[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-how-to-prepare-for-a-career-fair":3,"blog-index":16,"mdc--c4xp6y-key":428,"live-hubs":1179},{"slug":4,"title":5,"description":6,"date":7,"tags":8,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":14,"body":15},"how-to-prepare-for-a-career-fair","How to Prepare for a Career Fair (+ Elevator Pitch)","How to prepare for a career fair: build a prioritized target list, a fill-in 30-second elevator pitch, and a same-day follow-up that gets callbacks.","2026-06-25",[9,10,11],"internships","applications","career-advice","Student Internships Team",false,12,"You walk in with a target list, a pitch you can say cold, and a follow-up plan, and you walk out with a few recruiters who'll actually remember you. That's what this post sets up: a Before, During, After system, not ten loose tips. Two things to be clear on first. The pitch you'll build here is the stand-up walk-up pitch you give standing at a booth, which is shorter than the seated [\"tell me about yourself\"](\u002Fblog\u002Ftell-me-about-yourself-internship-interview) answer and ends in a request, not a summary. And a fair is one in-person channel, distinct from your wider [online sourcing system](\u002Fblog\u002Fwhere-to-find-internships) and from a scheduled [1:1 coffee chat](\u002Fblog\u002Fcoffee-chats-and-informational-interviews-for-students); it's a walk-up event where you meet a lot of recruiters in a short window. Everything below works for in-person fairs and virtual ones.\n\n## The career fair system in one line\n\nMost guides hand you a flat checklist: research companies, print resumes, dress business casual, give a 30-second pitch, follow up in 24 hours. All true, and all useless without an order. Here's the order.\n\n- **Before:** build a prioritized target list and a pitch you can say without notes.\n- **During:** work the room in the right sequence and physically close each chat.\n- **After:** send a same-day message that references the specific conversation.\n\nThe rest of this post is just those three steps in detail. If you only do one thing, do the target list, because walking in blind is what turns a fair into two hours of aimless wandering.\n\n## Before the fair: build a prioritized target list\n\nThe advice \"research the companies\" quietly assumes you'll research all of them. You can't. A fair might have 40 booths, and giving 40 employers a real conversation in one afternoon is not a thing that happens. So the prep isn't research, it's triage.\n\nStart by pulling the employer list. It's usually posted in your school's career platform or on the event page a week or two out. Get it, then sort every employer into three tiers.\n\n### Must-see, want-to-see, walk-up\n\n- **Must-see:** the handful you'd genuinely take an offer from. Cap this at five or six. These are the only ones you'll research properly, because these are the only ones where research changes what you say.\n- **Want-to-see:** companies you're curious about but haven't committed to. You'll visit if the line is short and you have time. No deep prep.\n- **Walk-up:** everyone else. You'll pass their booths, and if something catches your eye, you stop. Zero prep, pure opportunism.\n\nFor each must-see, write down three things on your phone or a notecard: the role they're hiring interns for, one fact about the team or product, and which of your projects or classes connects to it. That third one is the hook you'll use in your pitch. If you can't name a connection, it might belong in want-to-see instead.\n\n### What to research (and what to skip)\n\nTwo or three things per must-see is plenty:\n\n- **What they hire for.** Do they take interns in your function, software, marketing, finance, whatever you do?\n- **One recent, specific thing.** A product they shipped, a project the team's known for, something you can mention in a sentence.\n- **Whether they take your major and year.** Some booths only recruit juniors, or only certain majors. Knowing this saves you a wasted line.\n\nYou do not need their stock price, their full history, or every blog post from the last quarter. The goal is one specific, true sentence you can drop at the booth, not a term paper.\n\n## Your 30 to 45 second elevator pitch (a fill-in formula)\n\nThis is the centerpiece, so build it before the fair, not in the line. A career fair elevator pitch is short and spoken standing up, and it ends on a question, not a tidy wrap-up. That's the key difference from the seated [\"tell me about yourself\"](\u002Fblog\u002Ftell-me-about-yourself-internship-interview) answer, which runs longer and lands on why you want the role. Here, you're standing, the recruiter has met a dozen people already, and you want to leave them with an action, so you end on the ask.\n\n### The formula\n\nFour slots. Fill them, say it aloud, done.\n\n```text\n1. Name + year + major:\n   \"Hi, I'm [name], a [year] [major] at [school].\"\n\n2. What you're looking for:\n   \"I'm looking for a [season] [type] internship.\"\n\n3. One specific hook (connect to THIS employer):\n   \"I noticed [specific thing about them], and I've been working on\n   [your project \u002F class \u002F club that maps to it].\"\n\n4. The ask:\n   \"Is this a team that takes summer interns, and what's the best\n   way to apply?\"\n```\n\nSlot 3 is where you spend the research from your must-see list. Slot 4 is non-negotiable: end on a real question so the conversation has somewhere to go. A pitch that ends with \"...so, yeah, that's me\" forces the recruiter to restart the conversation. Don't make them.\n\n### Two filled-in examples\n\nThese are illustrative. Swap in your real school, project, and target.\n\nA technical one:\n\n> \"Hi, I'm Priya, a second-year computer science student at State. I'm looking for a summer software internship. I saw your team works on the mapping side of the app, and last semester I built a small route-finder for a class project, so the routing problem is exactly what I want to go deeper on. Is this a team that takes summer interns, and is it best to apply online or is there someone I should reach out to?\"\n\nA non-technical one:\n\n> \"Hi, I'm Marcus, a third-year communications major at State, and I'm after a summer marketing internship. I follow your brand's campus campaigns, and I've been running my film club's Instagram this year, which taught me a lot about what actually gets students to show up. Do you take summer marketing interns, and what's the best way to get my application in front of the right person?\"\n\nBoth run about 20 to 30 seconds out loud. Both name a specific hook, and both end on an ask. Say yours aloud twice before the fair, because written sentences sound stiff until you've heard your own voice say them.\n\n## What to bring and wear\n\nKeep this simple:\n\n- **Several printed copies of your resume** in a folder so they stay flat and clean. Bring more than you think you'll need.\n- **Your phone**, for notes and for any QR codes booths use to collect info.\n- **Something to write with**, plus a few blank cards or a notes app for jotting recruiter names.\n- **Water.** You'll talk more than you expect, and a dry throat mid-pitch is miserable.\n\nOn clothes, business casual is the safe default for most fairs, and when in doubt go one notch more formal than less. The full breakdown lives in [what to wear](\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-to-wear-to-an-internship-interview), so use that instead of guessing. The resume you bring should be a clean one-pager; if yours is thin on formal experience, [frame it honestly](\u002Fblog\u002Finternship-resume-with-no-experience) rather than padding it.\n\n## During the fair: how to work the room\n\nA fair has a rhythm, and getting the sequence right is most of the battle. Lines build, your energy fades, and the recruiter you most want to impress is the one you don't want to meet cold and nervous.\n\n### Warm up before your must-sees\n\nDo not walk in and head straight to your top company. Your pitch is always roughest the first time you say it live. So start at a want-to-see or walk-up booth, somewhere low-stakes, and run the pitch once or twice on a recruiter whose answer won't make or break your week. By the third booth, the words come out clean. Now go to your must-sees, while you're sharp and before the lines for the popular companies stretch across the hall.\n\n### Handling lines and busy booths\n\nYou will not reach every booth, and that's fine. Quality beats a high count. A few well-researched must-sees plus a handful of walk-ups will do more for you than sprinting through 30 quick hellos.\n\n- If a must-see has a long line, wait. It's worth it.\n- If a want-to-see is mobbed, skip it and circle back later, or let it go.\n- Use line time. Re-read your three notes for that company, and listen to the conversations ahead of you, because you'll hear the recruiter's stock questions before it's your turn.\n\n### Questions to ask recruiters\n\nAfter your pitch, a couple of genuine questions turn a transaction into a conversation. Ask things a recruiter actually has an opinion on, not things you could Google:\n\n- What do you look for in an intern who stands out?\n- What does a summer intern on your team actually work on day to day?