Let’s be honest: Walking into a career fair can be incredibly intimidating. The room is full of people who have the power to give you a job one day, plus people who want some of the very same jobs you want. No one would blame you for feeling overwhelmed.
One way to feel more comfortable with the situation: Consider that the recruiters on the other side of the table (literally or metaphorically) are people just like you. And remember that you’re unlikely to elicit a job offer on the spot from any one of them. Keeping those facts in mind will help you lower the stakes for yourself and allow you to have great conversations with people who can make a difference in your career.
“Recruiters are humans, not robots; they like having conversations,” says Victoria Morell, human resources consultant at The Christ Hospital Health Network and former Muse career coach. “You always want to leave them with, ‘Oh I want to learn more about that person.’”
Easy to say, sure—but what do you actually say when you’re face-to-face with a tired recruiter who’s already spoken to 47 other prospective applicants today? At a career fair, your goal is to ask the right questions to get the information you need to decide if a company or role is a good fit for you—while also leaving a good impression that could help you get a job. Here are 34 questions to ask at a career fair, so that you’re never at a loss for words.
Good questions to ask at a career fair
Career fair interviews aren't quite like traditional job interviews. The person on the other side of the table expects you to interview them just as much as they'll interview you. All 34 of these questions to ask in a career fair will help you make a lasting impression on potential employers:
Ask about a particular role
Most people will come up to a table, say hello and give a little spiel about their background, and then ask, “Do you have any open roles?” according to career coach Chelsea Williams, who in a previous position at an asset management firm attended dozens of career fairs to look for talent.
“The recruiter will sometimes say, ‘We do. Check the website.’—that’s not a powerful way to maximize your time,” Williams says. Plus, it tells the recruiter that you didn’t take the time to do any research and you’re not serious about their company.
Don’t be one of those people. You can stand out right away by taking a different approach. Spend some time ahead of the event looking through the list of companies attending, learning what you can about them, identifying any roles that seem like a good fit for you, and ideally submitting your application before you walk in.
That way, you can use your time to delve deeper into anything that wasn’t clear in the job description and to gather information beyond what’s available online. This could help you continue to evaluate whether it’s really the right fit and come in handy later if you move forward in the interview process.
You can try to get right to the heart of the matter by asking, “What are you truly looking for in this role if you could have your ideal candidate?” Morell says. Not only can you get the inside scoop on what’s most important to them, but it also “gives you an opportunity to say, ‘Oh, this is how I’ve done that!’”
Questions you could ask:
- Is the [open role] you currently have listed more focused on [some function or aspect of the company] or [some other function or aspect of the company]?
- I noticed the job description for [open role] listed [some vague item] in the responsibilities—what do you mean by that?
- On a typical day, what does [open role] do?
- What’s the biggest challenge the new [open role] can help solve?
- Who’s the manager/direct report for this role?
- What’s this team’s biggest goal in the next six months?
- I don’t have a traditional background in [field or function] but I have worked on [something relevant]. Would that be a good fit for [open role]?
- I noticed you didn’t have any [type of role or roles on a specific team] open just now. What kinds of opportunities in those areas do you foresee down the line?
Ask about the hiring process
A one-on-one conversation with a recruiter is also a great opportunity to glean some information and calibrate your expectations for the hiring process. Some companies have a simple, short hiring process, while others have multiple steps, including interviews and tests. Knowing something like that up front would help you get a sense of the kind of timeline you can expect. (And you might decide to send out some more applications while you wait!)
Questions you could ask:
- What does the hiring process for [open role] look like?
- Can you tell me a little bit about the different stages in the hiring process for [open role]?
- Do candidates have to do any personality, problem-solving, or skills tests?
Ask about their experience
One of your main goals going into a career fair should be to use it as a starting point for building long-term relationships, says Clayton Wert, a career coach at The Human Reach. To that end, you “don’t just want to talk about yourself all the time. Be insightful and curious about the other person,” Wert says.
The person you’re speaking with works at the company, so ask them about their experience there. You might learn something about the culture that you could never glean from a job posting or website alone. Plus, “the more authentic, personable, and relatable you can be, the more memorable you can be,” says Muse career coach Kristina Leonardi.
Questions you could ask:
- How long have you been at [Company]?
- What do you like about [Company]?
- What’s your favorite thing about your job?
- What do you really enjoy about this role in particular?
