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THE GOVERNMENT & NONPROFIT CAREER FAIR

Friday, October 21, 2011
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

In 2009, over 50 local, state and federal government agencies attended the fair.  Click here to review a list of the government agencies planning to attend the fair. New agencies are added frequently, please check back often for the most updated list of participants.

Workshop Presentations

Students are invited to attend the following workshop presentations:

10:00 a.m.	- Find and Apply Workshop - Annenberg Speaker
11:15 a.m.	- Human Resource Professionals: Finding a Government Job -The Employer's Perspective
11:15 a.m.	- NP 101: Intro to Careers in Nonprofits
12:30 p.m.	- Professionals in Government: City, County, State and Federal Jobs
12:30 p.m.	- Panel:  Year of Service Programs in the U.S. and Abroad
1:45 p.m.	- Internships in Government: Current Student Perspectives
1:45 p.m.	- NP 101: Intro to Careers in Nonprofits

Pre-Registration Required

The Government & Nonprofit Career Fair is designed to bring employers and students together in a way that allows students the opportunity to explore many different work & internship opportunities and employers a cost-effective means of meeting highly talented students from Minnesota's private colleges. The fair is sponsored by 31 participating Minnesota 4-year colleges and universities.

Individual organizations will each have a booth at the fair and students can choose with whom they'd like to make contact.

Registration is going on now at the Center for Experiential Learning located in Tomson, 270.

• Register ONLINE - the deadline is Wednesday, October 19th!!
• Transportation will be provided, please check your approriate preference. If you have questions on the timing of the transportation, please email Miriam Samuelson at <samuelme@stolaf.edu>.

Once registered, all communication with you about the job fair will be through e-mail.

If you have questions about whether the fair will benefit you, see one of the CEL staff members to discuss your specific goals and career direction. A list of government organizations registered for the fair and the specific positions they are recruiting for is available on-line here.

Prepare a resume

• If you have not yet started a resume, check out the online resume guide format & content ideas.
• If you have a draft of a resume that you'd like critiqued, stop by the CEL anytime between 9-5, Monday-Friday.
• Make a sufficient number of copies of your resume on high quality bond paper to bring to the fair (buy resume paper at places like St. Olaf's print center, Target, Insty Prints). You should be able to estimate the number of contacts you will want to make at the fair to judge how many resumes you will need by using the employer list.

Research the organizations with which you will be making contact at the fair

• This is the most time consuming part of the preparation process but undoubtedly the most crucial. Recruiters will expect that you know something about the positions they are offering and about the organization they represent. Last year, several recruiters screened students by starting their conversations with the question, "what do you know about us?"
• To begin the research process, access the employer list online. The list of employers will appear; choose the employers/positions of interest to you. Those employers who have a web site of their own have a web address listed.
• If there is an "Apply online" feature on the website for an opening of interest to you, we strongly encourage you to apply via the web prior to the fair. (Some agencies require an online application before you can be considered a candidate.) This will also demonstrate your initiative, allow for a better conversation at the fair with the recruiter, and speed up the hiring process.

Prepare a benefit statement to use in introducing yourself at the booths on the fair day

• A mini-benefit statement is a concise way to introduce yourself and pique the interest of a recruiter. Be creative in putting together a 20-30 second sound bite that will link your skills to a specific position, highlighting your best qualifications. The online Benefit Statement will help you get started; the longer version of the benefit statement outlined will assist you in continuing your conversation when a recruiter asks, "Tell me more".

Brush up on your interview skills

• Prepare answers highlighting your skills and experiences for various types of interview questions. See the online Interviewing Guide to learn about the different types of interviews and sample questions.
• The best preparation for an interview is practice. CEL counselors are happy to assist you by conducting a practice interview. In a practice interview, the counselor acts as a recruiter asking you the kind of questions that you can expect during a real interview. You have the opportunity to get feedback on your answers and to ask any questions you have about the interview process. Call or stop by the CEL to make an appointment for a practice interview, x3268. Prior to scheduling the interview, you must have attended an interviewing skills workshop or viewed the interviewing video, which can be checked out at the CEL.

All of the CEL staff are eager to help you have a good experience; ask us your questions, have us critique your resume, get our feedback on your benefit statement and answers to interview questions. There are open interviewing slots on the counselor's schedules, so call now (x3268) to schedule an appointment.