\n- What's the hiring timeline, and when do applications usually close?\n- What's one thing that makes an application easy to say yes to?\n\nSkip \"what does your company do?\" You should already know, and asking signals you didn't prep. If you want a deeper bank of these, the [end-of-interview questions](\u002Fblog\u002Fquestions-to-ask-at-the-end-of-an-internship-interview) post has more that work here too.\n\n### How to close a booth chat\n\nThis is the part most students fumble. They give a good pitch, have a nice chat, then drift away with nothing to act on. Close it deliberately:\n\n1. **Get the recruiter's name.** If you didn't catch it, ask. You need it for the follow-up.\n2. **Ask the next step.** \"Should I apply online, or is there someone I should email?\" This gives you a concrete action and signals you're serious.\n3. **Grab a card or note the name** before you move on.\n4. **Walk a few steps away and immediately jot one specific detail** from the conversation: something they said, a project they mentioned, the team name. Twenty seconds now saves your follow-up later, because by booth number eight you will not remember who said what.\n\n## After the fair: the same-day follow-up that gets a callback\n\nSend your follow-up the same day, or within 24 hours at the latest. The reason is simple: that recruiter met dozens of students, and you're trying to land in the small group they remember. The longer you wait, the blurrier you get. This is best-practice timing, not a magic number.\n\nThe follow-up has to reference one specific thing from your conversation, or it reads as a mass email and gets treated like one. That's what the note you jotted at the booth is for.\n\n```text\nSubject: Great talking at the [school] career fair, [recruiter name]\n\nHi [recruiter name],\n\nThanks for taking the time at the [school] career fair today. I really\nenjoyed hearing about [the one specific thing they mentioned], and it\nlined up with [your hook: the project\u002Fclass you talked about].\n\nAs you suggested, I've [applied online to the role \u002F and would love to\nbe considered]. I've attached my resume as well. If there's anything\nelse useful from my end, just let me know.\n\nThanks again,\n[Your name] · [year], [major] at [school]\n[phone \u002F LinkedIn]\n```\n\nTwo add-ons:\n\n- **Connect on LinkedIn** with a one-line note referencing the fair, so the name has a face attached.\n- **If they told you to apply online, actually do it, and say you did.** Following the instruction they gave you is the cleanest way to look like someone who follows through.\n\nKeep it light. This is a thank-you with a next step, not a cold email and not a referral ask. If a fair conversation later grows into something warmer, that's when [a cold email](\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-cold-email-for-an-internship) or [a referral request](\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-ask-for-a-referral-for-an-internship) becomes the right move, but the same-day note isn't the place for either.\n\n## Virtual career fairs: what changes\n\nSame system, different room. A few mechanics shift:\n\n- **Pre-register and pre-book sessions** if the platform lets you, because the slots for popular employers fill up.\n- **Test your camera and mic** before it starts, and find a quiet, plain background.\n- **Look at the camera, not the screen.** It reads as eye contact and almost nobody does it.\n- **Use the chat in full sentences.** Drop your pitch's hook in there if you can't get a live slot.\n- **Follow up exactly the same way**, same day, one specific detail, LinkedIn connect.\n\nYour target list, your pitch, and your close don't change. Only the room does.\n\n## Frequently asked questions\n\n### What should I say at a career fair?\n\nLead with the four-slot pitch: your name, year, and major; what you're looking for; one specific hook that connects to that employer; and an ask. Keep it to 30 to 45 seconds and end on a question like \"is this a team that takes summer interns, and how do I apply?\" so the recruiter has a clear next move.\n\n### What should I wear to a career fair?\n\nBusiness casual is the safe default for most fairs, and when you're unsure, go slightly more formal rather than less. Clean and well-fitting beats expensive. The [what to wear](\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-to-wear-to-an-internship-interview) guide breaks it down by industry, so check that instead of overthinking it.\n\n### How many companies should I talk to at a career fair?\n\nAim for quality over count. A handful of well-researched must-sees plus a few walk-up booths will do far more for you than rushing through 30 quick hellos. You won't reach every booth, and that's normal, so spend your energy where you've done the homework.\n\n### How do I follow up after a career fair?\n\nSend a short, specific message the same day or within 24 hours, referencing one detail from your conversation so it can't read as a template. If they told you to apply online, do it and say so. Then connect on LinkedIn with a one-line note tying back to the fair.\n\n### Do I need a resume for a career fair?\n\nYes. Bring several printed copies in a folder, even if the booths also collect applications online, because handing over a clean page is still part of the interaction. If yours is light on formal experience, [frame thin experience honestly](\u002Fblog\u002Finternship-resume-with-no-experience) rather than padding it.\n\n---\n\nDo this today: pull the employer list from your school's career platform or the event page, sort it into must-see, want-to-see, and walk-up, and draft your pitch from the four-slot formula before you ever walk in. Then [browse internships](\u002Ffeed) so the companies you target at the fair are ones you'd genuinely apply to.",[17,25,32,38,45,51,57,63,70,76,82,88,95,101,107,114,120,126,132,138,144,150,156,162,168,174,180,186,192,198,204,210,216,222,228,234,240,246,252,258,264,270,275,280,285,290,295,300,302,307,312,317,322,327,332,337,342,347,352,357,362,367,373,379,385,391,397,403,410,416,421],{"slug":18,"title":19,"description":20,"date":21,"tags":22,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"how-to-explain-a-low-gpa-or-gap","How to Explain a Low GPA or Gap on Your Resume","Own a low GPA, failed class, gap year, or extra time to graduate in one honest line, then redirect. The exact script, plus when to raise it vs wait.","2026-08-28",[9,23,11],"interviews",9,{"slug":26,"title":27,"description":28,"date":29,"tags":30,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"how-to-use-your-college-career-center","How to Use Your College Career Center for Internships","What career services offers beyond Handshake, how to run an advising appointment that's worth it, and how to tell if your career center is weak.","2026-08-27",[9,10,11],8,{"slug":33,"title":34,"description":35,"date":36,"tags":37,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-influenced-someone-internship-interview","Tell Me About a Time You Influenced Someone","No workplace story? Answer \\\"tell me about a time you influenced someone\\\" with a club or class example: the pick-the-moment rule, a worked answer, and traps.","2026-08-25",[9,23,11],{"slug":39,"title":40,"description":41,"date":42,"tags":43,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":44},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-managed-competing-priorities-internship-interview","Tell Me About a Time You Managed Competing Priorities","Answer \\\"tell me about a time you managed competing priorities\\\" with a rank-by-deadline-and-impact system, the heads-up interviewers grade, and an example.","2026-08-24",[9,23,11],11,{"slug":46,"title":47,"description":48,"date":49,"tags":50,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"why-this-industry-internship-interview","How to Answer \"Why This Industry?\" in an Interview","A research method and 3-part formula for \"why investment banking \u002F consulting \u002F tech,\" with worked examples and the salary and prestige tells to avoid.","2026-08-21",[9,23,11],{"slug":52,"title":53,"description":54,"date":55,"tags":56,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"company-info-session-tips","Company Info Session Tips: Get Noticed by Recruiters","How to make the most of a company info session: 10-minute prep, the one question that gets you remembered, and a same-day follow-up that lands.","2026-08-20",[9,10,11],{"slug":58,"title":59,"description":60,"date":61,"tags":62,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"walk-me-through-your-resume-interview","How to Answer \\\"Walk Me Through Your Resume\\\" (Finance)","The finance and consulting opener, done as a chronological story: which 2-3 experiences to pick, a full student example, and how to hit 2 minutes.","2026-08-19",[9,23,11],{"slug":64,"title":65,"description":66,"date":67,"tags":68,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":69},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-adapted-to-change-internship-interview","Adapt to Change? Internship Interview Answer","Answer \\\"tell me about a time you had to adapt to change\\\" for an internship: pick a change you didn't choose, then show how you re-planned and stayed calm.","2026-08-14",[9,23,11],7,{"slug":71,"title":72,"description":73,"date":74,"tags":75,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"what-motivates-you-internship-interview","How to Answer \"What Motivates You?