The next piece of the employment puzzle is about to fall into place for TCU students.

The spring TCU Career and Intern Expo is scheduled for Feb. 15 in the University Recreation Center with approximately 100 employers present.

“We continue to have a good mix of re-occurring employers with a good percentage of new employers every semester, which is a great opportunity for the students to get more exposure,” Ashley Grubbs, associate director of employer development for Career Services, said.

Now is the time to prepare, though, Grubbs said.

Students can prepare by going to the TCU Career Services website  to check out the employers that will be attending and start prepping their customized résumés, Grubbs said.
Career services also provided a workshop on Feb. 8 to prepare students for the expo, according to the university’s career services website. The topics discussed included how to dress professionally, how to make good first impressions and how to navigate the career fair itself.

The descriptions of the companies and what they are looking for is also posted on the Career Services website.

Students should review the employers attending and make a list of those they wish to visit, Grubbs said. That way, when they arrive at the expo and receive a layout of which booths are where, they will know who they want to visit, she said.

“I think that’s what [is] most intimidating to the students — when they walk in the door, and they see all of those people; and it’s very loud, and they’re not even sure where to start or who to approach first,” Grubbs said.

By doing some reconnaissance before the expo, students can better prepare to ask companies case-specific questions. This could be more effective than people who have not done their research. Students also should think of these short meetings with the employers as a very quick, on-campus interview, Grubbs said.

Customizing a résumé for each company the student wants to talk with also could aid in the process, Grubbs said. Some companies are no longer taking paper résumés, though.

“If a student tries to give an employer a [paper] résumé at an expo [and they don’t take it], it is not being rejected. That’s something new that might turn a student off, but it’s just a policy,” Grubbs said.

Students should offer their résumés to the company if the company hasn’t requested it by the end of the conversation, Grubbs said.

The expo also will have a photographer taking LinkedIn profile pictures for students free of charge.

Career and Intern Expo – Spring 2012
When: 4:00pm – 7:00pm
Wednesday, Feb. 15
Where: Campus Recreation Gym
Visit https://careers.tcu.edu/employers/career-fairs-and-events.aspx for more information.