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This blog is written by Laura M., our campus ambassador from Clemson.

This past week, I attended my first career fair. A career fair can be an overwhelming experience, especially for a college student who desperately wants a job after college. I wanted to share a few tips with you so your experience can be profitable and might even help you land you a job (fingers crossed!).

• Update your resume. This may seem obvious, but I am not just talking about updating your work experience. Have someone else look over your resume for you. Ask your teachers or advisors for tips. The career center at my school had a resume blitz this week to help students prepare for the career fair. I went and they were able to help me with formatting my resume in the best way possible and gave me some helpful tips. This leads me to my second point…
• Go to your school’s career center. Most schools have a career center, or at least have career services. The career counselor who helped me answered my questions about the career fair and also gave me some tips to use when talking to representatives.
• Research the participating companies. Your school should let you know what companies will be represented at the career fair. My school put an insert in the school newspaper the week before that had a list of the companies and what majors they were looking to hire. Instead of trying to talk to all of them at the career fair, I picked a few relevant companies and researched them online to find out more about them.
• Dress professional. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I was surprised about some of the outfits I saw. Girls, stay away from short skirts and dresses. They might be ok in college, but they aren’t in the professional world. Personally, I would suggest not going more than a 2-3 inches above the knee, at least for this event. I am all for accessories, but bangles that go halfway to your elbow might not be appropriate in this case. Also, wear comfortable shoes. I didn’t and regretted it. Guys, a suit is your best bet.
• Bring a folder or portfolio. Make sure you have something to store your resume and the business cards you will get.
• Relax! Smile and do your best to carry on a normal, professional conversation with the representatives. Be yourself, well, your professional self in this case. Career fairs are an opportunity for you to present yourself as a potential job candidate, but also a time for you to have the chance to find out more about the companies you are interested in. Feel free to ask questions, that’s one of the reasons the representatives are there.
• Follow-up. Follow-up is crucial. Keep those business cards and email the representatives you spoke with. They talked to lots of students, but all of those students won’t follow-up. Make sure you do.

This is a guest post by our campus ambassador Ashley Stansbury from UMass Amherst.

 Finding an internship can be a pretty difficult and time consuming process. It is essential to set yourself up in advance, so when the time comes to look for an internship your ready to go! Remember, you are competing for a position amongst a sea of thousand other potential applicants, so you have to make yourself stand out! Success while still in college depends on a few crucial components.

These are:
-Your academic performance (when teacher’s love you, they will recommend you for jobs!)
-A revised and edited resume
-Extracurricular activities (where you can show off your leadership skills and work habits)
-Having a LinkedIn account (over 60 million users have profiles and connect with other professionals and its the best way to present yourself professionally on the web!)

Of all these, the resume is perhaps the most crucial aspect of getting an internship. It is essentialy YOU on paper and it is the document that gets you the interview. Here at UMass Amherst, we tend to use a “functional resume” when applyiing for internships. As college students we obviously do not have as much experience as someone who has been working in the field for years, so it’s a great alternative to highlighting skills that an employer may be looking for. Example of a functional resume:

Mary Doe
123 Wall Street
Amherst, MA
01003
 
Education
University of Massachusetts Amherst        Degree expected May 2013
B.A.,Journalism, Sociology minor

Skills:
    Technical: Html proficent, WordPress, Photoshop, Excel (etc.)
    Interpersonal:fluent Spanish, reliable, resillant (etc.)
    Editorial: Strong Writer, analyzed (Etc.)
Experience: Etc, Etc.

Remember, it’s never too early to get started looking at internships and composing a resume. Good Luck!

This is a guest post from our campus ambassador Samantha Bankey from Ferris State University.

We all are aware that the way we dress and groom ourselves is an expression of our individuality and our own personalities.  We all know the basic etiquette of the workplace like dressing conservatively and avoiding foul language, but did you know practicing some little things can also raise your paycheck? While reading an article on Yahoo!, I saw a couple of things that can influence how much you make in the workplace. The way you present yourself is a direct presentation of your company. Listed below are a couple of pointers that I elaborated on that can help you gain some respect in your workplace and increase your salary:

• Smile a lot. Smiling is not only a sign that you’re happy to be at your job, but a sign that you are trustworthy. Trust is one of the biggest qualities that employers and higher ranked employees possess and look for in others. It also shows that you’re approachable to your co-workers and clients.
• Stand up straight and practice good posture. Leaning forward or with your chest puffed out will make people think you are powerful. It shows that it raises testosterone and lowers stress hormones. The reverse applies to slouching and has a negative effect.
• For ladies: wear makeup. Yes, a lot of women are comfortable without makeup on, and prefer not to put any on at all. However, a survey in the New York Times reported that 64% of directors said that women who wear makeup look more professional, and 18% of directors said that women who don’t wear makeup “look like they can’t be bothered to make an effort,” which makes sense. Even if it’s a little bit of foundation, some mascara, and a little lip gloss, you want to show that you represent yourself the way you would represent your company. Just be sure not to make your makeup too overdone unless your job is a circus clown.
• For men: ditch the facial hair. It has shown that a mustache or a beard isn’t a good thing to have in the business world. The same applies to this as women who don’t wear makeup to the office – if you can’t make an effort to shave, do you put effort in anything else? Does this mean you have to have a completely clean face? No, because some businessmen have some fuzz on their face – just be aware of how much is too much. Look at your supervisors and CEO. How are they grooming their face?

These may seem a little obvious, but look around your workplace while you’re interning or on the job – do all of you co-workers practice these things? Just remember, when you present yourself on the job, you’re representing your company and what it stands for. Appearance can be just as important as a basic interview or cover letter and can really say a lot about you before you even say a word.

This is a guest post by our campus ambassador Cat Pylant from University of South Florida.

Recently I have had some friends who vented to me about their lack of experience and positions when it comes to their resumes. Due to jobs and other commitments they have no field experience, but they have a great work ethic. It is not easy to stand out amongst all the competition when applying for jobs and internships, but that does not mean one should lose hope! There are a few ways to make your resume look just as appealing!

1. Build relationships with your professors. This can be a lifesaver in college. Not only do they have great advice, but also some professors are truly willing to go through hoops to help you succeed. If they know you are a hard worker, you may even be able to get a letter or recommendation to go with your resume!
2. Join organizations at school and in the community that pertain to your major. If you are unable to dedicate all of your time to an internship, clubs are a great alternative because they are not an everyday commitment. Also you can put these on your resumes and it looks good to be involved!
3. Volunteer. Volunteering is a great resume booster and you can do this in your free time. Pick something that relates to your major or something you are passionate about and go for it! Even volunteering on campus shows employers you go above and beyond by being involved on campus.