\" (Internship)","A driver-plus-story-plus-role-fit formula for the \"what motivates you \u002F what are you passionate about\" internship question, with a worked student example.","2026-08-13",[9,23,11],{"slug":77,"title":78,"description":79,"date":80,"tags":81,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"greatest-accomplishment-internship-interview","How to Answer \"What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?\"","A rule for picking a greatest accomplishment you can actually own, a STAR shape weighted on what you did, a student example, and the traps to dodge.","2026-08-12",[9,23,11],{"slug":83,"title":84,"description":85,"date":86,"tags":87,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"how-do-you-handle-criticism-internship-interview","How Do You Handle Criticism? Internship Answer","Answer \\\"how do you handle criticism\\\" for an internship: pick real feedback you acted on, name it plainly, skip the defensiveness, and weight the fix.","2026-08-11",[9,23,11],{"slug":89,"title":90,"description":91,"date":92,"tags":93,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-worked-under-pressure-internship-interview","Tell Me About a Time You Worked Under Pressure","Answer 'tell me about a time you worked under pressure' without the all-nighter story: a rule for picking the right crunch, a STAR shape on triage, plus traps.","2026-08-10",[9,23,11],10,{"slug":96,"title":97,"description":98,"date":99,"tags":100,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-showed-leadership-internship-interview","Tell Me About a Time You Showed Leadership (Intern)","No title? You can still nail \\\"tell me about a time you showed leadership.\\\" A rule for finding the moment, a STAR-shaped student example, and the traps.","2026-08-06",[9,23,11],{"slug":102,"title":103,"description":104,"date":105,"tags":106,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"how-to-get-a-second-internship","How to Get a Second, Better Internship","You've done one internship. Here's how to reframe it into a sharper resume and story, use your new network, and target more competitive roles this fall.","2026-08-05",[9,10,11],{"slug":108,"title":109,"description":110,"date":111,"tags":112,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"intern-exit-interview","The Intern Exit Interview: What to Say (and Not Say)","What an intern exit interview really is, who runs it, the questions it asks with short answers, and how to give honest feedback without burning the bridge.","2026-08-04",[9,11,113],"internship-tips",{"slug":115,"title":116,"description":117,"date":118,"tags":119,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-had-a-conflict-with-a-teammate-internship-interview","Conflict With a Teammate: Interview Answer for Students","Never had a \\\"workplace\\\" conflict? Use a group-project disagreement. A no-blame framing rule, a worked student example, and the traps to dodge.","2026-08-03",[9,23,11],{"slug":121,"title":122,"description":123,"date":124,"tags":125,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-worked-on-a-team-internship-interview","Tell Me About a Time You Worked on a Team","A rule for picking the right team story, a STAR shape that keeps your role visible without erasing the team, plus a student example and the traps to avoid.","2026-07-31",[9,23,11],{"slug":127,"title":128,"description":129,"date":130,"tags":131,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"portfolio-for-internship-applications","Portfolio for Internship Applications: Do You Need One?","Do you need a portfolio for internship applications? A field-by-field guide to what to include, how many pieces, where to host it, and how to link it.","2026-07-30",[9,10,11],{"slug":133,"title":134,"description":135,"date":136,"tags":137,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"end-of-internship-presentation","How to Nail Your End-of-Internship Presentation","Your final intern presentation, decoded: a slide arc that leads with the problem and your result, how to scope it, the dry-run rule, and handling tough Q&A.","2026-07-29",[9,11,113],{"slug":139,"title":140,"description":141,"date":142,"tags":143,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"stay-in-touch-after-internship","How to Stay in Touch After Your Internship Ends","The last-weeks playbook: a goodbye message that isn't generic, LinkedIn before your access is cut, and a light check-in cadence that keeps the door open.","2026-07-28",[9,11,113],{"slug":145,"title":146,"description":147,"date":148,"tags":149,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"nothing-to-do-at-your-internship","What to Do When You Have Nothing to Do at Your Internship","Underused at a slow or disorganized internship? The exact words to ask for work, how to turn downtime into a visible win, and how to still earn a return offer.","2026-07-27",[9,11,113],{"slug":151,"title":152,"description":153,"date":154,"tags":155,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"made-a-mistake-at-my-internship","I Made a Mistake at My Internship: How to Recover","Just messed up at your internship? How to size the mistake, tell your manager with a simple script, reset after a bad week, and protect your return offer.","2026-07-24",[9,11,113],{"slug":157,"title":158,"description":159,"date":160,"tags":161,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"tell-me-about-a-time-you-failed-internship-interview","How to Answer \\\"Tell Me About a Time You Failed\\\"","A 4-part rule for picking a real, fixable failure, an answer shape that spends its words on what you changed, and two student examples from clubs.","2026-07-23",[9,23,11],{"slug":163,"title":164,"description":165,"date":166,"tags":167,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"how-to-practice-for-an-internship-interview","How to Practice for an Internship Interview","How to practice for an internship interview: a record-and-review loop, a 1 to 2 week rep schedule, role-based question bank, and rehearsing beats not scripts.","2026-07-22",[9,23,11],{"slug":169,"title":170,"description":171,"date":172,"tags":173,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"thank-you-email-after-internship-interview","Thank-You Email After an Internship Interview (+ Follow-Up)","A 24–48h thank-you template, the one polite follow-up email, and how long to wait before silence honestly means no after an internship interview.","2026-07-21",[9,23,11],{"slug":175,"title":176,"description":177,"date":178,"tags":179,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"why-should-we-hire-you-internship-interview","How to Answer \"Why Should We Hire You?\" (Internship)","A selection rule for the \\\"why should we hire you\\\" internship answer: pick two role-matched strengths, back each with proof, close on fit, plus student examples.","2026-07-20",[9,23,11],{"slug":181,"title":182,"description":183,"date":184,"tags":185,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"should-i-apply-if-i-dont-meet-all-requirements","Should You Apply If You Don't Meet Every Requirement?","Not sure you're qualified for that internship? How to tell a real requirement from a wish-list one, the honest match rule, and how to close the gap.","2026-07-17",[9,10,11],{"slug":187,"title":188,"description":189,"date":190,"tags":191,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"live-video-interview-tips-internship","Live Video Interview Tips for Internships (Zoom\u002FTeams)","Live Zoom or Teams internship interview coming up? Where to look for eye contact, a tech and backup-device checklist, and how to recover when you freeze.","2026-07-16",[9,23,11],{"slug":193,"title":194,"description":195,"date":196,"tags":197,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"should-you-negotiate-an-internship-offer","Should You Negotiate an Internship Offer?","Should you negotiate an internship offer? When it helps, when to skip it, what's actually negotiable (start date, housing, pay), and a polite script to use.","2026-07-15",[9,11,10],{"slug":199,"title":200,"description":201,"date":202,"tags":203,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"virtual-experience-programs-worth-it","Are Virtual Experience Programs Worth It? (Forage)","Are Forage virtual experience programs worth it? An honest verdict on who they help, what they can't do, and exactly how to put one on your resume.","2026-07-14",[9,10,11],{"slug":205,"title":206,"description":207,"date":208,"tags":209,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"how-to-write-a-cover-letter-for-an-internship","How to Write a Cover Letter for an Internship","When an internship cover letter is actually required, a simple 3-4 paragraph structure that complements your resume, and a worked student example.","2026-07-13",[9,10,11],{"slug":211,"title":212,"description":213,"date":214,"tags":215,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"fall-internship-during-the-school-year","Fall Internships: Find One & Balance It With Classes","How to find a fall or part-time internship during the school year: where term-time roles hide, a 15-20 hour weekly schedule, and when to lighten your load.","2026-07-10",[9,10,11],{"slug":217,"title":218,"description":219,"date":220,"tags":221,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"where-do-you-see-yourself-in-5-years-internship-interview","How to Answer \"Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?