Hello my name is…

Wait, what are you even doing here? Is your shirt buttoned all the way and tucked in? Did you remember to delete the template example of skills on your resume?

“The professional world has sort of these norms and nuances and customs that you don’t know until you’re in it, right?” said Katie Harvey, the assistant director of Career Development at the College of Agricultural Sciences. 

Sometimes at these fairs, you will misstep or say things that aren’t professional or you realize you should have said something differently.

“I think it’s good to kind of put yourself in situations where you have to do things outside of your comfort zone so you can get better at it. And I think career fairs are a great way to do that, especially since it’s something that’s really important for your professional growth,” said Ryan Van Amburgh, a third year marketing major minoring in design and innovation management. 

“It was a new thing for me, when I went to my first one, like you know, dressing in a suit, and all that jazz,” said Van Amburgh. 

This “businessy” world, as Van Amburgh puts it, may create barriers for some students.

“If you’re not wearing a suit or something nice, something formal, then you kind of stick out as a sore thumb, and you’re not likely to get many opportunities if you’re not dressed well,” said Van Amburgh.

Van Amburgh highlights Benny’s Closet, a resource provided by the College of Business for students to get cheap business attire for events like career fairs. 

“We can help teach students like, here’s what you should say, here’s what you should not say, here’s what to wear,” said Harvey.

Harvey spoke on the importance of an elevator pitch, or a brief professional introduction. 

“So when they walk up to the table, they can introduce themselves, what their major is, what they’re interested in, and that really helps start the conversation in a more professional manner, but also alleviate some of the anxiety of what to say at every table,” said Harvey.

“This is a learning experience above all, and so hopefully that helps students understand that this is not going to make or break their future career if they don’t do the best job ever at their first ever career fair, it’s just all good practice,” said Harvey. “Professionalism is something that is learned over time and how to interact in professional settings.”

Van Amburgh spoke on his overall experience when it comes to career fairs. “In general, when I’m dealing with college stuff, or when I’m at my job, I’m thinking like, brother, I used to be a kid, life was so easy, I would love to go back to it,” he said.

“When I’m there, it’s like, okay, I’m planning ahead. I’m trying to get, you know, internships, job opportunities, it does kind of make me reflect back to my childhood, when I was thinking about none of that, when I had to worry about none of that, when things were much simpler,” Van Amburgh said.

“We’re all imperfect, we’re all people, we’re all learning, we’re all growing, and so no one expects perfection. We just expect you to show up and try, at the end of the day, to give your best effort and to learn from mistakes,” said Harvey.