Entry by Pat Patterson
After attending a few career fairs this fall, it seems like a lot of students attend career fairs with a group of their friends. That in itself poses no problem, but showing up to a career fair with your friends and walking around the career fair with your friends are two different things. What I am getting at is – it is important to navigate your way through a career fair alone.
First off, think about the reasons that you may walk around a career fair in a group. The group acts as a ‘crutch.’ You may be nervous, unconfident, or unsure who to approach at a career fair, and your friends may make you feel more comfortable. And that is how employers may perceive such a group of students – recruiters may see such students as unconfident, unsure, or unprepared (not necessarily admirable traits for potential hires).
Now, think about those students who navigate through career fairs alone and approach employers by themselves. These students seem confident, independent, and maybe more importantly, they look like they are at the career fair with a purpose. To be one of those students, you need to prepare for the career fair and have a game plan – know what organizations you want to approach, know what positions you want to apply for, and know what questions you want to ask.
You don't interview for a job with your friends, so why approach recruiters with your friends?
A few weeks ago, I was at a career fair where a line of students, one by one, walked up to a recruiter to show interest in a seemingly popular job opportunity. At one point, two students approached the employer together with their resumes, and the recruiter seemed caught off guard and remarked, “Oh, you two want to do this together?” Since you and your friends don’t apply for a job together, interview together, or get hired together, it makes sense to approach employers alone (plus, do you really want the extra competition? 😉 )