- What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your role or at [Company]?
- What do you like the most about the [Company] culture?
Ask about growth and development
You may be a student or recent graduate looking for your first real step into a new field, but you won’t be a newbie forever. It’s worth asking not just about the role you’ve applied for, but about how you can learn and grow and do more down the line. “It lets the recruiter know you’re thinking about the future and the long-term with the company, that you’re really invested in what your future could look like there,” Morell says.
Questions you could ask:
- What does growth and development look like at [Company]?
- How does [Company] support its employees as they look to grow and level up their skills and responsibilities?
- I imagine that [innovation at the company or change in the industry] will change how you’re working on [project or product]. How are you developing your workforce to keep up with this?
- How does [Company] work to upskill and reskill its employees?
Ask about the company’s products, services, or recent news
Nothing shows you’ve done your homework like casually mentioning something timely about the organization. “Go to the company blog when doing your research, find a recent article or press release, and reference something the company’s currently going through,” Wert says.
If the company’s just reached a major milestone, released a new product, or announced some great news, he suggests going in and saying, “Congratulations, that’s awesome! Hopefully it makes doing your job easier. What do you think this means for you?” Or you could say, “I saw you’re launching [new product]… That’s great! What do you think that’s going to do?”
If you have a genuine personal connection to the company’s products or services—whether it’s been your favorite thing since you were five or your mother’s always talking about how much she loves it—share that with the recruiter and use it to lead into a question.
Questions you could ask:
- I recently read an article about [event, announcement, or news related to the company]. What was it like to be a part of that?
- How is the company's recently announced strategy change taking place internally?
- I love [product/service]! How do you think it’s going to evolve in the next year?
Read this next: The Ultimate Guide to Researching a Company Pre-Interview
Ask about company culture
Whatever role it is that you have your eye on, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. You’ll be working with colleagues, a team, a department, and an entire organization that has a unique culture. One of the most effective ways you can use your time at a career fair is to ask questions that’ll help you understand a company’s culture and determine if it’s the kind of environment you want.
It’s not necessarily about the culture being good or bad, it’s a matter of finding a match. For example, you might be looking for a highly collaborative atmosphere or, on the flipside, you might prefer to work independently 95% of the time. In either scenario you’ll need a different kind of work culture to thrive.
When you ask questions about culture (and throughout your conversation) make sure you’re attuned to body language, hesitations, and what’s not being said, in addition to the actual verbal response. “As a recruiter, they’re going to be pretty well rehearsed,” Morell says. “They’re there to sell the brand and positions.”
Small cues like pauses or a perfectly inoffensive but canned answer can raise questions to look into more later. For example, Morell says, “if you ask about diversity and they only mention one kind of diversity or their statement feels very much like a corporate statement on diversity, that could be a red flag.”
Questions you could ask:
- What kind of person is most successful at [Company]?
- What does communication look like at [Company]?
- What kind of technology do you use for communication?
- What kind of culture is there around feedback at [Company]? How do people like to give and receive feedback?
- Diversity is really important to me. How do you support different identities?
- I saw photos of [volunteer, diversity, or social event] on the company’s Instagram account. Can you tell me more about that program?
- Do people hang out outside of work on a regular basis?
Ask how you can stay in touch
Now that you’ve had a fantastic chat, wrap it up by ensuring that this doesn’t have to be the last time you talk. Make sure you know the person’s name and take a business card (if they have one) or ask how you can keep in touch with them and the company. That way, you’ll have a contact to reach out to if you don’t hear back about your application.
And you can also start developing long-term relationships. Who knows, “you might connect back with them at a time that’s not as busy and get coffee,” Morell says. Even if there’s not a perfect role for you at this company now, or if this one doesn’t pan out, you never know what might open up in the future.
Questions you could ask:
- What’s the best way to stay in touch with you?
- What would be a great next step to take after meeting you here?
- Who can I follow up with about [open role]?
Don’t just attend, stand out
Questions to ask at career fairs are pretty similar to those you'd ask in a traditional job interview. The key difference is that you'll have more opportunities to speak and should evaluate the companies just as much as their representatives are assessing you. By doing your research and preparing some of the questions we suggest, you’re likely to have a great conversation.
In the meantime, your dream job can be just a click away—check these amazing open jobs on The Muse and find the perfect fit for you »
Amanda Cardoso contributed to the latest version of this article.