Maintain the Right Body Language and Affect

  • At the career fair, initiate contact with recruiters by smiling, making eye contact, and shaking hands when introducing yourself.
  • Approach recruiters by yourself, not with a group of friends. Recruiters see the group approach representing a lack of self-confidence. This is not to say that you shouldn’t approach a recruiting table where others have already gathered. You can approach a busy table and simply eavesdrop on conversations or peruse recruiting literature about a school district until you find an opportune time to introduce yourself and deliver your pitch.
  • Stand up straight and avoid looking fatigued or disorganized when speaking with recruiters.
  • Avoid setting your materials (bag, satchel) on the recruiting table. That’s the recruiters’ space, and by setting your materials on their tables you may inadvertently knock over their displays and carefully arrayed hand outs, etc.

The Greeting: Think GNAP

  • GNAP stands for Greeting, Name, Affiliation, and Purpose. See how each element is sequenced in the sample greeting: “Hello, I’m Judy Ranger, a senior secondary science major at the University of Maine at Farmington. I’m interested in discussing the possibility of my teaching at Hall-Dale High School,” or “Hello, I’m Judy Ranger, a senior business economics major at the University of Maine at Farmington. I’m interested in applying for the position of customer service specialist with UNUM Provident. Would you care to see my resume?”
  • Each time your deliver the GNAP-based introduction (or some similar variant), you clearly establish identity and purpose, which communicates confidence and self-direction.

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