It is time to be prepared for the Spring recruit season. Here are some tips and tricks for you to be aware of when going to networking events.

• Do your research – networking events can be overwhelming. Do some research on the firms attending to help you prioritize your time at the event and maximize the interactions. It is helpful to know which firms you would like to network with as it can take time before you get a chance to speak with recruiters one on one.
• Ask questions – come prepared with firm specific questions. Lots of general information can be acquired from firm websites, so use this resource to ask specific questions. Recruiters spend much of their day answering the same questions over and over again, so having some unique questions or topics of conversation will allow for a more engaging conversation that will make you stand out from other recruit candidates.
• Be yourself – firms are looking for authentic candidates. They value who you are and are looking for individuals with a variety of characteristics that don’t necessarily fit a cookie cutter checklist.
• Bring your business cards – without a business card, recruiters are highly unlikely to remember you. They generally sort the cards they receive throughout the day. Therefore, if you have no card to give they can’t even sort your name into their “yes”, “no” or “maybe” piles, thus, reducing your chances of being rememberedby a recruiter.
• Follow up – within 24 hours you should follow up with recruiters or whomever you spoke with to thank them for their time. To jog their memory of who you are, mention something you spoke about during your conversation; which means you should take notes immediately after your interactions, if possible, or after the event while the details are fresh in your memory.