Instructions for Actuarial Science Career Fair Every Year
The Actuarial Science Career Fair will be held in-person on the 2nd Monday of September from 5:00 – 8:00 pm every year. Penn State is hosting this year's career fair in the Business Building Atrium. Please see the resources and information below to assist you in preparing for the career fair.
Here is the link to the Career Fair Brochure: link
The career fair is a great way to connect with recruiters and obtain interviews, but don't forget that recruiting starts long before the career fair! Three of the most important steps to take before going to the career fair are as follows
General Advice:
While it is useful to have the "elevator speech" listing your achievements, keep in mind that many of the recruiters will likely be talking to over 50 other students. Therefore, you can distinguish yourself by not only explaining your unique qualifications, but also by having a conversation. Recruiters want to hire someone they can imagine working with, so having a friendly conversation (even unrelated to actuarial science) could help make you memorable. (You can work on your conversational English if you think you are lacking).
Here is the link to the Career Fair Brochure: link
The career fair is a great way to connect with recruiters and obtain interviews, but don't forget that recruiting starts long before the career fair! Three of the most important steps to take before going to the career fair are as follows
- Do your research - Know what industry the company is in as well as the positions they are hiring for. Understand what locations you could be in, if they are looking for interns or full-time employees, and if they hire international students.
- Apply online - It can be very challenging if you have a great conversation with a recruiter and when you ask what the next steps are, they say to apply online. Expedite the process by applying online to any company you will speak to at the career fair before actually attending it.
- Go to information sessions - The information sessions hosted by The Actuarial Science Club are one of the best ways to learn more about companies and network. Recruiters remember who attends their information sessions and are more likely to offer you an interview if you attended. It's also a great opportunity for you to learn which companies you could see yourself working for!
General Advice:
While it is useful to have the "elevator speech" listing your achievements, keep in mind that many of the recruiters will likely be talking to over 50 other students. Therefore, you can distinguish yourself by not only explaining your unique qualifications, but also by having a conversation. Recruiters want to hire someone they can imagine working with, so having a friendly conversation (even unrelated to actuarial science) could help make you memorable. (You can work on your conversational English if you think you are lacking).
- Look at the floor plan
- Find the hiring information on Career Fair Brochure
- Apply on SmealConnect/NLCN
- Be ready for recruiter emails prior to & after career fair
- Research companies beforehand
- Work on your “pitch”
- Bring plenty of resumes (a good rule of thumb is 5 more copies than the number of companies you plan on talking to)
- Practice with friend to cool nerves
- Dress code is business professional
- Have conversation, be natural