Internship Fair Preparation

Most students walk away from career fairs with free pens. I walked away with 2 internships. Here’s exactly how I did it — and how you can too. ⏳ Career Fair success starts before the fair. Not during. Not the night before. Weeks before. 🔍 Step 1: Research smart Pick 10–15 companies you’d actually want to work for. If you're an international student, check myvisajobs.com to find visa sponsors fast. I used this strategy to land an internship at American Airlines. They were working on predictive analytics to cut flight delays — so I pitched how my final project on time series forecasting could help. 🎓 One thing Dr. B.P.S. Murthi taught us stuck with me: Don’t act like a student. Act like a consultant. Know the company’s problems — and show how you can solve one. 💡 Use this ChatGPT prompt: “Summarize what [Company] does, who their customers are, and 3 challenges they’re likely solving. Then explain how a student or intern could help.” 🤝 Step 2: Connect early Search [Company] + University Recruiter on LinkedIn. ✅ Connect. ✅ Send a short message on LinkedIn/ cold email: “Hi [Name], I’m [Your Name], a [Major] student at [University]. Looking forward to meeting [Company] at the career fair — especially curious how your team handles [project/problem].” One recruiter replied: "Thanks for reaching out — excited to chat more about your project!" That message made the booth conversation effortless. 📊 Step 3: Walk in with a tracker Use a simple Excel sheet: | Company | Recruiter | Role | Notes | Example: | American Airlines | Sarah J. | Data Analyst Intern | Mention time series forecasting + automation | | Dell | Priya S. | Data Intern | Ask about GenAI + internal LLM use cases | 💬 Use this ChatGPT prompt: “Here’s their LinkedIn profile. Here’s mine. Give me 3 conversation starters I can use.” 📇 Step 4: Go digital + Print Business Cards Make business cards with a QR code to your LinkedIn or resume. → Canva: design your card → HiHello or Beaconstac: create a QR code → Vistaprint: get it printed 🧠 I added a tagline under my name: "Turning messy data into decisions." 🖼️ Add a small photo so they remember your face. ✍️ Write a quick note on the card after each chat: “Enjoyed talking about data automation!” Most students show up. Few stand out. So you better be that person. 📌 Next up → how to build a tracker + elevator pitch that actually gets remembered. #CareerFairSeason #InternshipTips #DataAnalytics #JobSearchStrategy #InternationalStudents #NetworkingTips #CareerDevelopment #LinkedInTips #StudentSuccess #CollegeToCareer

80% of students find career fairs overwhelming. Here’s how I made Rutgers’ work for me: Upcoming graduation means attending more career fairs. Academic fairs can be chaotic, but a little planning helped me show up fully, without burning out. Sharing what worked: 🔥 Most Underrated Arrive early with thorough research on companies you like. Event portals usually list all the attending companies and their websites — use that. Check for sponsorship status, open roles, and whether they align with your interests or skills. It helps you start stronger conversations and avoid booths that might not be relevant to your goals. Saves time and energy. 🧠 5 Minutes > Small Talk A quick scan of each company’s open roles helped me skip “What do you do?” and ask questions that actually mattered to both sides. 🎯 10 Booths > 30 I focused on AI, healthcare, and data roles. Mostly because of my internship and academic experiences made me a better fit. Prioritizing meant fewer convos, but better ones — with space to actually connect. 📍 Map Your Route Early Since booths were grouped by department, planning my path saved energy and avoided the lines that weren’t relevant to my field. 📄 Resumes as Icebreakers I brought a few tailored versions plus a general one. One recruiter actually told me, “This matches our needs more than anything I’ve seen today.” 💬 No Pitch, Just Curiosity I skipped the rehearsed intro for med-tech especially and started with: “I’m working in health AI and data and looking to grow in that space — what’s your team focused on these days?” Way better engagement. 💡 Bonus: Snap a photo Not for social. Just to remind yourself later — you showed up. It felt like a successful fair — not because of leads, but because I stayed present, calm, and intentional. That’s a win. P.S. I’ve been working with a health AI startup and have seen the hiring side too — good prep really does stand out. Always open to connecting with folks building in AI, healthcare, or data — happy to exchange insights or learn about what teams are working on. #RutgersCareerFair #CSGrad2025 #WomenInTech #HealthcareAI

