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Career
Day Tips for Candidates
| Prior
to the Career Day |
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| Plan
to wear a professional outfit - first impressions are critical
and lasting |
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Do
not wear jeans, t-shirts, wrinkled clothes, sneakers or hats. |
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Employers
strongly discourage mini skirts, tank/halter/sleeveless tops,
low cut or tight fitting shirts, facial or tongue piercings,
and visible tattoos. |
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Women
- wear a suit, pants suit, blazer with skirt or dress, conservative
color, no heavy jewelry or perfume. |
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Men
- wear a suit, jacket & tie with slacks, conservative color,
no heavy cologne or after-shave. |
| Prepare
plenty of copies of your resume - more than you think you'll
need |
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Have
an attractive resume on good quality paper, using bold, underline,
and bullets; we strongly suggest white or other neutral-color
paper. |
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Check
carefully for typos, spelling and grammar errors. |
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Have
it critiqued at Career Services. |
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Keep
them in a folder or portfolio at the event. Do not bring them
to the career day on a disk. |
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Prepare
a scannable resume free of special effects so it can be scanned
into the employer's applicant tracking system for online screening.
Bring both types of resumes to the career day. |
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Some
employers may also ask you to submit your resume through their
company website for their specific type of applicant tracking
system. This is a growing trend and a few employers no longer
accept paper resumes in person. |
| Familiarize
yourself with the employers |
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Decide
which employers you want to speak with and prioritize them. |
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Research,
research, research - a list
of participating employers is available on our website two weeks
prior to each event. |
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Click
the "Details" button next to each employer for hiring
needs and contact information. |
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Click
on the employer name to go to their website. |
| Market
yourself |
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Develop
an introduction to use when meeting employers at career
days and other networking events. |
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| At
the Career Day |
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| Come
early in the day - employers are at their peak and there is
less competition |
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Bring
a pen, folder or portfolio for your resumes, and perhaps a pad
of paper. |
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Carry
as little as possible (no coats or backpacks, etc.) |
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Turn
off cell phones in the employer areas. |
| Approach
employer representatives with confidence |
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Introduce
yourself, make good eye contact, and offer a firm handshake. |
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Give
the recruiter your resume and tell him/her about yourself and
your career interests. |
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Ask
questions about job openings/descriptions, the organization,
application procedures, etc. |
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Collect
business cards and employer literature. |
| Speak
with as many employers as possible |
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Visit
your top choices first. Avoid standing in a long line to speak
with one recruiter when you could talk with 3 or 4 others in
the same time period. |
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| After
the Career Day |
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| Send
a thank you letter or email message |
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Thank
employers for their time at the career day. Restate your interest
to those employers in which you are particularly interested. |
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Include a copy of your resume. Since most candidates will not
follow up with employers after the career day, this will make
you stand out. |
Still
have questions?
Ask
the Director
Send comments
to: 
Rutgers
University - CAREER SERVICES - New Brunswick
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