UAS Spring Career Fair ✨ February 25, 2025, 11am-2pm Egan Library

Register on Handshake: Register for any upcoming fairs on Handshake, UAS’s job board, and career resource portal. If you’re new to Handshake and looking to get started, visit our Handshake webpage.

Update your resume: UAS career fair attendees are not required to bring a resume. However, many employers collect resumes at our fairs. If you’re actively seeking a position, you should bring a few copies of your resume to hand out to employers you’re interested in. To write or update your resume:

• Check out our resume guide and template.
• Make an appointment with Career Services, where a career advisor will work with you one-on-one to build and refine your resume.
• Upload your resume to Handshake, and use your resume to fill out your Handshake profile.

Practice your professional introduction/pitch: You’ll want to sound confident and genuine when you meet employers, answer their questions, and ask some of your own. Create and practice your “elevator pitch”, a 30-60 second overview of your background, accomplishments, and goals, to introduce yourself and make a great first impression. To prepare to speak with employers at the fair:

• Check out our networking guide and this helpful video for tips on how to write your elevator pitch.
• Rehearse your pitch with friends or family members as often as you can — the more you use it, the more comfortable you’ll be. Remember to NOT memorize your answers, since this will make you sound robotic.
• Learn more about the organizations attending the fair. Employers are always impressed by attendees with some prior knowledge about where they work. Refer to the Handshake event page to see who is coming and what positions they’re hiring for, and make a list of organizations you’d like to target the day of the fair. Check back often on Handshake — the list of employers and open positions is constantly updating!
• Prepare some thoughtful questions to ask each employer you meet, and specific questions for your target organizations. Check out our informational interview guide for ideas on what to ask.
• Be ready to answer some common questions employers might ask you. For examples, see our interview guide.

• Dress for success! Formal business attire is not required, but we recommend wearing a neat and clean outfit that you feel comfortable in. 
• Remember to bring a folder or a professional-looking bag to carry your resume copies and anything else you’d like to have on you like paper to take notes or a water bottle.
• Plan to speak with a representative from each of your target organizations, but also try to visit every table you can, including ones from industries that students with your major don’t typically consider. Some of the best opportunities can come from places you’ve never heard of or thought about!
• As you visit each table, introduce yourself with your name, “it’s nice to meet you,” a smile, and a firm handshake if the employer extends their hand. If the employer asks you to tell them more about yourself, share your elevator pitch. Positive body language will make the best impression on employers, so be sure to have a friendly, engaged attitude. For more advice, watch this video on how to introduce yourself at a networking event.
• As the conversation winds down, thank the employer for speaking with you. If you’re interested in applying for one of their positions, offer them your resume and ask for their business card or email.

• Send a follow-up message to any employers you’re interested in working with between 24 and 48 hours after the fair. You can write an email, connect with them on LinkedIn, or message them on Handshake. Restate your name and major, mention when and where you met them, thank them for telling you about opportunities at their organization, and say which position you intend to apply for. Personalize the message by referencing something you learned during the conversation. If the employer asked for a digital copy of your resume or any other information, be sure to attach it.

• Apply to jobs and internships in Handshake. Head to the Handshake event page and select the companies you’re interested in to see all their open positions. If you discussed a specific opportunity with an employer at the fair, get ready to send your application soon!

• Follow an employer on Handshake to be notified when they post new positions, host events, or attend UA career fairs. When the employer looks at your profile, they can see that you follow them!

• Make an appointment with Career Services for help with writing follow-up messages, polishing job or internship applications, and preparing for post-fair interviews.

• Registration must be made through your Handshake account and will open Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 9 am AKST – space is limited so register early!
• If your organization does not yet have a free Handshake account, please visit our Employers webpage for instructions on how to get started.
• For guidance on how to complete your career fair registration through Handshake, please watch this video tutorial.

Our Career Services office communicates information about our career fair and other events to employers through Handshake – if you unsubscribe from Handshake, you risk missing these messages and we don’t want you to miss out on these important opportunities to connect with our students!

Registration

• $100 registration fee
  • includes one 5 or 6 foot table, and two chairs (to be staffed by no more than two people at a time)
  • includes employer snacks & beverages
• Registration opens in Handshake on Tuesday, December 3rd @ 9 am AKST
• Registration closes Tuesday, February 18th @ 5 pm AKST

Refund Policy

We hope that an organization will not cancel, but in the event that an organization chooses to withdraw from the event, the following refund schedule will apply

• Notification received via email before February 18, 2025 at 5pm AKT:  A full refund will be honored.
• Cancellations received via email after February 18, 2025 at 5pm AKT are not eligible for refunds or payment towards future fairs.
• No-shows are non-refundable and non-transferable. 
• If an event or fair needs to be canceled by the host institution, organizations that have already paid will receive a full refund.

