Forté is excited to help you build your wheelhouse to navigate the professional world! Forté’s college leadership conferences are great opportunities to build leadership skills, explore career interests, and network with both peers and professionals. Our team has put together a list of information and resources to help you prepare for any of our upcoming conferences.
DO YOUR RESEARCH- Who, What, When, and Where?
- Review the conference agenda so that you are familiar with the conference topics, companies, schools, and representatives that will be present.
- Ensure you are familiar with the location and start time of the event (plan to arrive early). This can help when planning for departure time from the airport to give yourself plenty of time to find your way to the welcome session once you arrive!
- Bring your ID for access to the event!
- Write down your conference goals- what do you want to get out of the sessions? Write down some questions that you may want to ask a panelist.
TRAVEL AND PLANNING
- Plan travel as early as possible and be sure that you have a solid plan for getting to and from the conference
- Be sure to travel with identification as you will need it for airfare travel and at the conference
- Review the travel stipend process ✈️
CREATING AN ACTION PLAN FOR MISSED CLASS AND ASSIGNMENTS ✍️
- Make sure to communicate with your professor early about your absence
- Work ahead or make sure you have developed a plan to complete work
RESUME
- Make sure your resume is up-to-date before uploading it to our job center to get your resume in front of conference sponsors, including Fortune 500 companies. Include all leadership, extracurricular activities, internships, employment, and other pertinent information.
- Meet with a career counselor at your school’s career center for review before submission!
- It is certainly not required but never a bad idea to bring hard copy- most career centers can help you with this for no charge
NETWORKING
- Think about your why, or your elevator pitch. What makes you unique and how might you use that to create a brief introduction when networking with someone at the conference?
- Check out this blog post on developing your why/elevator pitch
- Taking notes during their presentation can help with asking effective and thoughtful questions. Some things to consider:
- What takeaways do you have?
- How did this session increase your awareness or knowledge on the topic area?
- What are some things you will implement moving forward based on the information given?
- If you have student business cards that you’ve made, bring them! They can be a great way to leave a lasting impression
Helpful tips for alleviating anxiety around networking
- Take a deep breath and count to 3
- Know that they have been in your shoes before
- Be yourself and know that it’s ok to be nervous!
CONFERENCE ATTIRE
- Dress for success–you might have the opportunity to interact and engage with a future employer
- Business casual attire is usually recommended and you might be asking, well what is business casual attire? Business casual can mean different things to different people, and we certainly want you to feel like your best self as you mix and mingle with your peers, schools, and company representatives.
- Some common business casual clothing items include:
- Slacks or skirts that resemble those from a suit
- Neatly pressed khakis or corduroys
- Blazer
- Cardigan or v-neck sweater
- Loafers, oxfords, low-heeled shoes or boots
- Wear clothing that is comfortable as you will be moving around throughout the day
- Check the weather so that you are prepared and are not caught off guard
- Pack multiple options, just in case something happens and you need to pivot
- Nonprofits and other resources if you are need of attire for the conference
