Job Fair Success: Tips for
Interviewing on the Spot”
KEITH MUNSON
CAREER SPECIALIST & EMPLOYER
DEVELOPMENT
STROMMEN CAREER & INTERNSHIP CENTER
LOWER LEVEL ANDERSON HALL
The Agenda
 Creating an Elevator Speech/Pitch
 Typical Interview Questions during a Job Fair
 Remaining Questions & Ideas
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Creating Your 30 Second Commercial
 Employers will meet numerous students throughout
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the day.
You need to create a “commercial” that makes you
stand out.
Your goal is to be remembered (in a positive way).
Focus on the highlights (for that employer, not YOU)
rather than trying to tell your whole story.
Think about what you have to offer and how it relates
to what this particular employer needs from an
employee.
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Where is my commercial used?
 Job Fair Introduction
 Interviews: answering the question, “tell me about
yourself”.
 Cover Letters: Highlighting the key skills &
qualifications you would bring to a position
 Networking: Introducing yourself to potential
employers that may know of opportunities.
 Social Media: creating your profile on your LinkedIn
or Facebook page.
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Commercials that work!
 Brief; avoid too much detail
 Remember 30 seconds!
 Leave opportunity for the employer to ask questions for more
 Relates to the employer
 Genuine
 Sounds natural, not memorized
 practice your pitch out loud (over and over and over and over)
Show Your Enthusiasm
 Shows energy, interest, and passion
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
What’s included?
 Your name.
 Your college, your major and when you plan to
graduate.
 What you are looking for:
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Type of position
Area of interest
 Your specific skills or experience of interest to that
employer.
 Personal strengths that make you stand out.
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
What does it look like?
Hello. My name is Chris Smith and I am a senior Finance major at Augsburg College. I will
graduate in May of this year and am looking for a position as a financial analyst. During my
college career, I have gained experience in the finance field that is directly related to your firm.
For example, last summer I had an internship with Johnson Financial and was able to
participate in a variety of company operations. The most interesting project I worked on was
redesigning the company’s service demonstration events for the Mid-West region. This was
invaluable training because it afforded me greater insight into the finance industry and
allowed me to show my ability as a team player. Perhaps best of all, it confirmed my desire to
become a financial manager for a top-10 firm.
I do several things well, but I am most skilled at communicating with a diverse group of people
and organizing and presenting data analysis. I’ve done both through my academics and
internships.
I am now interested in a position as a financial analyst where I could utilize my skills in a
business environment to help an organization achieve its goals.
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
What does it look like w/o internship experience?
Hello. My name is Chris Smith and I am a sophomore at Augsburg College. I’m
majoring in Psychology and am looking for an internship for this upcoming summer.
I’m involved in a number of things at Augsburg but one of my most recent
accomplishments was doing a service project for one of my courses. I arranged
volunteer job search assistance at a family community center, working with my faculty
and on campus staff members to provide the services. I set up the facilities with center
staff, coordinated the volunteers, and created advertising to draw community
members. This experience demonstrates my ability to work with several groups of
people to sponsor an event as well my comitment to serving under-privelaged
community members. I think these skills would be a great fit with the internship you
have open at your organization. I work hard, manage projects well, and care about
people and would welcome an opportunity to work with your organization.
I hope to eventually work full-time for a social service organization and believe an
internship with your organization would give me the opportunity to contribute as well
as continue to build my skills in this field.
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Job Fair Interview Questions
 Top Three
 Tell me about yourself
 Why this company /this position?
 Why should we hire you?
 One, if not all three, are almost guaranteed
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Tell me about yourself
 Covered by your elevator speech.
 Brief description of your background as it related to
that employer.
 Highlight, not the whole story.
 Brief overview of who you are and what you have to
offer.
 Asked in several different ways:
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Tell me about your experience
Tell me about your background
Walk me through your resume
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Tell Me About Yourself
 What the employer is looking for:
 Relevant skills/experience that relate to the position
 How much you know about the position and what
skills/experience are needed
 Your professionalism; how well do you present yourself
Are you anxious, nervous, unsure of what to say
 Have you prepared
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Examples of relevant experience/skills from your academic,
work, or extra curricular experience

Use STAR examples to tell stories that demonstrate your relevant
skills/experience.
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
STAR
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Why this company/position
 What is the employer looking for?
 Understanding of the company and responsibilities of position
Skills/experience related to the position
 Culture, structure, industry
 How it differs from it’s competitors
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A fit between you and the company/position
How well you’ve prepared and thought about a fit
Generic information is not enough
 Indicates your interest and longevity at the company

Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Why this company/position

Asked several ways:
Why are you interested in our company/this industry
 What do you know about our company/industry
 How did you learn about this company/industry

Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Why should we hire you?
 What is the employer looking for?
 Relevant skills, experience, and personal characteristics
 A fit between you , the position, and the company
 Self awareness
Do you know your strengths and what you have to offer?
 Do you know what’s required of the position?
 Have you given careful thought to your ability to succeed in the
position?
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Asked in several ways
Why should we hire you?
 Why are you a good fit?
 What do you have to offer that other candidates may not?

Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Successfully answer the “Big Three”
 Research the company
 Know the position and the requirements
 Know yourself and what you have to offer
 Know what is relevant from your background
 Practice delivering your responses and your elevator
pitch
 Have good stories that demonstrate your relevant
skills/experience and back up your claims

STAR
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Wrapping up your conversation
 Thank every employer for their time/consideration
 Reiterate your interest
 Restate your skills (briefly)
 Ask about follow up
 Take notes on the conversation
 Follow up according to their instruction
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
How does it look?
 Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today
about this position and your company. I’m even
more excited about the opportunity. With my
experience in analyzing financial documents,
working on teams, and solving problems creatively, I
know I can be successful in this position. I’d
welcome an opportunity to talk more. How should I
follow up with you and when? Can I call or should I
email you? I see you have a lot of people to talk to,
so thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of the
fair.
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/
Questions?
Strommen Career & Internship Center •munsonk@augsburg.edu • 612-330-1167 • http://cswl.pbworks.com/