Payment

• Credit card payment through Handshake is the preferred payment method
• If you must pay by check, please notify us ahead of time via email that the payment by check option is being utilized. Contact us at uas.career@alaska.edu
• Checks must be made out to “University of Alaska Southeast” only. Please ensure no other person’s name is included in the payee line.
• Envelopes should have the following mailing address: UAS Bursar’s Office/NOV 3, 11066 Auke Lake Way, Juneau, AK, 99801

What to expect:

This event is open to all UAS students and alumni. The university encourages all students to come as they are regardless of dress or appearance. Students are encouraged to attend as they are rather than miss the opportunity to participate in this career development opportunity. We recognize that a number of students experience homelessness, may not be able to afford professional attire, and/or are balancing a busy schedule that does not allow time to change. 

Students will vary in their level of preparedness. Career Services has many guides and resources, but students may choose not to utilize them especially if they are using the career fair as an exploratory tool. 

What they want:

All students regardless of academic year are invited and encouraged attend. Attendees may be looking to immediately apply for jobs and internships, seeking positions to apply for in the future, or exploring potential career pathways. Many students utilize recruitment events to learn more about career directions, industry trends, and company culture. They want to spend this time getting to know YOU and what you have to offer them now and/or in the future. 

How to engage: 

• Understand that students are likely nervous and intimidated. Close your devices and welcome each student with a smile and a warm hello.
• Start the conversation with an easy question, such as “What brings you to the career fair?” or “What is your major?”. Ask students if they have a particular career in mind or if they are still exploring their career interests.
• Be prepared to:
  • share the roles you are hiring for
  • describe a typical day in the roles you are hiring for
  • understand and articulate the company culture
  • provide information on company pay and benefits
  • discuss opportunities for training, development, mentorship, and progression within the company
• Some students have physical copies of their resumes ready for you, while others may have them uploaded to Handshake. Be sure to ask students how to best follow up with them.

Engage students early through Handshake by updating your company profile, posting your job and internship opportunities, messaging students ahead of time, and more! 

1. Update your company profile
   • Handshake Employer Profile Guide
   • Video: How to: update your profile 
2. Post any open positions to Handshake by October 8.
   • How To Post a Job in Handshake
   • Video: How to: post a job
3. Send students a personalized message through Handshake to invite them to speak with you at the fair.
   • Handshake Guide to Messaging Students
   • Video: How to: message students on Handshake

During the fair: 

Handshake now provides QR code check-in. Employers who are interested in gathering student data for follow-up after the fair may download and print a QR code for students to scan at the event. Handshake will send employers who utilize the QR code check-in a personalized digest the next day with contact information for all the students you spoke with! Review Handshake’s article on QR code check-in for more information on how to get your QR code! 

After the fair: 

1. Follow up with those who scanned your QR code at the fair. You may wait for Handshake to send you a digest, or log into Handshake and select the associated career fair to find attendees sooner. Review Handshake’s article on QR code check-in for more information. 
2. Send students a personalized message through Handshake to invite them to speak with you at the fair.
   • Handshake Guide to Messaging Students
   • Video: How to: message students on Handshake

Here are some tips for reaching our students at UAS:

• Students are more likely to visit your table if they have an idea of what you can offer them and want to learn more. We request that you post your jobs in Handshake by February 1st (or earlier!) so that students can view them before the fair.
• Some students appreciate having something they can take with them after the conversation. In addition to providing a business card, we recommend offering a flyer with information about your open positions.

• The career fair begins at 11 am, please arrive between 10 – 10:45 am for setup.
• Parking is free in the main parking lot.
• You will enter Egan building top floor and proceed to the end of the hall, which will lead you into the Egan Library. The elevator (or staircase) to the ground floor is located in the library.
• We provide:
  • 1 table (between 5-6 feet in length)
  • 2 chairs
  • Wifi (UAS guest)
  • Light snacks & beverages
• We encourage you to bring:
  • No more than two representatives
  • Tablecloth and signage with your company name/logo
  • Flyers or informational materials, promotional items