As math majors, we all know that mathematics is excellent preparation for a wide variety of careers that do not specifically advertise a major in mathematics, like business and tech industries. So, talking to employers face to face is essential for us, and the Career Fair provides us with the opportunities we need.
What to expect from the Career Fair:
- You can connect with employers and positions that match your math major beyond the information you can find online
- You can make a good impression on an employer by presenting yourself in person.
- You can increase your chances of an interview after the Career Fair through these conversations. (P.S. Companies will not interview you or offer you a position at the Fair)
- You should bring copies of your resume to the Fair, but you still need to apply online for the jobs you are interested in. If the employers you talked to find you may be a good candidate for the position, they may leave notes on your resume and inform their recruiter about you
- You may wait in line to talk to some employers
- If many people are waiting to talk to the employers, you may only have a few minutes for the conversation
- Guide the conversation by describing how you overlap with the organization’s needs or asking thoughtful questions
Before the Fair:
Check your email and the UConn Center for Career Development website for information about the Career Fair and add it to your calendar or your schedule.
Do your research
- Look up the companies that will be at the Career Fair on Handshake (You can see the list of employers on the page of the Career Fair event on Handshake. For more information: 2023 UConn Storrs Fall Career Fair). Learn more about the companies and jobs they offer
- Look at company reviews left by students and connect with some students who worked there before for more information
- Create a list of the employers you want to visit
- Write thoughtful questions for each employer
Where to find company information
- The best sources are the companies’ websites
- The easiest way to find the company’s website is to use your favorite search engine and type the company’s name in the search box. Then the link to the website will appear
Outside resources
- Reading reviews, news, stories, and profiles others provide is also essential to know a company better.
- O*Net
- Forbes Largest Private Companies
- BioSpace
- CrunchBase
Prepare your resume
- See our Write a Résumé resource for guides to writing a resume
- Make an Career Coaching appointment through Handshake to have your resume reviewed
- Print copies of your resume
Plan and practice your 30-second introduction
- Communicate your value to a company after you have reflected on your strengths and the skills and interests that best match their needs. For more information, please see this blog post: Networking with Confidence: Elevator Pitches
Plan your attire
- Look at pictures from the company’s website and social media to see how their employees dress
- Match employee attire
- Make sure you feel comfortable and confident when you wear your attire for the Fair
- Try out your outfit a few days earlier to get used to it
During the Career Fair:
Make sure you bring
- Attire you’re comfortable wearing when meeting employers. Check out our attire gallery for inspiration!
- A nice folder, notebook, or padfolio with a pad of paper and a pen
- Lists of the companies you want to talk to, your strategy on how you will engage with them, and the questions you prepared
- Copies of your resume. Some, but not all employers take paper copies
Get an overview
- Grab a map or the list of employers if the map is not available and walk around the Fair to find the employers you are interested in
- Learn information about the employers you did not consider while doing research like the positions they are offering; they may also have opportunities for math majors
Review or adapt strategy and talk to recruiters
- Revisit your strategy to see which employers you will visit, and adjust as needed based on how long lines are or if you find new information
- Ask employers what type of opportunities they have available for math majors and state the skills you learned from your major and tell them the skills you have outside the classroom, like data analysis or computer skills
- Offer a firm handshake, make eye contact, smile, and show enthusiasm. Ask your well-researched questions, take notes on their responses, and offer your resume and/or business card
- Ask for their business card, and after talking to them, write down some details of the conversation on the back of the card. If they do not have a business card, ask for their email address and write down notes in your notebook
After the Fair:
- Send a thank you message via email within 24 hours of the Fair to employers you connected with that are of interest
If you have any questions about preparing for the Fair as a math major and want to talk to an expert, schedule an appointment with one of our Career Coaches by clicking HERE.
