In the season 3 premiere of Communication Mechanics, podcast host Dr. Jill Fennell is joined by  Laura Garcia, Director of Undergraduate Career Education at Georgia Tech. Together they discuss navigating different aspects of Career Fairs from a communication standpoint, detailing information to help students before, during, and after their career fair experience. 

Notes and Timestamps:

• 00:43 Introduction to Topic and Guest
• 01:51 How Students should prepare for the career fair
• 03:44 Details for students to include beyond the basics at fairs
• 09:07 How do students research different communication norms in different industries
• 09:59 Mapping out career fair day
• 11:41 The balance between authenticity and tailoring
• 12:51 What to know about Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and Scorecards
• 16:06 The importance of networking skills and non technical skillsets
• 22:56 Building Rapport quickly at the Career Fair
• 26:37 Importance of Attire and Dress
• 29:11 Tracking accomplishments, experiences, and self-reflection
• 31:14 Addressing Failure and the STAR method
• 34:57 Followup after the career fair and the importance of thank yous
• 36:48 Prepping for followup and making notes post conversation with recruiters
• 38:07 Timeline between fair and interviews
• 40:06 Underrated communication tips and importance of resources
• 41:10 Wrap up and access to support and workshops

A transcript of this episode is available here.

Podcast edited by Lee Hibbard.