Summer Programs & Funding Fair

Before the Fair

• Know who will be there. Look over the list of attendees and identify organizations you are most interested in pursuing. Click through to program and organization websites to learn about what they do. 
• Know what you will say about yourself, your skills, and what you can bring to the program or organization. Describe specific experiences where you demonstrated your strengths; examples will make you a stronger candidate.
• Prepare your resume. Update your resume, and make sure that it highlights your most relevant skills. Try to tailor your information to an organization’s needs. You can leave your resume with the representative at the Fair.

At the Fair

• Dress to impress. Dress for this event is business casual. A suit is not required, but ratty jeans will not make a good impression.
• Arrive early. The early bird gets the worm. The slowest traffic for this event is typically in the first hour. Arrive at the start and avoid the crowd. Students who arrive late in the afternoon are often disappointed that they did not have enough time.
• Use good body language. Give a firm handshake, smile, and make eye contact when introducing yourself. Try not to fidget, play with your hair, rock from side to side, look around when talking or being spoken to, or chew gum.
• Speak with confidence. If it’s noisy, make sure the representative can hear you, or else they won't remember you.
• Keep it short. On average, students spend five minutes with each program/organization. Leave yourself enough time to visit each table and each location.
• Ask for a business card or write down the representatives' names. It’s also okay to ask about the application procedure; you want to make sure you're doing it right.
• Talk to as many people as possible. Explore all your options! Speak with organizations that you had not considered before.
• Eavesdrop. If you hear a representative describing something to another student, ask a follow up question instead of repeating the same question.

After the Fair

• Follow up. Send a thank-you letter or email along with your resume. Use this opportunity to reiterate how your background and skills match their needs.
• Maintain contact. Organization and programs are busy doing what they do and may not get back to you right away. It’s okay to send a reminder if you haven’t heard anything in a few days. Better yet, find an article based on what you discussed at the fair, or related to the organization’s industry, and send that along with your email. It shows that you are genuinely interested in their work and actually paid attention.