Mock Career Fair at Smeal College of Business

Last week the Business Career Center at the Smeal College of Business at Penn State hosted the Mock Career Fair. This ‘practice’ career fair allows students the opportunity to meet with real recruiters to practice their elevator pitch and professionalism before attending the other career fairs of the semester. Set up much like a ‘regular’ career fair, this professional development opportunity allows students the chance to ease into the recruiting season and get rid of any unwanted nerves before the ‘real-deal’. This semester the Business Career Center decided to implement a new method for students to receive feedback from employers. Each student was given a double-sided card that the students would hand to the employer after they gave their elevator pitch, then the recruiter had the chance to give constructive criticism. The feedback form was simple and concise but gave recruiters the opportunity to give constructive feedback on certain professional development topics (see example below).

This Mock Career Fair ran in conjunction with the ‘Save My Resume’ event and attendance at these events awarded points for students in the Career Planning and Strategies Course, BA297. The ‘Save My Resume’ event allows students to meet with a recruiter one-on-one to receive feedback on their resume in a quick fifteen-minute session. The Business Career Center has received feedback from students that these two events are quite helpful in preparation for the career fairs.

In preparation for these events, students are encouraged to check out the resources on the Business Career Center website to best prepare and learn helpful tips on interviewing, resume resources, on-demand professional development workshops, and more. Feel free to share these resources with any student who may need some guidance in these areas careerconnections.smeal.psu.edu.