Career Fair
About Them
NMSU's career fairs are key times and places for co-op, summer internship, and professional employment offers. The events are open to NMSU students, alumni, and community members. There is no cost to attend. The two largest career fairs are held in September and February each year.
STEM-Focused
More than 120 employers are registered to participate. The second day is typically “Engineering, Science & Technology Day” at the Career Expo where employers are hoping to meet NMSU’s STEM-focused students. Students should visit the Office of Experiential Learning website in advance and consider applying for internship, co-op, or professional positions online at the employer websites prior to meeting the recruiters in person. Watch your NMSU email for notifications about August and September employer visits to campus and resume workshops.
Is a career fair just for students approaching graduation?
No. All students should attend. Whether you are a first year, second year, third year, fourth year student or in your final semester, you should attend the career fairs. Some employers like to get to know students early on in their education. All students should pursue co-op and internship opportunities as soon as possible. Also, by meeting with the employers each semester or year, you get to know them and they get to know you.
In conjunction with the career fairs, employers typically hold information sessions and special presentations. Some of those activities may take place via the Handshake platform. Every NMSU student has a Handshake account. See instructions below about how to access your account. Make sure your profile is up-to-date with your resume information and be sure it is visible to employers. Employers will also search for potential candidates through Handshake and reach out to students directly so make your profile its best!
How to Prepare for the Career Fair
You've logged into your Handshake account. You've updated your profile. You've made plans to attend the career fair at Corbett Center. You've perused the list of registered employers. Now what? Obviously, career fairs and related events are more than "just showing up," so let's make some plans.
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Identify your top 5-7 employers
Make sure you look in Handshake to see if they have scheduled group information sessions or any special activities in advance, during, and following the in-person career fair. Make plans to attend!
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Go to the employer websites
(1) read about what they do (it may be more than you think), (2) visit their Careers page to see what type of internship and employment opportunities are listed (they may have a section for university students), (3) look at their locations (where do they operate), and (4) take a look at who runs the company or organization. Make notes about each employer. Identify something you learned from their website that you can ask a question about.
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Google the employer
Have they recently been in the news for one of their projects? Know something about their recent news appearance and generate a question you can ask about it. This is especially helpful during group information sessions. When they open for questions, having a well-formed question will help you stand out.
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Look up the company on LinkedIn and on Twitter
What are they promoting about themselves? Follow them.
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Apply
If your preferred employers have internships or job opportunities available, apply for them in advance of the Career Expo. Tell the recruiters you have applied online.
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Use what you've learned about your top employers to help make yourself stand out.
When there is an appropriate moment in a group session or a 1:1 session, use the opportunity to highlight your sincere interest in their company. If you explored their website, let them know. For example: "When exploring your website, I noticed several internship opportunities. I applied for the Mechanical Engineering internship for next summer. Can you tell me a little more about the selection process?" Consider a question that speaks to your interest in self-improvement: "What are three tips you can offer to students to help them improve their resumes?" By asking a question, you get noticed. Do your research and come up with prepared, thoughtful questions.