After the expo: UTSA Career Center staff guide students through next steps

OCTOBER 6, 2022 — The career expo is over. Now what? The UTSA University Career Center offers some advice to students and potential employees who want to advance their latest career search.

After attending a career expo, consider these next steps and strategies:

Reflect

Reflect on the experience. Some questions to keep in mind:

1. How well did I prepare, and how can I better prepare next time?
2. What went well?
3. What was the best part of the expo?
4. What would you do differently?
5. What did you learn about employers?
6. Did I request a business card/get contact information? Contact Career Services at Services@utsa.edu for information about career expo participants.

Update your resume and review it in VMock

The resume is a marketing tool, showcasing an individual’s knowledge, skills, achievements and experience—paid and/or unpaid. The next step is to tailor your resume to reflect that job posting or internship of interest. Highlight relevant skillsets that benefit the company.

Review the information for accuracy and format for consistency. Omit colorful fonts, pictures and photos. The text should reflect the same consistent black font throughout.

Upload resumes here to access the VMock tech tool for feedback.

Follow up

Follow up with employers and recruiters within 24 to 48 hours after the career expo, thanking them for their time and referencing something specific from the conversation with them. Reference the following template as an example:

Hello [Name of Recruiter],

Thank you for the opportunity to meet you at the [name/location of career fair] on [date]. [Personal detail.] It was great learning more about [detail from meeting], and I believe my [relevant experience, skillset] would make me a great fit for [Company]. I would love to connect again regarding a potential career with [Company] and look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Thanks again for your time!

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Meet with a career consultant

To schedule an appointment with a UTSA career consultant:

1. Log on to Handshake with your UTSA email and passphrase.
2. Select the “Career Center” tab at the top right.
3. Select “Appointments.”

— Jeffrey Patten and Courtney Pletcher