Pictures Of What To Dress Like At A Job Fair

Present yourself in a professional manner - dressing professionally is one of the keys to making a great first impression! Remember, business casual or business professional attire is recommended for this fair.

pictures of what to dress like at a job fair

We host several career fair and networking events each semester. Details will be provided here and in Handshake as they become available and dates are confirmed. If you would like to host your own event, take a look at our standard offerings or reach out to recruit@utdallas.edu for custom options.

If you are looking for work in a start-up as a developer, you will most likely not dress the same as if you were looking for a consulting role in a Big 4 firm. The important thing is that you feel comfortable in your skin and your attire.

As a marketing professional for over ten years, I have attended plenty of job fairs looking for potential employees and interns. Treat a job fair like you would an interview because, in many ways, it is.

Many of us object to being judged for employment based on how we look. We prefer to be hired because of our skills and abilities, not because of our dress and grooming. BUT like it or not, appearance is important.

An interview isn't a beauty contest, but how you dress and your overall appearance almost always get noticed by the interviewer. Don't give the interviewer a chance to rule you out because you didn't feel like ironing your shirt or polishing your shoes. Dress in a business-like, professional manner, and you will be sure to fit in wherever you interview.

"The Baylor Career Center makes recruiting on campus a breeze! Their communication well in advance of events, makes registration easy. The personal experience you receive the day of career fairs and on-site interviews is like no other campus. As an employer you really do receive the red carpet experience from this team"!

Before we continue I do want to preface what is about to be said here. In today's day and age, the idea of being told what to wear might be offensive to some. Now would be a good time to point out that you are free to wear whatever it is you want. You should never be made to feel uncomfortable by the clothes you wear. However, just like how you are free to construct your resume as you see fit, there are societal norms that a lot of employers have become accustomed to seeing. If anything, dressing within these norms is a good way to show a potential employer that you understand "the game" and are willing to be a team player. So, with that in mind let's look at what to wear to a career fair.

Professional clothing can be expensive. By planning ahead, you can still dress well on a student budget. Alumni often supply career service departments with professional clothing that students can wear to career fairs and interviews. Remember that several students will attend the career fair, so act early. Contacting the department early may give you a wider range of choices.

Although no onsite interviews will be conducted, Stadnicar recommends that attendees should treat the job fair as a screening interview opportunity and prepare and dress accordingly. This also means making sure your resume is up to date.

Dressing to impress employers should be a crucial part of your job search strategy. Although we may believe that no one should be judged by what they wear, the reality is that employers are looking for reasons to remove you from their selection process. They are not only concerned about your resume and interview, they are also aware of the image you project and often make a judgment on appearance within the first five minutes of meeting the candidate. They are looking to see if the candidate respects them enough to conform to their perceived expectations. Whether we like it or not, how you dress is taken into consideration in hiring decisions. You want to have a competitive edge, especially when it comes to making initial impressions.

Taking the time to present a professional image in order to make a great first impression. An appropriate visual image at the fair may leave as strong an impression as what the candidate says since memory is triggered more by pictures and impressions than words.