Career and Internship Fair - Student Information

Update Your Resume: Remember your resume should be clean, concise and updated. Have a digital copy uploaded to your Handshake account for easy employer access and make sure your resume is a PDF to avoid any digital reformatting issues. If there are specific employers you want to talk with at the Career and Internship Fair, consider printing a few copies of your resume to hand to representatives as you introduce yourself. 

SAVE THE DATE! October 4: Rodli Resume Takeover - Drop-In Resume Reviews, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Rodli Hall (Check in at the main lobby.) 

Update Your Handshake Profile and Settings:  Make sure your Handshake profile is complete and up-to-date. Don’t let an incomplete or out-of-date profile keep you from getting discovered by recruiters!

1. Check that the basics are accurate: graduation date, school year, major, GPA and work authorization. 
2. Select the job types, locations and roles that interest you so recruiters know which jobs and internships are a good fit for you.
3. Add your courses, skills and any previous work experience.

Discover Which Employers are Attending: View the Career and Internship Fair event in Handshake to see the full list of employers who are attending each day. From there, you can click through to each employer’s Handshake page to learn more about them and determine if they are an employer of interest.  

To see employers are attending the fair, log into Handshake here and follow the steps below:

1. Click on "Events" on the top of the page.
2. Click on the blue "Find Career Fairs" button at the top of the page.
3. Type 'River Falls' in the Filter section on the left and click on the "UWRF Career Fair" link.
4. Click on "Employer List" on the bottom left once you get to the Career Fair page on Handshake.

Research Employers Of Interest: After you've determined which employers you're interested in, research beyond their Handshake profile. Check out their company website and search online for recent news articles and other relevant information. This will help you think of questions to ask the recruiter. Don't skip this step in the preparation process - employers notice when you've done your homework! 

Prepare and Practice Your Introduction: Prepare how you will introduce yourself to recruiters. Start by sharing your name, year in school and major. Then, talk about the positions you’re interested in and relevant skills and experiences. End your introduction with an open ended question to get the employer talking and sharing additional information regarding the position and organization. 

Make a List of Questions: Prepare two or three questions to ask each employer you plan to talk to. These should be related to the company or positions you’re interested in. As part of your research before the event, make sure your questions are insightful and not easily answered by looking at their website. Here are some sample questions that might be good to ask:

• How did your degree help you prepare for the position you are in now?
• I read that your company just started a project doing _______. What opportunities would an intern have in this project?
• What do you like most about your job and working for _______?
• I am interested in following up with you about your job opening. Could you tell me the next steps in the process? And could you give me your email address so that I can follow up with you in a few days?

Dress Professionally: Dressing up will make a good first impression with recruiters and employees. Plus, wearing your favorite polished outfit will help boost your confidence in time for the event! 

Maintain Eye Contact and Practice Active Listening: While talking to employers, be present and listen carefully to understand what they are saying. Sometimes when we're nervous we try to come up with quick responses to their questions or conversation points. Slow down and think of it as a casual conversation, not an interview

Ask Your Prepared Questions and Take Notes: Bring your list of prepared questions for each employer you plan to talk to. Have a pen and paper with you so you can jot down new questions or interesting information as you talk to each recruiter. Pro Tip: Keep your questions and copies of your resume in a simple folder or padfolio to keep things organized and polished. 

View and Apply to Open Jobs or Internships: Keep the momentum going from your meetings with employers. Check out their employer page on Handshake to see current jobs and internships. Recruiters are logging into Handshake daily to find students for open jobs, so it’s the best place to apply! If you’re not ready to apply yet, save the jobs you like so you’ll get notifications to apply before the deadlines. Find tips for applying to jobs on Handshake here.

Follow Up: If you received contact information from a company representative, send them an email following your conversation. Reintroduce yourself (they will chat with many students at the fair) and thank them for their time. Use your notes to recall something that you discussed or enjoyed about the conversation and let them know you’re interested in moving to the next step in the process.

UWRF's registration policy for this Career and Internship Fair was open to companies aware of, and who adhere to, the NACE Principles of Employment Professionals. It should be understood, however, that an employer's participation in this event does NOT mean we condone or endorse the views of our exhibitors. It is each person's responsibility to make sure their values are in alignment with the organizations they are speaking with. Research is an important part of the job search process.

Playing Fair: Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Job Seeker: By the National Association of Colleges and Employers Principles for Professional Practice Committee

Choosing and attaining meaningful post-graduation employment is an important challenge for college students. To aid this process, your career center and employers develop connections and programs, such as on-campus recruiting, resume referral services and job fairs, in which you and your fellow students are active participants. In order for this process to be successful, everyone involved must work together. NACE's Principles for Professional Practice provides guidelines for that process in order to guarantee:

• that students can openly, freely, and objectively select employment opportunities, making these choices based on their assessment of the best use of their abilities, their personal goals and other pertinent facts;
• a recruitment process that is fair and equitable to students and employers alike;
• support for informed and responsible decision making by students.

