Ostensibly your are considering getting your MBA for career advancement opportunities. Here are some reasons why you should consider attending some of the major (and some of the more intimate) career fairs.
Tuck supports current students career development by attending and preparing our MBA students to attend the 3 major career conferences:
National Black MBA (http://www.nbmbaa.org/) Sept 21-25 (LA)
National Hispanic MBA (http://www.nshmba.org/) Oct 21-23 (Chicago)
Reaching Out MBA (http://www.reachingoutmba.org/) Oct 14-17 (LA)
*You don’t have to be Black, Hispanic or LGBT to attend these conferences and Tuck sends a diverse group of students each fall.
1. There are thousands of people trying to get in touch with a few recruiters at each company. You can meet company reps in person, grab some business cards and SWAG (stuff we all get) from your company of choice and rinse, repeat with dozens of companys in one location.
2. If you know you make a great first impression in person, but may not pack the same punch that your Magna Cum Laude college roommate does on paper…consider the opportunity to make one-on-one contact with recruiters versus a “cold call” or email.
3. It is a safe way to learn more about a company or industry, and size up the “type” of people that work at your organization of interest. Are the folks staffing the booth dressed in full business suits or are they a bit more casual? Are they giving out valuable contact information or directing you to a corporate HR website? Are their reps diverse or is it a homogenous group?
4. These career fairs are an excellent opportunity to practice your “elevator pitch”, your networking skills and dust off your crumpled up suit and get some feedback on how you are presenting yourself and where you need to improve.
Read the full article: Putting the Cart Before the Horse: Career Fairs & The MBA