\"","A fill-in formula for the 5-year goals question in an internship interview: specific near-term skills, a loose long-term direction, plus two student examples.","2026-07-08",[9,23,11],{"slug":223,"title":224,"description":225,"date":226,"tags":227,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"internship-take-home-assignment","How to Approach an Internship Take-Home Assignment","Facing a technical take-home assignment for an internship? How to scope to the core problem, how long to spend, and the README that sells your trade-offs.","2026-07-07",[9,23,11],{"slug":229,"title":230,"description":231,"date":232,"tags":233,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"assessment-center-superday-final-round-interview","Assessment Center & Superday: How to Prepare","What an assessment center or superday really is, a day-of game plan to stay sharp across 3 to 6 back-to-back rounds, and how to own the group exercise.","2026-07-06",[9,23,11],{"slug":235,"title":236,"description":237,"date":238,"tags":239,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"strengths-and-weaknesses-interview-answer","Strengths and Weaknesses: Internship Interview Answers","A rule for picking a strength you can prove and a real weakness that won't sink you, plus the humble-brag answers to avoid, with student examples.","2026-07-03",[9,23,11],{"slug":241,"title":242,"description":243,"date":238,"tags":244,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"tailor-your-resume-for-an-internship","How to Tailor Your Resume to Each Internship","How to tailor your resume to each internship's job description in about 10 minutes: the signals to pull, the keyword rule, and what an ATS really does.",[9,245,10],"resume",{"slug":247,"title":248,"description":249,"date":250,"tags":251,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"how-to-prepare-for-a-case-interview","How to Prepare for a Case Interview (Internship)","New to case interviews? A structure-first loop (clarify, structure, math aloud, recommend), the reasoning habit assessors grade, and a prep plan by time left.","2026-07-02",[9,23,11],{"slug":253,"title":254,"description":255,"date":256,"tags":257,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"why-this-company-internship-interview","How to Answer \"Why This Company?\" in an Internship Interview","A 20-minute research method and a 3-part answer formula for \"why this company \u002F why this internship,\" with two worked examples for thin resumes.","2026-07-01",[9,23,11],{"slug":259,"title":260,"description":261,"date":262,"tags":263,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"how-to-ask-for-a-letter-of-recommendation-for-an-internship","How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation (Internship)","How to ask a manager or professor for an internship recommendation: who to pick, the in-person-then-email ask, lead time, and a brag-sheet packet template.","2026-06-30",[9,10,11],{"slug":265,"title":266,"description":267,"date":268,"tags":269,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"how-to-keep-track-of-internship-applications","How to Keep Track of Internship Applications","How to keep track of internship applications without it rotting: the exact columns that matter, a 15-minute weekly review, and how to tier your list.","2026-06-26",[9,10,11],{"slug":271,"title":272,"description":273,"date":7,"tags":274,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":14},"coffee-chats-and-informational-interviews-for-students","Coffee Chats for Students: How to Ask & Get a Referral","How to ask for a coffee chat, the questions that aren't generic, and the referral close most guides skip, with copyable templates for every step.",[9,10,11],{"slug":276,"title":277,"description":278,"date":7,"tags":279,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"does-gpa-matter-for-internships","Does GPA Matter for Internships? An Honest Read","Does GPA matter for internships? Where it's a real filter vs a soft signal by field, when to put it on your resume, and what outweighs a low GPA.",[9,10,11],{"slug":281,"title":282,"description":283,"date":7,"tags":284,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"how-to-ask-for-a-referral-for-an-internship","How to Ask for an Internship Referral (Template)","How to ask for a referral for an internship: when to ask once the role is live, who can actually refer you, and a copy-paste message that makes it easy.",[9,10,11],{"slug":286,"title":287,"description":288,"date":7,"tags":289,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":44},"how-to-convert-an-internship-into-a-full-time-offer","How to Convert an Internship into a Full-Time Offer","What managers really weigh when deciding return offers, the exact end-of-summer conversation script, and an honest plan for if you don't get one.",[9,11,113],{"slug":291,"title":292,"description":293,"date":7,"tags":294,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"how-to-get-an-internship-as-a-freshman-or-sophomore","How to Get an Internship as a Freshman or Sophomore","You're not behind. What freshman and sophomore year are really for, the program types actually open to underclassmen, and your move this year by year.",[9,10,11],{"slug":296,"title":297,"description":298,"date":7,"tags":299,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":14},"how-to-handle-multiple-internship-offers","Multiple Internship Offers? How to Choose & Buy Time","Multiple internship offers or an exploding deadline? A weighted scorecard to compare offers, a script to ask for more time, and the truth on backing out.",[9,11,10],{"slug":4,"title":5,"description":6,"date":7,"tags":301,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":14},[9,10,11],{"slug":303,"title":304,"description":305,"date":7,"tags":306,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":44},"how-to-prepare-for-a-coding-interview-internship","How to Prepare for a Coding Interview (Internship)","Prep for an internship coding interview by time left: a 6-week, 2-week, and night-before plan, the 8 patterns that cover most questions, and how to think out loud.",[9,23,11],{"slug":308,"title":309,"description":310,"date":7,"tags":311,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"how-to-use-ai-for-internship-applications","How to Use ChatGPT for Internship Applications","Use AI for internship applications without it backfiring: what ChatGPT is genuinely good for, where it sinks you, and a make-it-yours edit checklist.",[9,10,11],{"slug":313,"title":314,"description":315,"date":7,"tags":316,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"internship-scams-to-avoid","Internship Scams to Avoid: Spot Them in 15 Minutes","The internship scams students actually report, how each one plays out, a 15-minute check to verify any offer, and exactly where to report a scam.",[9,11,10],{"slug":318,"title":319,"description":320,"date":7,"tags":321,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":14},"no-summer-internship","No Summer Internship? A Plan-B Playbook That Counts","No summer internship? Here's an honest reset, a ranked menu of substitutes by goal, and the exact resume line for each so the summer still counts.",[9,10,11],{"slug":323,"title":324,"description":325,"date":7,"tags":326,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"one-way-video-interview-and-online-assessment-tips","One-Way Video Interview & Online Assessment Tips","Got an online assessment or one-way video interview for an internship? How each automated screen works, the 30-second prep trick, and when to retake.",[9,23,11],{"slug":328,"title":329,"description":330,"date":7,"tags":331,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"projects-to-get-an-internship","Projects to Get an Internship: What to Build (No Experience)","What projects to build to get an internship with no experience: a field-by-field picker for weekend projects, plus a copy-paste resume and portfolio write-up.",[9,10,11],{"slug":333,"title":334,"description":335,"date":7,"tags":336,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"questions-to-ask-at-the-end-of-an-internship-interview","Questions to Ask at the End of an Internship Interview","The 5 questions to ask at the end of an internship interview, grouped by what you want to learn, plus the ones that quietly hurt you and what to ask instead.",[9,23,11],{"slug":338,"title":339,"description":340,"date":7,"tags":341,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"recruiter-phone-screen-internship","Recruiter Phone Screen for an Internship: What to Expect","The recruiter phone screen is the first human gate after the OA. What it really tests, the 5 questions it always asks, and the logistics traps to dodge.",[9,23,11],{"slug":343,"title":344,"description":345,"date":7,"tags":346,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":44},"star-method-behavioral-interview-questions","STAR Method for Behavioral Interview Questions","The