Here's What You Can Reasonably Expect From Your Career Center...

1. Confidentiality. Career staffs are expected to exercise sound judgment and fairness in maintaining the confidentiality of student information, regardless of the source, including written records, reports and computer databases. Disclosure of student information outside the college/university should only be made with your prior consent unless health and safety considerations necessitate the distribution of such information.

2. Freedom of choice. You're entitled to be assisted by the career staff in developing a career plan and making career decisions without having staff members' biases or personal values imposed upon you.

3. Access to all services and events. Career centers may charge students for registering or taking part in certain services or events. Such fees should be sufficiently nominal so as not to hinder you from participating.

4. Access to career information. All students, regardless of personal or educational background, should be provided by career staffs with equal and full access to information on career opportunities and types of employing organizations. Career staffs are also expected to inform you how and where to obtain information which may influence your decisions about an employing organization.

5. Testing information. Career staffs should inform you of the availability of testing, the purpose of the tests, and the disclosure policies regarding test results.

...And From Employers  

1. Confidentiality. Employers are expected to maintain the confidentiality of student information, regardless of the source, including personal knowledge, written records/reports and computer databases. An employer shouldn't disclose information about you to another organization without your prior written consent, unless necessitated by health and/or safety considerations.   

2. Accurate information. Employers are expected to provide accurate information about their organizations and employment opportunities. This includes, but is not limited to, positions available, responsibilities, career advancement opportunities, and benefits.   

3. Freedom from undue pressure. Employers are expected to provide you with a reasonable amount of time to make a decision about accepting an employment offer. They are also expected to provide you with a reasonable process for making your decision. An unreasonable process, for example, is one in which the student is told that the offer is good for a set amount of time; unbeknownst to the student, the same offer has been made to others —and the student who accepts first gets the job. In addition, it is improper for employers to pressure you to revoke your acceptance of another job offer.   

4. Timely communication. Employers are expected to inform you of your status in the hiring process and communicate hiring decisions within the agreed-upon time frame.   

5. Fair treatment. If an employer is required by changing conditions to revoke a job offer that you've accepted, you're entitled to a fair and equitable course of action. That can include, but is not limited to, financial assistance and outplacement service.   

6. Testing information. Employers should inform you in advance of any testing, the purpose of the tests, and their policies regarding disclosure of test results.   

7. Nondiscrimination. Employers are expected to avoid discrimination in their recruitment activities and to follow equal employment opportunity and affirmative action principles.  

What's Your Part in This?  

1. Provide accurate information about your academic work and records, including courses taken, grades, positions held and duties performed. You can, however, refuse to provide an employer with specific information about any job offers you may have received from other employers. You do not have to name the organizations that have made you offers, nor do you have to provide specific information about what salaries you've discussed with those organizations. Instead, you can give broad responses to such questions, naming types of employers - "I've interviewed with employers in the retail industry" - and offering salary ranges rather than specific dollar amounts - "The salary offers I've received have been in the $25,000 to $30,000 range." Incidentally, it's in your best interest to research salaries and to let employers know that you have done so.   

2. Be honest. Conduct your job search with honesty and integrity. Do not lie or stretch the truth on your resume, applications or during any part of the interview process.   

3. Interview genuinely. Interview only with employers you're sincerely interested in working for and whose eligibility requirements you meet. "Practice" interviewing is misleading to employers, wasting both their time and money, and prevents sincerely interested candidates from using those interview slots.  

4. Adhere to schedules. Appear for all interviews, on campus and elsewhere, unless unforeseeable events prevent you from doing so. If you can't make the interview because of an unforeseeable event, notify your career center or the employer at the earliest possible moment.   

5. Don't keep employers hanging. Communicate your acceptance or refusal of a job offer to employers as promptly as possible, so they can notify other candidates that they are still being considered or that the position is filled.  

6. Accept a job offer in good faith. When you accept an offer, you should have every intention of honoring that commitment. Accepting an offer only as a precautionary measure is misleading to the employer and may restrict opportunities for others who are genuinely interested in that employer.   

7. Withdraw from recruiting when your job search is completed. If you accept an offer or decide that full-time graduate or professional studies are for you, notify your career center and withdraw from the on-campus recruiting process immediately. Also let employers that are actively considering you for a job know that you are now out of the running. By informing everyone that you've got a job or are headed to graduate school, you not only get the chance to brag but also to help your friends who are trying to get on interview schedules or who are being considered for positions!

8. Claim fair reimbursement. If an employer has agreed to reimburse you for expenses you incur in its recruitment process, your request should be only for reasonable and legitimate expenses.   

9. Obtain the career information you need to make an informed choice about your future. It's up to you to acquire the information about career opportunities, organizations, and any other information that might influence your decisions about an employing organization.