Last year I landed interviews with Robinhood and Reddit, Inc. from attending the ColorStack Virtual Career Fair. With this year's ColorStack Virtual Career Fair approaching on August 22nd and 23rd and the Rewriting the Code Virtual Career Fair on August 14th, here are some tips to help you succeed at virtual career fairs: - If you can, put your camera on. I found that being one of the few people with my camera on made it easier for me to connect with others and leave a lasting impression. - Have your resume up to date and easily accessible. - Collect LinkedIn profiles and follow up. After the event, message attendees and recruiters, mentioning that you connected during the career fair. A tip: write down names to help remember who you spoke with. - Complete the forms DURING the career fair, don’t save them until later because a lot of them expire. I made this mistake and missed out on resume drops for a few companies. - Don’t stress about which booths to attend. My strategy was to focus on companies who don’t heavily recruit at my school because I knew it’d be one of my only chances to connect with them. If your school host career fairs, compare the company lists and check for any overlaps. You’ll likely be able to attend every booth you’re interested in but if you’re short on time at least make sure to complete the resume drops. - Listen actively during sessions and ask informed questions. Questions can be great conversation starters and engaging in conversations not only helps you stand out but also increases the likelihood of follow-ups. The recruiters who reached out to me were individuals I had conversations with at the fair. - Relax. I found virtual career fairs to be much more relaxed and less nerve-wracking than in-person ones. I didn’t do any preparation beforehand beyond having my resume ready and everything went well. Get comfortable, find a good spot to set up, and enjoy your time!

Simple but powerful tip for students this recruitment season. 🎯 As university recruitment ramps up, I want to share crucial advice from my own experience. A few years ago, I applied to an overwhelming number of internships, and the only 3 offers I received were from companies I met in person at career fairs or campus events. This wasn’t a coincidence! I put in significant effort in my resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, but the real difference came from attending these events in person. Here’s why showing up to such events matters: 📄 𝟭/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲: In person, you can share your story beyond bullet points. You can explain that project you're passionate about, or how you've been learning a new skill in your spare time. ✨ 𝟮/ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵: Employers get to see your enthusiasm, your willingness to learn, and your genuine interest in their company. These traits often matter more than a perfect GPA. 📱 𝟯/ 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: At these events, you can obtain contact info directly from recruiters—some have even given me their emails and phone numbers, allowing for direct follow-ups. Of course, don’t neglect online applications or your resume, but think of in-person networking as a secret weapon. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂: Prioritize career fairs and company events! Find out when your next campus fair is, look up company-specific events, and attend them. Prepare an elevator pitch, bring copies of your resume, and be your authentic self! 🏆 Remember, every successful professional was once in your shoes. It starts somewhere, often at a crowded career fair. Trust me, it’s worth it. For those who’ve been through university recruitment, what advice do you have for students now? Share in the comments! 💬 #DareToDO #CareerAdvice #Internships #JobHunt #Networking #CampusRecruitment

Walking into a career fair without a plan is like taking an exam without studying. You 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 get lucky, but chances are, you’ll leave frustrated. If you want to stand out and actually land interviews, preparation is everything. Here are 3 things every student should do BEFORE career fair season kicks off: 1️⃣ Research Companies in Advance Know who’s attending and what they’re hiring for. This shows genuine interest and helps you ask smarter questions. 2️⃣ Plan Your Game Day Strategy Make a list of who you want to visit and in what order. 💡 Pro Tip: Your favorite companies may have long lines so make sure you don’t save them for the end of the day. 3️⃣ Apply Before You Go Many recruiters will look you up right after your conversation. Applying early makes it easier for them to move you forward quickly. The result? You’ll show up confident, prepared, and ready to turn a quick chat into a real opportunity. What’s one thing you do to prep for a career fair? 👇🏼