It’s time for our Fall 2024 Career & Internship Fair! Before you join us on Wednesday, September 18, from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM, we wanted to share some recommendations on how to make the MOST of your time at the Retriever Activities Center.

MAP your route. Review the employer directory (you can also see a list of employers on Handshake) and determine who you might want to speak with at the Career Fair. Take special note of companies that are hiring within your major and/or your career trajectory of interest. Download the map in the directory and either print it out or notate electronically the booths where these employers will be located. That way, once you arrive at the Career Fair you’ll know exactly where you want to go and who you want to talk to.

OPTIMIZE your resume. Your route is planned, so now you want to make sure that your resume is in top shape prior to the Career Fair. That includes having it clearly and concisely list relevant information, accomplishments, skills, and experience, as well as the top keywords in your industry of interest. If you need some help knowing where to incorporate worthwhile edits, you can review some tips and samples on our website, or stop by our live drop-in hours Monday-Thursday 2-4 PM at the Center. We also have virtual/evening express hours on Fridays from 2-4 PM and one evening per week from 5-7 PM, which can be scheduled in Handshake. Once your resume is ready, print out 15-20 copies and keep them in a folder or padfolio the day of the Career Fair.

SELL your skills. Now that you know who you want to talk to and have an optimized resume, it’s time to practice what you’ll say to these employers. This is where your 30-second commercial comes in. A 30-second commercial (also known as an elevator pitch) is an opportunity to let employers know who you are, highlight a few of your accomplishments, and share how you might bring value to their organization. Before the Career Fair, think about your 30-second commercial. Write it down, and practice it a few times — either in front of a mirror or maybe even in front of family members or friends. You can also use the resource Big Interview and record yourself responding to the “Tell me about yourself” prompt.

TALK to your connections. Once you’ve passed out your resumes and sold employers on your abilities, the work doesn’t end there. After the Career Fair is officially over you want to take the time to follow-up with employers that you were most interested in. This could range from sending a LinkedIn connection request, sending over your resume, or sending an email with specific details about your conversation. With this in mind, it might be worth bringing a piece of paper or a notebook to the fair so you can jot down pieces of conversations you want to remember and draw from in your follow-up correspondence. This allows your messages/emails to be fully personalized, and will make you even more memorable.

By MAPPING your route, OPTIMIZING your resume, SELLING your skills, and TALKING to your connections, you’ll be making the MOST out of your Career Fair experience. Best of luck out there and see you soon!

Attention Graduate Students!

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a 21st century government agency that implements and enforces Federal consumer financial law and ensures that markets for consumer financial products are fair, transparent, and competitive is recruiting this fall for the Director’s Financial Analyst (DFA) position to start in June 2025, and we want to encourage graduating seniors/recent graduates to apply. 

ABOUT THE CFPB DFA PROGRAM 

A highly selective, two-year rotational fellowship designed to engage young professionals in meaningful public service work. Each year, the CFPB hires a new cohort of Director’s Financial Analysts to gain a unique experience working alongside senior policymakers and researchers to help make financial markets work better for all. 

Visit the CFPB DFA Program webpage at https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/careers/students-and-graduates/cfpb-directors-financial-analyst-program/ to learn more about program eligibility requirements and how to apply during the live application window. 

If you have questions or want to be added to our mailing list, please send an email to CFPB_DFA_Program@cfpb.gov. You can also reach out to me at anika.bhat@cfpb.gov to hear more about my experiences as a DFA.  

INFORMATION WEBINARS 

The CFPB will host three virtual information sessions about the DFA Program and the application process, including a question-and-answer period conducted over Webex. You must register to attend using the links below. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the meeting. You will need this link to join the webinar session. 

OPEN HOUSE SESSIONS 

The CFPB is also hosting drop-in Open House sessions following the information webinars for an opportunity to meet with the DFA Program Recruitment Team and current DFAs, to ask any remaining questions about the program and application process. 

The Baltimore Ravens are partnering with the non-profit, Strength in Numbers, to create a Ravens Analytics Mentorship Program for underrepresented college students that attend the following local colleges & universities: University of Maryland-College Park, Morgan State, Coppin State, UMBC & Towson University. The program will begin in the Fall’24 semester (October).

•      Students will be given a month long project to work on from the Baltimore Ravens Analytics Team
•     Students will work on this project as a group with other local college students
•     At the end of the project, students will present to the Baltimore Ravens Analytics Team
•     Students will receive a $500 stipend 
•     Application deadline is September 20th

Please view the attached flyer or click on the link below for more information and to apply.

Baltimore Ravens Analytics Mentorship Program Application-

https://forms.gle/5nUxUGzQWiWZrSAq7