STAR method for internship behavioral questions: build a reusable 6-story bank from classes and clubs, with two worked examples and no work history.",[9,23,11],{"slug":348,"title":349,"description":350,"date":7,"tags":351,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"tell-me-about-yourself-internship-interview","How to Answer \"Tell Me About Yourself\" (Internship)","The 3-part formula, present, past, why this role, for answering the tell me about yourself opener in an internship interview, with two student examples.",[9,23,11],{"slug":353,"title":354,"description":355,"date":7,"tags":356,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":44},"what-to-do-after-an-internship-rejection","What to Do After an Internship Rejection: A 7-Day Plan","Rejected from an internship? A 48-hour reset, then 5 redirect moves, plus the honest truth about asking for feedback and what one no really means.",[9,10,11],{"slug":358,"title":359,"description":360,"date":7,"tags":361,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"what-to-wear-to-an-internship-interview","What to Wear to an Internship Interview","What to wear to an internship interview, in person and on video: business casual vs professional decoded, an industry-by-industry call, and a no-suit budget take.",[9,23,11],{"slug":363,"title":364,"description":365,"date":7,"tags":366,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"where-to-find-internships","Where to Find Internships: A Weekly Sourcing System","Where to find internships in 2026: build a 4-channel mix, run a 30-minute weekly routine, and vet listings so you skip dead and ghost posts.",[9,10,11],{"slug":368,"title":369,"description":370,"date":371,"tags":372,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":44},"linkedin-profile-for-students-with-no-experience","LinkedIn Profile for Students With No Experience","Build a student LinkedIn profile with no experience: a headline formula, a fill-in About template, and exactly where your projects and clubs go.","2026-06-24",[9,10,11],{"slug":374,"title":375,"description":376,"date":377,"tags":378,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"make-the-most-of-your-summer-internship","How to Make the Most of Your Summer Internship","A week-by-week playbook for your summer internship: set three goals, keep a wins doc, run a mid-summer check-in, and lock in your reference early.","2026-06-22",[9,11,113],{"slug":380,"title":381,"description":382,"date":383,"tags":384,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"why-am-i-not-getting-internship-responses","Not Getting Internship Responses? Find Your Leak","Applying everywhere and hearing nothing? Diagnose your internship funnel, find the exact stage that's leaking, and fix that instead of just applying more.","2026-06-19",[9,10,11],{"slug":386,"title":387,"description":388,"date":389,"tags":390,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"when-to-apply-for-internships","When to Apply for Internships: Summer 2027 Timeline","When internship applications open by industry for summer 2027, a three-wave timeline, and exactly what to do this month so you don't miss your window.","2026-06-18",[9,10,11],{"slug":392,"title":393,"description":394,"date":395,"tags":396,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":94},"paid-vs-unpaid-internships","Paid vs Unpaid Internships: How to Decide (and Avoid Scams)","A clear framework to decide if an internship is worth it, paid or unpaid, plus the fee-scam red flags every student should check before saying yes.","2026-06-16",[9,11,10],{"slug":398,"title":399,"description":400,"date":401,"tags":402,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":24},"how-to-ask-a-professor-for-a-research-internship","How to Ask a Professor for a Research Internship","What to write, when to send it, and what professors ignore: a line-by-line email guide for undergrads asking a professor for a research internship.","2026-06-15",[9,10,11],{"slug":404,"title":405,"description":406,"date":407,"updated":7,"tags":408,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":409},"internship-interview-questions","Internship Interview Questions Students Actually Get","The questions internship interviews actually ask, grouped into five types, with a prep move and example answer for each, even with no work history.","2026-06-12",[9,23,11],6,{"slug":411,"title":412,"description":413,"date":414,"tags":415,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"how-to-cold-email-for-an-internship","How to Cold Email for an Internship: 3 Real Templates","An honest playbook for cold emailing your way into an internship: who to contact at startups, what to write, 3 real templates, and when to follow up.","2026-06-11",[9,10,11],{"slug":417,"title":418,"description":419,"date":414,"tags":420,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":31},"internship-resume-with-no-experience","Internship Resume With No Experience: A One-Page Guide","What to put on an internship resume when you have no work history: an exact one-page structure plus before and after bullet examples you can copy.",[9,245,10],{"slug":422,"title":423,"description":424,"date":425,"tags":426,"author":12,"draft":13,"readingMinutes":427},"how-to-get-an-internship-with-no-experience","How to Get an Internship With No Experience (Step-by-Step Guide)","No experience yet? A practical step-by-step plan to land your first internship: build proof of skills, find the right openings, and apply well.","2026-06-10",[9,10,11],5,{"data":429,"body":430},{},{"type":431,"children":432},"root",[433,466,473,478,514,519,525,530,535,542,575,580,586,591,624,629,635,646,652,657,670,675,681,686,691,700,705,713,718,724,729,772,793,799,804,810,815,821,826,844,850,855,878,891,897,902,946,952,957,962,971,976,999,1020,1026,1031,1084,1089,1095,1101,1106,1112,1123,1129,1134,1140,1145,1151,1162,1166],{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":436,"children":437},"element","p",{},[438,441,448,450,456,458,464],{"type":439,"value":440},"text","You walk in with a target list, a pitch you can say cold, and a follow-up plan, and you walk out with a few recruiters who'll actually remember you. That's what this post sets up: a Before, During, After system, not ten loose tips. Two things to be clear on first. The pitch you'll build here is the stand-up walk-up pitch you give standing at a booth, which is shorter than the seated ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":443,"children":445},"a",{"href":444},"\u002Fblog\u002Ftell-me-about-yourself-internship-interview",[446],{"type":439,"value":447},"\"tell me about yourself\"",{"type":439,"value":449}," answer and ends in a request, not a summary. And a fair is one in-person channel, distinct from your wider ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":451,"children":453},{"href":452},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhere-to-find-internships",[454],{"type":439,"value":455},"online sourcing system",{"type":439,"value":457}," and from a scheduled ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":459,"children":461},{"href":460},"\u002Fblog\u002Fcoffee-chats-and-informational-interviews-for-students",[462],{"type":439,"value":463},"1:1 coffee chat",{"type":439,"value":465},"; it's a walk-up event where you meet a lot of recruiters in a short window. Everything below works for in-person fairs and virtual ones.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":468,"children":470},"h2",{"id":469},"the-career-fair-system-in-one-line",[471],{"type":439,"value":472},"The career fair system in one line",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":474,"children":475},{},[476],{"type":439,"value":477},"Most guides hand you a flat checklist: research companies, print resumes, dress business casual, give a 30-second pitch, follow up in 24 hours. All true, and all useless without an order. Here's the order.",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":480,"children":481},"ul",{},[482,494,504],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":484,"children":485},"li",{},[486,492],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":488,"children":489},"strong",{},[490],{"type":439,"value":491},"Before:",{"type":439,"value":493}," build a prioritized target list and a pitch you can say without notes.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":495,"children":496},{},[497,502],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":498,"children":499},{},[500],{"type":439,"value":501},"During:",{"type":439,"value":503}," work the room in the right sequence and physically close each chat.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":505,"children":506},{},[507,512],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":508,"children":509},{},[510],{"type":439,"value":511},"After:",{"type":439,"value":513}," send a same-day message that references the specific conversation.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":515,"children":516},{},[517],{"type":439,"value":518},"The rest of this post is just those three steps in detail. If you only do one thing, do the target list, because walking in blind is what turns a fair into two hours of aimless wandering.