“Hidden” Job Faires

There will be large job faires, often specific to a large number of majors and swathes of people, ex. engineers, artists, agriculture, etc, that will be advertised all over campus and in the news. However, there are also lesser well known job faires that are taking place at the same time, but you must be in the know/have the memberships for them.

This is important because the pool of competitors is much smaller. At the large job faire, recruiters might talk to hundres or thousands of students each day and only have 50 interview slots. However, at these smaller events, they’ll still have 50 slots but only 100 students. So, how do you get into them.

1. Use Reddit. Look up reddit, company you’re interested in, your college, and see if you can find any posts about previous smaller events. Even if you don’t know if they’re happening this year, pretend they are and show up at the time and place specified. Most things don’t switch up times and places each year so there’s a good chance you’ll get in as most places aren’t exclusive if you’re well dressed, confident, prepared, and have the right major for the event.
2. Look up the company. See if there’s anything released about specific job faires on your campus. Sometimes there will be an article detailing their attempts to recruit students and the article will mention all the places, times, and locations. Show up.
3. Talk to students who got internships previously. Ask them how they did it. See if you can essentially repeat their steps.
4. Sign up for the networking and recruiting events. I attended every single networking event that the companies I wanted put on. Virtual, hybrid, and in person. Even if it cost me money. Eventually, they started recognizing me, and after a year of networking and showing up, my dream company told me to apply. I told them I already had.
5. Be early, be consistent and be patient. After showing up for a year to all their events, I was given the opportunity to interview with my company a year later. 6 months after that I finally got the job offer. However, two years before I started y job, I had started my journey to get my job. I had applied consistently every September and slowly been rejected from most of the companies. I’d gotten some interviews and job offers but they weren’t the right fit and I could tell so I turned them down. I knew that I would get my dream job and I did.
6. Membership organizations. Organizations that require a fee and membership, for example, sororities, fraternities, and SWE will often put on their own job recruitment opportunities. These are smaller events, filled with maybe 100 students. It is a quiet event, there is no loud boasting or boisterous events. People are dressed nicely, maybe wearing a blazer but still remaining evening business casual. Talk to the companies you didn’t have a chance to at the main faire and revisit the individuals you were able to talk to. Again, don’t monopolize them. Wait your turn, and give them your elevator speech at a slower pace, mention the new developments, and have a quiet conversation with them. If you’ve already spoken to them, start with their name (if you’ve written down) and then tell them your name again (it’s izzie, we met earlier at the job faire this morning.) No one likes to be caught off guard with names. Have a quiet continuation of the conversation from before. However, don’t really get into it. Let others talk. Don’t waste all your good will and efforts by clinging. When you’ve talked to everyone you wanted to, plus a few more, leave, unless it’s a dinner in which case eat, socialize, and when it’s time, leave. Go home, take a shower, and sleep. There’s no need to hang around, lurking. The opportunities that were meant for you will be available and holding out to the end will just make you tired and cranky.
7. Pay the membership fee. If the fee for membership to an organization hosting your dream company is $25 or even %50. Try to pay it. However, above $50 is ridiculous and you should see if you can find some alternatives.

Definitely go to the large job faires and practice, get a sense of the companies, and see if you can get an interview, I’ve gotten some great opportunities this way. However, I’ve also had great opportunities come my way through perseverance, showing up every time, and paying the membership fee to gain entrance.

Maybe just be aware that most of the recruiters are not leaving after the job faire, their going to the next events, in the afternoon and evening. Be there.