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Attending CIA Career Fair as a College Freshman

What To Do at the Career Fair Your First Semester

Author Tina M. Cortez ’26 is a Food Business Management major.

The Career Fair is something that may seem extremely new and a bit overwhelming when first attending as a college freshman. And yes, you should go to the Career Fair your first semester. It may seem unnecessary, however, even if you are not actively looking for an externship or a job, it’s good practice. You not only get to see what possible opportunities there are, but you also get to practice your professional interview skills.

Now, the first thing you need to do to prepare for the Career Fair is accept that it’s going to be hectic. There are over 1,600 students networking with 150+ companies, it’s time to get mentally prepared to interact with a lot of industry professionals.

Once you feel prepared, read through the list of companies that are emailed to you before the Career Fair. Make a list of all the companies that interest you and their table number. This plan will take some of the stress off you and make for a better experience. Once you have your list of companies, come up with some questions you would want to ask. Trust me, this will make it ten times easier, you’ll be a lot more prepared, and recruiters will notice!

A few questions I use (thanks to the help of my friend Emma) are:

  • Do you provide housing?
  • How many other CIA students are currently working there?
  • What have your other externs gone on and done?
  • Do you provide meals during shifts?
  • What are some fun things to do around the establishment?

After you have your list of companies and questions, it’s time to attend the Career Fair. First things first, take a small lap around the entire career fair. This will not only help you see other companies you could have possibly missed on the list, but also helps calm your nerves. Approach one or two “practice” companies; these are companies that don’t really interest you, but talking to them will help you practice before you talk to the companies you really like.

Finally, after talking to your “practice” companies go talk to the companies on your list. The most important thing is to just be yourself, be calm, and utilize the list you made beforehand. You got this!