You are here: American University Career Center Job and Internship Fairs

Back to top

Job & Internship Fair

Each year, the AU Career Center hosts a fall and spring job and internship fair, as well as additional, industry-specific fairs and networking receptions. Attend these in-person and virtual events to discover and network employers.

 

How to Prepare for the Fair

Learn more about preparing for and attending our job & internship fairs.

DC International Student & Alumni Career Fair: November 16, 2022, 2-4 pm Eastern

International students and alumni, attend this fair to meet with employers hiring international candidates for opportunities in the U.S. and around the globe. Register on Handshake to see who's coming to the fair.

Register today!

Attend Prep Events

Want to get your resume and elevator pitch in order ahead of a career fair? Watch recordings of prep events from past fairs.

Make Your Handshake Profile Fair Ready

Virtual job fairs on Handshake allow employers to meet with you in group sessions or one-on-ones. While you can sign up for group sessions up to one minute before the start time, we recommend planning ahead and signing up early! Once a session has started, you'll be unable to sign up for it.

You'll want to make time to work on your Handshake profile. Pay attention to the following settings:  

  • Privacy - Read carefully to understand how your privacy settings in Handshake will affect your ability to participate in the fair. Your privacy is important to us.

    • To register for fair sessions or meetings, your Handshake privacy settings must be set to either Community or Employer.
    • The Community setting provides full fair participation by letting you register for group sessions and one-on-one meetings. It also makes your profile visible to employers, students, and alumni across all Handshake colleges and universities.
    • The Employer setting provides partial fair participation by letting you register for one-on-one sessions only. It also makes your profile visible to all employers in Handshake. Students and alumni at other Handshake colleges and universities cannot see your profile.
    • Students cannot register for the fair with the Private setting selected. However, students who prefer this setting can easily re-select it at the conclusion of the fair.
    • Employers participating in the fair cannot access a broad list of participants. They can only access lists of students who interact with them directly during the fair.

  • GPA - Employers may set a GPA requirement for one-on-one sessions. Consider adding your cumulative GPA to your Handshake profile to maximize your eligibility for one-on-one sessions. First-year students, use your most recent high school or undergrad GPA. Update your GPA under Profile > Education. 

  • Work authorization  - When registering for sessions, you may have to answer questions about work authorization. Regardless of how you answer, you'll be able to participate in the fair.

  • Review Handshake's guides to attending a virtual fair, signing up for & managing virtual fair sessions, participating in a virtual fair, and the platform's video requirements

Research Employers

Here are some other questions to think about when deciding which employers to visit or meet with at the job and internship fairs:

  • Why does this organization interest me? (Their mission or values? The type of work they do? The work environment?)
  • What skills, experience, or qualities do I have that would benefit the organization? Think about previous jobs or community service work, positions in clubs, courses you've taken, etc.
  • What do I want to know about this organization that isn't readily available on their website/social media? This will help you ask a smart question that shows you've done your research.

In-Person Fair

Use the Job & Internship Fair app to start researching employers. The app is also where the map of the fair will be published the day before the fair. You can search employers by the type of positions for which they're hiring (full- or part-time, fellowship, or internship), by degree area (arts, business, communications, etc.), and by diversity initiatives (equal opportunity for LGBTQA, underrepresented groups, veterans, persons with disabilities, etc.). You can also save favorite employers and take notes right in the app.

  • Use Career Fair Plus to mark favorite employers, make notes, etc. Download the app to your phone to take your notes with you. A map of employers will be added several days before the fair--help us save on paper maps!

Virtual Fair

Review the list of employers attending the virtual fair on Handshake. Decide which employers you want to talk to, pre-schedule your one-on-ones and group sessions, research the employers, and plan what questions you'll ask. 

Create/Update your resume

In-Person Fair

  • Print 10-15 copies of your resume to bring to the fair
  • Bring a pen, and if you choose, your business cards

Virtual Fairs

  • Upload a resume to your Handshake profile, then click the "Feature on Profile" button to make the document public. When you sign up for sessions, employers will be able to see your profile.
  • As back up, consider saving your resume to Google Drive or a similar platform. Have the link ready to share with employers during one-on-one sessions at the fair. 

Work on Your Elevator Pitch

When you speak with employers at the in-person or virtual fair, you want to give a short pitch that sets you apart and quickly summarizes your skills and interest in their organization.

Watch the recording of our Tell Me About Yourself: Mastering the Elevator Pitch workshop to help you prepare your introduction.

You can also practice your pitch using Big Interview (Handshake log-in required). 

Plan to Be Seen and Heard

We recommend dressing professionally for in-person and virtual fairs. One-on-one sessions at virtual fairs have the option for Handshake video. Dressing as if you were attending an in-person fair will also help you feel more confident. 

  • Check out our guidelines on professional image
  • Plan your outfit in advance; you can always message it to us via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@aucareercenter), or email us if you have questions!

In-Person Fair

  • After you decide what to wear, clean and press your outfit before the fair.

Virtual Fair

  • Think about where you'll be during the fair and what your background will look like. Unlike Zoom, Handshake will not allow you to choose a background image. 
  • If possible, try to find a quiet space to attend the fair to minimize interruptions