If you want to impress companies at a career fair, you need to hit the dry cleaners and work on your handshake.
At the Lunch & Learn held Wednesday, Target employees gave advice to University of Memphis students that would be attending this week's career fair.
Travis Moody, Lara Flowers and Dee Justice, Target group leaders from Little Rock, Ark., dished out plenty of advice.
"You should research the company ahead of time," Moody said. "Know something about the companies coming to the career fair."
Attendees should dress professionally, carry as few items with them as possible and try to avoid wandering around the fair in a group.
"You'd want to dress like you would for your mom," Moody said.
He also said students should bring along a small notebook to keep notes about companies, along with multiple resumes.
"Proofread your resume carefully," Flowers said. "Don't cram a resume with memberships, but focus on leadership experience and make sure the information is all relevant to that particular company."
As for groups at career fairs, Moody said the two don't mix well.
"Some of the people you associate with might not provide the best image for you," he said.
There is even the possibility that a friend could garner more interest from a company than you. Flowers said people should be selling themselves, not their friends.
Another important item students should bring to a career fair is an open mind.
"You should be thinking outside the box, and even be willing to move," Justice said. She related her experiences working at different locations in the country as a positive thing, letting her meet many new people.
Moody said he is surprised sometimes at the amount of people that are totally closed to moving for a job.
On the physical front, eye contact is an extremely important part of meeting with potential employers, according to Justice. She said the contact helps relay confidence.
"You don't have to wait to talk to people (at career fairs), because they are there to talk," she said. "Introduce yourself and just be relaxed in your speech and attitude."
Justice even gave detailed tips on shaking hands with others at the fairs, saying two shakes is the limit.
Flowers also talked about her internship with the company, saying it provided great help in her future dealings.
"By the end of the internship, I had basically built a network of contacts," she said.
Justice said her time training for the company provided her with a good opportunity to "mess up" and get experience.
The speakers from Target advised students to have a plan for moving around the career fair and not to be too intimidated to speak with similar employers near each other.
Clay Woemmel, assistant director of career and employment services at The U of M, directed the students attending the lunch to the career services page on www.memphis.edu.
In addition, the office looks at resumes and even schedules 30-minute interview sessions that are recorded for students to learn.