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":520,"children":522},{"id":521},"before-the-fair-build-a-prioritized-target-list",[523],{"type":439,"value":524},"Before the fair: build a prioritized target list",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":526,"children":527},{},[528],{"type":439,"value":529},"The advice \"research the companies\" quietly assumes you'll research all of them. You can't. A fair might have 40 booths, and giving 40 employers a real conversation in one afternoon is not a thing that happens. So the prep isn't research, it's triage.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":531,"children":532},{},[533],{"type":439,"value":534},"Start by pulling the employer list. It's usually posted in your school's career platform or on the event page a week or two out. Get it, then sort every employer into three tiers.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":537,"children":539},"h3",{"id":538},"must-see-want-to-see-walk-up",[540],{"type":439,"value":541},"Must-see, want-to-see, walk-up",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":543,"children":544},{},[545,555,565],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":546,"children":547},{},[548,553],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":549,"children":550},{},[551],{"type":439,"value":552},"Must-see:",{"type":439,"value":554}," the handful you'd genuinely take an offer from. Cap this at five or six. These are the only ones you'll research properly, because these are the only ones where research changes what you say.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":556,"children":557},{},[558,563],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":559,"children":560},{},[561],{"type":439,"value":562},"Want-to-see:",{"type":439,"value":564}," companies you're curious about but haven't committed to. You'll visit if the line is short and you have time. No deep prep.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":566,"children":567},{},[568,573],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":569,"children":570},{},[571],{"type":439,"value":572},"Walk-up:",{"type":439,"value":574}," everyone else. You'll pass their booths, and if something catches your eye, you stop. Zero prep, pure opportunism.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":576,"children":577},{},[578],{"type":439,"value":579},"For each must-see, write down three things on your phone or a notecard: the role they're hiring interns for, one fact about the team or product, and which of your projects or classes connects to it. That third one is the hook you'll use in your pitch. If you can't name a connection, it might belong in want-to-see instead.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":581,"children":583},{"id":582},"what-to-research-and-what-to-skip",[584],{"type":439,"value":585},"What to research (and what to skip)",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":587,"children":588},{},[589],{"type":439,"value":590},"Two or three things per must-see is plenty:",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":592,"children":593},{},[594,604,614],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":595,"children":596},{},[597,602],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":598,"children":599},{},[600],{"type":439,"value":601},"What they hire for.",{"type":439,"value":603}," Do they take interns in your function, software, marketing, finance, whatever you do?",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":605,"children":606},{},[607,612],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":608,"children":609},{},[610],{"type":439,"value":611},"One recent, specific thing.",{"type":439,"value":613}," A product they shipped, a project the team's known for, something you can mention in a sentence.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":615,"children":616},{},[617,622],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":618,"children":619},{},[620],{"type":439,"value":621},"Whether they take your major and year.",{"type":439,"value":623}," Some booths only recruit juniors, or only certain majors. Knowing this saves you a wasted line.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":625,"children":626},{},[627],{"type":439,"value":628},"You do not need their stock price, their full history, or every blog post from the last quarter. The goal is one specific, true sentence you can drop at the booth, not a term paper.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":630,"children":632},{"id":631},"your-30-to-45-second-elevator-pitch-a-fill-in-formula",[633],{"type":439,"value":634},"Your 30 to 45 second elevator pitch (a fill-in formula)",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":636,"children":637},{},[638,640,644],{"type":439,"value":639},"This is the centerpiece, so build it before the fair, not in the line. A career fair elevator pitch is short and spoken standing up, and it ends on a question, not a tidy wrap-up. That's the key difference from the seated ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":641,"children":642},{"href":444},[643],{"type":439,"value":447},{"type":439,"value":645}," answer, which runs longer and lands on why you want the role. Here, you're standing, the recruiter has met a dozen people already, and you want to leave them with an action, so you end on the ask.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":647,"children":649},{"id":648},"the-formula",[650],{"type":439,"value":651},"The formula",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":653,"children":654},{},[655],{"type":439,"value":656},"Four slots. Fill them, say it aloud, done.",{"type":434,"tag":658,"props":659,"children":664},"pre",{"className":660,"code":662,"language":439,"meta":663},[661],"language-text","1. Name + year + major:\n   \"Hi, I'm [name], a [year] [major] at [school].\"\n\n2. What you're looking for:\n   \"I'm looking for a [season] [type] internship.\"\n\n3. One specific hook (connect to THIS employer):\n   \"I noticed [specific thing about them], and I've been working on\n   [your project \u002F class \u002F club that maps to it].\"\n\n4. The ask:\n   \"Is this a team that takes summer interns, and what's the best\n   way to apply?\"\n","",[665],{"type":434,"tag":666,"props":667,"children":668},"code",{"__ignoreMap":663},[669],{"type":439,"value":662},{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":671,"children":672},{},[673],{"type":439,"value":674},"Slot 3 is where you spend the research from your must-see list. Slot 4 is non-negotiable: end on a real question so the conversation has somewhere to go. A pitch that ends with \"...so, yeah, that's me\" forces the recruiter to restart the conversation. Don't make them.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":676,"children":678},{"id":677},"two-filled-in-examples",[679],{"type":439,"value":680},"Two filled-in examples",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":682,"children":683},{},[684],{"type":439,"value":685},"These are illustrative. Swap in your real school, project, and target.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":687,"children":688},{},[689],{"type":439,"value":690},"A technical one:",{"type":434,"tag":692,"props":693,"children":694},"blockquote",{},[695],{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":696,"children":697},{},[698],{"type":439,"value":699},"\"Hi, I'm Priya, a second-year computer science student at State. I'm looking for a summer software internship. I saw your team works on the mapping side of the app, and last semester I built a small route-finder for a class project, so the routing problem is exactly what I want to go deeper on. Is this a team that takes summer interns, and is it best to apply online or is there someone I should reach out to?\"",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":701,"children":702},{},[703],{"type":439,"value":704},"A non-technical one:",{"type":434,"tag":692,"props":706,"children":707},{},[708],{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":709,"children":710},{},[711],{"type":439,"value":712},"\"Hi, I'm Marcus, a third-year communications major at State, and I'm after a summer marketing internship. I follow your brand's campus campaigns, and I've been running my film club's Instagram this year, which taught me a lot about what actually gets students to show up. Do you take summer marketing interns, and what's the best way to get my application in front of the right person?\"",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":714,"children":715},{},[716],{"type":439,"value":717},"Both run about 20 to 30 seconds out loud. Both name a specific hook, and both end on an ask. Say yours aloud twice before the fair, because written sentences sound stiff until you've heard your own voice say them.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":719,"children":721},{"id":720},"what-to-bring-and-wear",[722],{"type":439,"value":723},"What to bring and wear",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":725,"children":726},{},[727],{"type":439,"value":728},"Keep this simple:",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":730,"children":731},{},[732,742,752,762],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":733,"children":734},{},[735,740],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":736,"children":737},{},[738],{"type":439,"value":739},"Several printed copies of your resume",{"type":439,"value":741}," in a folder so they stay flat and clean. Bring more than you think you'll need.