2020 STEM Virtual Fair

The 2020 Virtual STEM Fair is open to all undergraduate students (GSB, FCRH, FCLC, PCS) as well as students from GSAS, GSE, GRE, the PCS graduate division and alumni of these programs. This event was rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The STEM Virtual Fair will expose students and alumni to careers in the sciences, technology, engineering, and math fields. Employers in these industries will be in attendance to market a variety of positions, including full-time, part-time, internship, graduate school programs and fellowship. All types of roles will be advertised, so please come prepared to discuss your interests, and don’t forget to upload your resume.

Please register ahead of time on Handshake. Before the event, please get familiar with the CareerEco fair platform.

You can take an overview video tour of the system here: https://player.vimeo.com/video/106122434

This overview takes you through everything from how employer chat rooms work to how to upload documents to your CareerEco profile.

Attendees are encouraged to research participating organizations. Learn about the companies and think of questions you’ll want to ask. You can look companies up on Handshake to learn more about the specific positions they have available. You can also mark your interest in a company by clicking the “interest” checkbox on the CareerEco site. This will notify the company that you are interested in speaking with them.

Attendees should have prepared a resume and have it reviewed by a career adviser.

Because you’re going to provide your resume to employers you meet with, you’re going to want it up-to-date and spotless for the optimal first impression. You can have your resume reviewed virtually by a counselor. Once it is complete you can upload it to your CareerEco profile.

Also please make sure sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date. Employers will be searching for you online, so you want to ensure your virtual profile aligns with your resume and best highlights your experience and skills.

Attendees should also practice an elevator pitch. How will you introduce yourself? Why are you interested in the company? What types of positions are you seeking? You’ll want to spend some time thinking about questions like these so you’re ready to answer them without hesitation when the time comes. Your well-thought-out responses could impress a recruiter and allow you to stand out from the crowd of applicants.

Please make sure your technology is ready. You’ll want to make sure your device is capable of supporting you in the virtual career fair. For the STEM Virtual Fair, CareerEco recommends using Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser. You may also want headphones if you cannot attend from a quiet, private location.

At the event

Even if the fair is not in-person you still should dress to impress. Dressing the part helps you feel more confident and gets you in the right mindset to interact professionally. Dressing professionally also ensures you are ready in case a recruiter wants to talk face-to-face via a virtual video call.

Make sure you plan out where you’ll be attending the virtual career fair from. A quiet location is ideal so you can focus all your attention on interacting with recruiters.

At virtual career fairs, it’s all the more important to exert yourself to make connections. Once an employer engages you in a chat, make sure you introduce yourself and ask questions about the organization and open positions. Attendees must present themselves to employers and feel confident doing so.

Being a virtual career fair, much of your communication will be done through written interactions in the chat function of the platform. You’ll want to demonstrate articulate written communication by having great grammar and appropriate spelling.

When talking to recruiters at the career fair, don’t hesitate to be forward and offer to send a copy of your resume! You also can ask about the next steps in the process—whether that means getting in touch with human resources, filling out a job application or sitting down for a formal interview. Before parting ways with a recruiter, be sure to take down their contact information. Some employers may have it uploaded and accessible within the virtual career fair platform. If not, ask how you can stay in touch. You’ll need this information for following up after the virtual career fair.

After the fair

Reach out the next day with a thank you. Make sure you follow-up and reach out to the connections you made at the career fair. Thank them each individually for their time and personalize these thank you notes. This is also a time to further express your interest in the company. You may also want to send them your resume if you haven’t already, along with your portfolio or work samples if you have any. You can also stay in touch by adding the recruiter on LinkedIn and sending them a message there.