On Wednesday, Feb. 5, UW-Whitewater put together a career fair workshop that was run by Student Career Advisor Frank Lanko. This workshop was open to all students, and its goal was to show them what to expect the day of the fair. The fair itself is an opportunity for students to get ready for “the real world”.

This year, the career fair is split up into three days and they all focus on different majors. Lanko did point out that some companies have openings for multiple majors so it would not hurt to attend more than one day. Of course, if a student decided to attend more days, it is guaranteed to get more networking opportunities, which could lead to a potential job or internship.   It is in everyone’s best interest to attend the career fair.

“Unless everybody has a job or internship, they should be attending the fair. For pretty much every single major on campus there will be employers targeting that field,” said Lanko.

During the workshop, Lanko went over every possible question a student may have going into the career fair. He touched on resumes, conversation starters, introductions, dress codes, note-taking, and follow-ups.

“Speaking as somebody who used to be a recruiter, I spent a good part of my professional life on the other side of the career fair booth. If there is one thing you do between now and next week, it is the research. That’s going to make a huge difference, not only to maximize your time there but to make the best impression on the employers…   All the employer expects you to know is what that organization does and what kinds of opportunities it might be hiring for,” said Lanko.

One major takeaway from the presentation was to simply be prepared by knowing what to expect and how to address the situation.

The workshop had good attendance. Rhianna Grachin, a senior majoring in Finance and Economics, was among the students at the workshop. Grachin, like other students in attendance, knew that this opportunity was not something to miss out on.

“My freshman year I went [to the career fair], and I had no idea. I brought two resumes and I was done. I had no idea what to expect so having this — it would have really helped,” Grachin said.

Another student attending the workshop was Janna Saiia, a human resource management major.

“A lot of the stuff to me would be common sense, but I tend to lack in the conversational aspect. So hearing more about what to research for and what to say and how to carry on the conversation helped me out,” Saiia said.

It was in everyone’s best interest to attend the workshop. It was an opportunity to freshen up on interview etiquette and get some pro-tips on how to have a successful day at the career fair.

The career fair will be held at the University Center starting Tuesday, February 11 and will continue for the next two days ending on Thursday, February 13. Be sure to attend and accurately prepare.