no matter what field you choose to go into after graduation.

• You might be interested in internships or part-time jobs that would provide you with resume-building experience
• It’s never too early to begin networking and marketing yourself
• You might want to find out more about the careers and jobs that are available to graduates
• You may find out what knowledge, skills and abilities are valued in the workplace, and be able to incorporate classes into your academic preparation that would allow you to build these skills and abilities

• They come to the fair to maintain their presence on campus, provide information on career opportunities and requirements to students, and to meet with students and collect resumes so that when they do have openings, they have resources readily available.

• Many companies are using databases to collect and store applicant information so that when openings occur, they can retrieve that information quickly. However, this information doesn’t reflect how well the candidate communicated in person, if they are well-spoken, appropriately attired for a professional situation…in short, how they come across in a person-to-person situation. So recruiters may come to a fair just to get an idea as to how students at the College of Charleston rank for those factors, and then use the database to pull applications when there are openings
• If the employer tells you to apply via their website, don't interpret that as a "put-off!" They are inviting you to apply with their company, and the website is how they accept applications.

• Career Services doesn't decide who comes to the fair – the organizations represented are those that wanted to attend. Although we make every attempt to contact organizations of interest to our students in order to make them aware of the Career Expo and recruiting opportunities, a majority of organizations invited do not choose to attend.
• Employers who hire a substantial number of new hires each year, and/or have a formal training program in place are those that find a career fair a useful method of recruiting. Many organizations just do not find campus recruiting as a cost-effective method of identifying potential employees. If your career area of interest is not represented at the Career Expo, make an appointment to meet with a staff member at Career Services in order to develop an effective individual job search plan.

• Career Services will have contact information on the organizations attending the Career Expo. You may use this information in order to get in touch with the organization to let them know you are interested in their career opportunities. However, if at all possible, attend the Career Expo in person, because it is highly preferable for you to have the opportunity to personally meet with company representatives.

• Send a short thank you letter to the recruiters who are employed with the organizations that remain of interest to you after the Career Expo. Samples of follow up letters may be obtained from Career Services
• Follow up with the organization by phone or email to express your continued interest
• Send resumes or apply as directed by the recruiters