{"368551":{"#nid":"368551","#data":{"type":"news","title":"5 Tips to Avoid the Most Common Career Fair Mistakes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s peak recruiting season. With the Georgia Tech \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.career.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=462\u0022\u003ECo-op and Internship Fair\u003C\/a\u003E coming up Jan. 26\u201328, there are many opportunities to land a summer internship.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHow can students stand out and impress the recruiters? Career Development Advisor Dennis Lindsay offers some tips to avoid the most common career fair mistakes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch companies. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cWhen you show knowledge of the company and express interest, the recruiter is assured that your interest is genuine,\u201d said Lindsay. \u201cIf you get to the career fair and see a company that you\u2019re interested in but you didn\u2019t research beforehand, step aside and use your smartphone to quickly research the basics.\u201d\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBe professional. \u003C\/strong\u003EAlthough this may seem obvious enough, professionalism is more than just attire. \u201cRecruiters need to see students as young professionals, not as college students,\u201d said Lindsay. Avoid clumping in groups with your friends, and resist the urge to grab all of the free items. \u201cStudents are attracted to the freebies, but it is not professional to trudge through with a bag full of stuff.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGo early in the day. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cRecruiters are burned out by the end of the day, and some employers might pack up early,\u201d said Lindsay. He recommends getting to the fair as early as possible to catch recruiters when they are most alert and engaged.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFollow Up. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cDon\u2019t wait too long to follow up with the recruiter,\u201d said Lindsay. To stand out from the crowd, students should say something memorable\u0026nbsp;that they can refer to in the follow-up, to help recruiters remember the conversation. \u201cTake notes after speaking with the recruiters. Ask for their business cards and take notes on the back.\u201d\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDon\u2019t tell yourself \u201cno.\u201d \u003C\/strong\u003E\u201cIf a company is known as an aerospace company, that does not mean they are only recruiting aerospace engineers,\u201d said Lindsay.\u201cCompanies are multi-faceted and need people in many different areas.\u201d Lindsay encourages students to treat the fair like a strategic networking event. \u201cIf the recruiter is not recruiting for the area you\u2019re interested in, then ask for a contact in your field. If all else fails, ask for a human resources contact.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Internship and Co-op Fair will be held on Jan. 26 \u2013 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. Visit the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.career.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=462\u0022\u003ECenter for Career Discovery and Development\u003C\/a\u003E website for more information about the fair and participating companies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year, students can\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.career.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=4\u0022\u003Eregister to attend the fair through CareerBuzz\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;for priority access. Walk-up attendance is also welcome.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents should take these into account when attending the Internship and Co-op Fair this week.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students should take these into account when attending the Internship and Co-op Fair this week."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-01-19 10:39:57","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:54","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-01-19T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2016-01-19T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"327971":{"id":"327971","type":"image","title":"Career Fair","body":null,"created":"1449245064","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:04:24","changed":"1475895039","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:50:39","alt":"Career Fair","file":{"fid":"200268","name":"15100815040_e832d0dd91_z.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/15100815040_e832d0dd91_z_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/15100815040_e832d0dd91_z_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":100660,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/15100815040_e832d0dd91_z_0.jpg?itok=yjtTRWcc"}}},"media_ids":["327971"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/careerdiscovery.gatech.edu\/","title":"Center for Career Discovery and Development"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.career.gatech.edu\/plugins\/content\/index.php?id=462","title":"2016 Co-Op and Internship Fair"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4354","name":"career fair"},{"id":"1414","name":"career services"},{"id":"8563","name":"careers"},{"id":"83481","name":"center for career discovery and development"},{"id":"54511","name":"internship and co-op fair"},{"id":"166847","name":"students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:stucomm@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ERachel Isaac\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}