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":743,"children":744},{},[745,750],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":746,"children":747},{},[748],{"type":439,"value":749},"Your phone",{"type":439,"value":751},", for notes and for any QR codes booths use to collect info.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":753,"children":754},{},[755,760],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":756,"children":757},{},[758],{"type":439,"value":759},"Something to write with",{"type":439,"value":761},", plus a few blank cards or a notes app for jotting recruiter names.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":763,"children":764},{},[765,770],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":766,"children":767},{},[768],{"type":439,"value":769},"Water.",{"type":439,"value":771}," You'll talk more than you expect, and a dry throat mid-pitch is miserable.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":773,"children":774},{},[775,777,783,785,791],{"type":439,"value":776},"On clothes, business casual is the safe default for most fairs, and when in doubt go one notch more formal than less. The full breakdown lives in ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":778,"children":780},{"href":779},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-to-wear-to-an-internship-interview",[781],{"type":439,"value":782},"what to wear",{"type":439,"value":784},", so use that instead of guessing. The resume you bring should be a clean one-pager; if yours is thin on formal experience, ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":786,"children":788},{"href":787},"\u002Fblog\u002Finternship-resume-with-no-experience",[789],{"type":439,"value":790},"frame it honestly",{"type":439,"value":792}," rather than padding it.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":794,"children":796},{"id":795},"during-the-fair-how-to-work-the-room",[797],{"type":439,"value":798},"During the fair: how to work the room",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":800,"children":801},{},[802],{"type":439,"value":803},"A fair has a rhythm, and getting the sequence right is most of the battle. Lines build, your energy fades, and the recruiter you most want to impress is the one you don't want to meet cold and nervous.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":805,"children":807},{"id":806},"warm-up-before-your-must-sees",[808],{"type":439,"value":809},"Warm up before your must-sees",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":811,"children":812},{},[813],{"type":439,"value":814},"Do not walk in and head straight to your top company. Your pitch is always roughest the first time you say it live. So start at a want-to-see or walk-up booth, somewhere low-stakes, and run the pitch once or twice on a recruiter whose answer won't make or break your week. By the third booth, the words come out clean. Now go to your must-sees, while you're sharp and before the lines for the popular companies stretch across the hall.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":816,"children":818},{"id":817},"handling-lines-and-busy-booths",[819],{"type":439,"value":820},"Handling lines and busy booths",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":822,"children":823},{},[824],{"type":439,"value":825},"You will not reach every booth, and that's fine. Quality beats a high count. A few well-researched must-sees plus a handful of walk-ups will do more for you than sprinting through 30 quick hellos.",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":827,"children":828},{},[829,834,839],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":830,"children":831},{},[832],{"type":439,"value":833},"If a must-see has a long line, wait. It's worth it.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":835,"children":836},{},[837],{"type":439,"value":838},"If a want-to-see is mobbed, skip it and circle back later, or let it go.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":840,"children":841},{},[842],{"type":439,"value":843},"Use line time. Re-read your three notes for that company, and listen to the conversations ahead of you, because you'll hear the recruiter's stock questions before it's your turn.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":845,"children":847},{"id":846},"questions-to-ask-recruiters",[848],{"type":439,"value":849},"Questions to ask recruiters",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":851,"children":852},{},[853],{"type":439,"value":854},"After your pitch, a couple of genuine questions turn a transaction into a conversation. Ask things a recruiter actually has an opinion on, not things you could Google:",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":856,"children":857},{},[858,863,868,873],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":859,"children":860},{},[861],{"type":439,"value":862},"What do you look for in an intern who stands out?",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":864,"children":865},{},[866],{"type":439,"value":867},"What does a summer intern on your team actually work on day to day?",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":869,"children":870},{},[871],{"type":439,"value":872},"What's the hiring timeline, and when do applications usually close?",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":874,"children":875},{},[876],{"type":439,"value":877},"What's one thing that makes an application easy to say yes to?",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":879,"children":880},{},[881,883,889],{"type":439,"value":882},"Skip \"what does your company do?\" You should already know, and asking signals you didn't prep. If you want a deeper bank of these, the ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":884,"children":886},{"href":885},"\u002Fblog\u002Fquestions-to-ask-at-the-end-of-an-internship-interview",[887],{"type":439,"value":888},"end-of-interview questions",{"type":439,"value":890}," post has more that work here too.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":892,"children":894},{"id":893},"how-to-close-a-booth-chat",[895],{"type":439,"value":896},"How to close a booth chat",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":898,"children":899},{},[900],{"type":439,"value":901},"This is the part most students fumble. They give a good pitch, have a nice chat, then drift away with nothing to act on. Close it deliberately:",{"type":434,"tag":903,"props":904,"children":905},"ol",{},[906,916,926,936],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":907,"children":908},{},[909,914],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":910,"children":911},{},[912],{"type":439,"value":913},"Get the recruiter's name.",{"type":439,"value":915}," If you didn't catch it, ask. You need it for the follow-up.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":917,"children":918},{},[919,924],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":920,"children":921},{},[922],{"type":439,"value":923},"Ask the next step.",{"type":439,"value":925}," \"Should I apply online, or is there someone I should email?\" This gives you a concrete action and signals you're serious.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":927,"children":928},{},[929,934],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":930,"children":931},{},[932],{"type":439,"value":933},"Grab a card or note the name",{"type":439,"value":935}," before you move on.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":937,"children":938},{},[939,944],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":940,"children":941},{},[942],{"type":439,"value":943},"Walk a few steps away and immediately jot one specific detail",{"type":439,"value":945}," from the conversation: something they said, a project they mentioned, the team name. Twenty seconds now saves your follow-up later, because by booth number eight you will not remember who said what.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":947,"children":949},{"id":948},"after-the-fair-the-same-day-follow-up-that-gets-a-callback",[950],{"type":439,"value":951},"After the fair: the same-day follow-up that gets a callback",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":953,"children":954},{},[955],{"type":439,"value":956},"Send your follow-up the same day, or within 24 hours at the latest. The reason is simple: that recruiter met dozens of students, and you're trying to land in the small group they remember. The longer you wait, the blurrier you get. This is best-practice timing, not a magic number.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":958,"children":959},{},[960],{"type":439,"value":961},"The follow-up has to reference one specific thing from your conversation, or it reads as a mass email and gets treated like one. That's what the note you jotted at the booth is for.",{"type":434,"tag":658,"props":963,"children":966},{"className":964,"code":965,"language":439,"meta":663},[661],"Subject: Great talking at the [school] career fair, [recruiter name]\n\nHi [recruiter name],\n\nThanks for taking the time at the [school] career fair today. I really\nenjoyed hearing about [the one specific thing they mentioned], and it\nlined up with [your hook: the project\u002Fclass you talked about].