During the Job and Internship Fair
Practice your active listening skills. Make eye contact by looking at the camera. Having researched the organizations that are attending, you should have a list of questions prepared. When chatting or speaking, try to avoid slang or references unfamiliar to those outside of Amherst. For example: “I am a Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought major” not “I am a LJST major”.
The Loeb Center’s How-to Guide for Informational Interviews will walk you through some helpful, foundational questions you might ask.
We recommend paper and pencil/pen for taking notes to demonstrate that you are focused on what is happening at the moment. Something you could write down are words or phrases to look up or questions to follow up with in your thank-you notes. Write down something that will help you remember the conversation or info session.
At an in-person career fair, you might ask representatives for their business cards so you can follow up with them. In lieu of a business card, ask for contact info via chat to verify correct spelling. Similar to when you are taking notes, when you receive the contact info, write down something that will help you remember the conversation.
Reach out to Handshake for support or contact the Loeb Center via careers@amherst.edu or 413-542-2265.
You’ve got this!