Career fair: Tie or no tie?

[FortFunFoSho]

College career fair. Tie?

What about a suit? Too much?

 

[nord1899]

I honestly can't remember from my career fairs.

But you can always wear a tie and take it off if no one else has it. A suit is overkill though.

 

[ElFenix]

depends on what major you are and whether you're there for a job or an internship or what. liberal arts and business types always dressed nicely, people looking for jobs always dressed nicely, and CS majors looking for free stuff or internships went in berks and smelly jeans.

 

[dolph]

it's hard to overdress.

 

[radioouman]

At my school, all the guys wore suits. I wore a suit and tie, got an interview, and got a job.

 

[nitsuj3580]

I usually just put on khakis and a sweater/or a shirt with a collar. Lots of people get decked out. Just look respectable but I personally dont believe you have to wear a suit to a career fair. If you have a nice resume and strike up a good conversation with someone and are professional, I personally dont think it matters what you wear unless you're there in like tshirt, shorts, look like a slob

 

[SmiZ]

Wear at least a shirt and tie and be prepared to sell yourself.

 

[Rio Rebel]

I am admittedly a bit old fashioned. But maybe this is helpful:

I used to be the director of recruitment for a program that sought out recent college grads and paid for their Master's degree in education in exchange for teaching in a poor area (the Mississippi Delta). I spent a good bit of time at college career fairs. So while I can't speak for everyone, I can tell you that I've seen quite a few college students come past my desk. And the bottom line is this:

I never once saw one who was OVERdressed. I personally never turned away an applicant for being in a suit and tie, and I've never seen one turned away for that reason. But I'll also tell you this - I have seen many an application tossed in the trash as soon as a poorly dressed applicant was facing the other direction. It DOES happen, and the reason is simple. In most cases, and especially in a tight market, employers are looking for reasons to trim the stack of resumes. They don't have time to give every resume a thorough review. So if there's something that can help weed out likely wastes of time, you can bet they'll use it.

There are probably thousands of cases of underdressed applicants getting the job, or at least being the better candidate. But why take the chance? Is it really that unpleasant?

 

[Storm]

I dont know if you can be overdressed for a college career fair. All the engineering career fairs I've been to, every guy was in suit and tie. The gals were dress appropriately too.

 

[Yossarian]

suit and tie. You want to be dressed at least as well as the companies' representatives, and you can bet that some of them will be wearing suits.

 

[woodie1]

I think a suit and tie is best, at least a tie and sport coat or blazer.

 

[Maverick]

you'll shake hands with a lot of people, have them ask you personal questions like your gpa, and come out with very few perspective interviews.

At least thats how it was for me last year. Nothing ever came out of career fairs for me after my freshman year (right around 2000 when the economy took a dump). Sign up for the oncampus interview system if your school has it...its much better.

 

[Reel]

at UF, they just had one last week and most of the guys were suit + tie.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Wear suit + tie or just a very nice shirt and tie

 

[ajayjuneja]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Wear suit + tie or just a very nice shirt and tie

I wore a propeller beanie to mine last fall

It worked great! I'm getting the job I want this summer!

Me in propeller beanie