\n\nAs you suggested, I've [applied online to the role \u002F and would love to\nbe considered]. I've attached my resume as well. If there's anything\nelse useful from my end, just let me know.\n\nThanks again,\n[Your name] · [year], [major] at [school]\n[phone \u002F LinkedIn]\n",[967],{"type":434,"tag":666,"props":968,"children":969},{"__ignoreMap":663},[970],{"type":439,"value":965},{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":972,"children":973},{},[974],{"type":439,"value":975},"Two add-ons:",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":977,"children":978},{},[979,989],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":980,"children":981},{},[982,987],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":983,"children":984},{},[985],{"type":439,"value":986},"Connect on LinkedIn",{"type":439,"value":988}," with a one-line note referencing the fair, so the name has a face attached.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":990,"children":991},{},[992,997],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":993,"children":994},{},[995],{"type":439,"value":996},"If they told you to apply online, actually do it, and say you did.",{"type":439,"value":998}," Following the instruction they gave you is the cleanest way to look like someone who follows through.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1000,"children":1001},{},[1002,1004,1010,1012,1018],{"type":439,"value":1003},"Keep it light. This is a thank-you with a next step, not a cold email and not a referral ask. If a fair conversation later grows into something warmer, that's when ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":1005,"children":1007},{"href":1006},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-cold-email-for-an-internship",[1008],{"type":439,"value":1009},"a cold email",{"type":439,"value":1011}," or ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":1013,"children":1015},{"href":1014},"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-ask-for-a-referral-for-an-internship",[1016],{"type":439,"value":1017},"a referral request",{"type":439,"value":1019}," becomes the right move, but the same-day note isn't the place for either.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":1021,"children":1023},{"id":1022},"virtual-career-fairs-what-changes",[1024],{"type":439,"value":1025},"Virtual career fairs: what changes",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1027,"children":1028},{},[1029],{"type":439,"value":1030},"Same system, different room. A few mechanics shift:",{"type":434,"tag":479,"props":1032,"children":1033},{},[1034,1044,1054,1064,1074],{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":1035,"children":1036},{},[1037,1042],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":1038,"children":1039},{},[1040],{"type":439,"value":1041},"Pre-register and pre-book sessions",{"type":439,"value":1043}," if the platform lets you, because the slots for popular employers fill up.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":1045,"children":1046},{},[1047,1052],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":1048,"children":1049},{},[1050],{"type":439,"value":1051},"Test your camera and mic",{"type":439,"value":1053}," before it starts, and find a quiet, plain background.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":1055,"children":1056},{},[1057,1062],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":1058,"children":1059},{},[1060],{"type":439,"value":1061},"Look at the camera, not the screen.",{"type":439,"value":1063}," It reads as eye contact and almost nobody does it.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":1065,"children":1066},{},[1067,1072],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":1068,"children":1069},{},[1070],{"type":439,"value":1071},"Use the chat in full sentences.",{"type":439,"value":1073}," Drop your pitch's hook in there if you can't get a live slot.",{"type":434,"tag":483,"props":1075,"children":1076},{},[1077,1082],{"type":434,"tag":487,"props":1078,"children":1079},{},[1080],{"type":439,"value":1081},"Follow up exactly the same way",{"type":439,"value":1083},", same day, one specific detail, LinkedIn connect.",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1085,"children":1086},{},[1087],{"type":439,"value":1088},"Your target list, your pitch, and your close don't change. Only the room does.",{"type":434,"tag":467,"props":1090,"children":1092},{"id":1091},"frequently-asked-questions",[1093],{"type":439,"value":1094},"Frequently asked questions",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":1096,"children":1098},{"id":1097},"what-should-i-say-at-a-career-fair",[1099],{"type":439,"value":1100},"What should I say at a career fair?",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1102,"children":1103},{},[1104],{"type":439,"value":1105},"Lead with the four-slot pitch: your name, year, and major; what you're looking for; one specific hook that connects to that employer; and an ask. Keep it to 30 to 45 seconds and end on a question like \"is this a team that takes summer interns, and how do I apply?\" so the recruiter has a clear next move.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":1107,"children":1109},{"id":1108},"what-should-i-wear-to-a-career-fair",[1110],{"type":439,"value":1111},"What should I wear to a career fair?",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1113,"children":1114},{},[1115,1117,1121],{"type":439,"value":1116},"Business casual is the safe default for most fairs, and when you're unsure, go slightly more formal rather than less. Clean and well-fitting beats expensive. The ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":1118,"children":1119},{"href":779},[1120],{"type":439,"value":782},{"type":439,"value":1122}," guide breaks it down by industry, so check that instead of overthinking it.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":1124,"children":1126},{"id":1125},"how-many-companies-should-i-talk-to-at-a-career-fair",[1127],{"type":439,"value":1128},"How many companies should I talk to at a career fair?",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1130,"children":1131},{},[1132],{"type":439,"value":1133},"Aim for quality over count. A handful of well-researched must-sees plus a few walk-up booths will do far more for you than rushing through 30 quick hellos. You won't reach every booth, and that's normal, so spend your energy where you've done the homework.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":1135,"children":1137},{"id":1136},"how-do-i-follow-up-after-a-career-fair",[1138],{"type":439,"value":1139},"How do I follow up after a career fair?",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1141,"children":1142},{},[1143],{"type":439,"value":1144},"Send a short, specific message the same day or within 24 hours, referencing one detail from your conversation so it can't read as a template. If they told you to apply online, do it and say so. Then connect on LinkedIn with a one-line note tying back to the fair.",{"type":434,"tag":536,"props":1146,"children":1148},{"id":1147},"do-i-need-a-resume-for-a-career-fair",[1149],{"type":439,"value":1150},"Do I need a resume for a career fair?",{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1152,"children":1153},{},[1154,1156,1161],{"type":439,"value":1155},"Yes. Bring several printed copies in a folder, even if the booths also collect applications online, because handing over a clean page is still part of the interaction. If yours is light on formal experience, ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":1157,"children":1158},{"href":787},[1159],{"type":439,"value":1160},"frame thin experience honestly",{"type":439,"value":792},{"type":434,"tag":1163,"props":1164,"children":1165},"hr",{},[],{"type":434,"tag":435,"props":1167,"children":1168},{},[1169,1171,1177],{"type":439,"value":1170},"Do this today: pull the employer list from your school's career platform or the event page, sort it into must-see, want-to-see, and walk-up, and draft your pitch from the four-slot formula before you ever walk in. Then ",{"type":434,"tag":442,"props":1172,"children":1174},{"href":1173},"\u002Ffeed",[1175],{"type":439,"value":1176},"browse internships",{"type":439,"value":1178}," so the companies you target at the fair are ones you'd genuinely apply to.",{"keys":1180},[1181,1182,1183,1184,1185,1186,1187,1188,1189,1190,1191,1192,1193,1194,1195,1196,1197,1198,1199,1200,1201,1202,1203,1204,1205,1206,1207,1208,1209,1210,1211,1212,1213,1214],"in:bangalore","in:mumbai","in:delhi","in:gurugram","in:hyderabad","in:pune","in:chennai","in:noida","in:kolkata","in:jaipur","in:ahmedabad","in:software-engineering","in:data-science","in:marketing","in:design","in:finance","in:sales","in:human-resources","in:operations","in:remote","us:new-york","us:san-francisco","us:washington-dc","us:los-angeles","us:software-engineering","us:data-science","us:marketing","us:design","us:finance","us:sales","us:human-resources","us:operations","us:remote","ph:manila"]