How to Prepare First-Generation Students for Career Fairs

Career fairs require first-generation students to navigate rules they were never explicitly taught.

Dress codes, informal scripts, follow-up norms, and recruiter expectations often sit outside formal curricula. For many first-gen students, the career fair is their first sustained exposure to this hidden curriculum.

The gap shows up early.

Data from HigherEd indicate that first-generation college students participate in internships at lower rates than their peers, with participation hovering around 50% for first-gen students compared with 66% for continuing-generation students.

By the time students reach a career fair, differences in exposure, confidence, and social capital are already compounding.

Addressing this gap requires more than generic preparation. For US College Career Services Professionals (CSPs), it calls for intentional, systemic support that makes expectations explicit and preparation actionable.

Here’s what that looks like in practice.

How can CSPs bridge the social capital gap for first-gen students?

CSPs must transition from "waiting for help-seekers" to a "reach-in" model by establishing mentorship routines long before students feel they need them. This involves proactive outreach and creating "warm handoffs" where advisors or faculty personally introduce students to employers during the fair to lower the psychological barrier of entry.

According to research by Lisa Nunn, sociology professor and author of College Belonging, first-gen students often default to extreme self-reliance, only seeking help as a last resort, as noted by Northwestern University’s Searle Center.

• The "Warm Handoff": Don't just point to a booth. The "warm handoff" - literally walking a student to a colleague or employer and facilitating the first 30 seconds of the interaction, is a "strong level of evidence" strategy for increasing student persistence.
• Peer-Led Navigation: Use "Career Ambassadors" who are also first-gen. At NC State, the Career Ambassador Program uses peers to conduct mock interviews and lead workshops, making the advice feel like a shared secret rather than a lecture.

Also Read: Industry vs. General Career Fairs: Which Works Best for Career Centers?

How should CSPs address the "attire barrier" before the fair?

CSPs must move beyond the "free closet" model to address the socioeconomic anxiety and high entry costs associated with professional standards. By reframing attire as a functional "career uniform" and providing curated, "styled" experiences, professionals can dismantle the imposter syndrome that often prevents first-gen students from engaging with high-stakes recruiters.

According to the Center for First-generation Student Success, many first-gen students navigate "unfamiliar social and professional landscapes" where the cost of a suit is a barrier to entry.

Look at the NC State "Wolfpack Styled" Professional Clothing Closet as a model; it doesn't just give clothes, it provides a "Styled" experience that builds confidence, according to their 2025 Career Guide.

Also Read: How to maximize ROI from career fairs?

How can you help first-gen students translate non-traditional work into career fair assets?

Use "Community Cultural Wealth" mapping to reframe retail work, caregiving, or bilingualism as high-level project management and crisis resolution. By translating these "invisible" skills into corporate vocabulary, students can enter the fair with a surplus of resilience and reliability that matches the specific competencies employers are seeking.

According to Aspire Institute, first-gen students often possess significant "aspirational" and "navigational" capital that they fail to include in their pitches.

• The "Work-Study" Reframe: At Georgetown University, the Center for Student Engagement coaches students to describe on-campus jobs (like desk assistants) as "Operations Management," ensuring their pitch matches the corporate vocabulary employers use.
• Skill Mapping: According to the 2024 NACE Job Outlook, nearly 90% of employers seek evidence of "teamwork" and "communication skills." CSPs must help first-gen students map family responsibilities or community leadership to these specific job description keywords before they hit the floor.

Also Read: Why Do Students Skip Career Fairs, and How to Bring Them Back ?

How can first-gen students identify inclusive employers before the fair begins?

Teach students to conduct a "vibe check" by searching for First-Gen Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and using "Pell-friendly" filters on platforms like Handshake. This preparation allows them to target companies with a proven track record of supporting upward mobility, ensuring their energy is spent on recruiters who value their background.

The Tactical Details:

• ERG Research: Teach students to search LinkedIn for "[Company Name] + First-Gen ERG."
• The "Pell-Friendly" Filter: Use platforms like Handshake to filter for employers who have explicitly signed the "Handshake Access Pledge."
• The 90-Day Question: Prepare students to ask: "How does your company support first-generation professionals in their first 90 days?" At UC San Diego, the First-Gen Student Experience program explicitly prepares students to ask this question in employer conversations.

Also Read: How Can Career Services Close the Equity Gap for FGLI Students?

How can CSPs prepare students for the sensory environment of a career fair?

Conduct "Sensory Simulations" that mimic the noise and high-pressure atmosphere of the fair floor rather than traditional, quiet mock interviews. Physical preparation, like walking the venue in advance, helps students desensitize to the environment so they can focus entirely on their elevator pitch and recruiter engagement.

According to NACE, first-gen students experience higher levels of "career choice anxiety" and social discomfort in networking settings compared to their continuing-generation peers.

• The "Noise-Prep" Session: Cornell University’s First-Generation Student Union has previously hosted "practice fairs" in the same venue as the actual event. This allows students to walk the space, find the exits, and practice their pitch over background noise.
• The "Opening Script": Don't just teach the elevator pitch; teach the "approach." Prepare students with "Icebreaker Scripts" to handle the awkward transition from the line to the recruiter's face.

Also Read: What are some useful Icebreakers for Career Coaching Sessions?

What is the "Hidden Curriculum" of the post-fair follow-up?

Preparation must include a mandatory "24-Hour Rule" for sending personalized LinkedIn or email follow-ups. Providing pre-written templates helps students bridge the gap between a successful conversation and a formal interview. Treating the follow-up as a scheduled part of the fair prep ensures the connection is solidified immediately.

According to Linkedin, 63% of recruiters say that a personalized follow-up makes a candidate stand out, yet only a fraction of students actually send one.

The Tactical Details:

• Template Literacy: Provide "connection request" templates during prep workshops so students have a message ready to send the moment they leave the booth. At the University of Michigan, the First-Gen Gateway equips students with these templates as part of career fair preparation.
• Recruiter Tracking: Supply a simple "Recruiter Tracker" spreadsheet. According to the University of Washington’s Career Center, students who track interactions and follow up within 24-48 hours increase their chances of receiving a next-step invite by nearly 40%.

Also Read: How career centers can support seniors without jobs before graduation?

Wrapping Up

Supporting first-generation students at career fairs requires preparation that is structured, repeatable, and accessible before high-stakes interactions.

When resume readiness, interview practice, LinkedIn positioning, and follow-up are built into a single, guided workflow, students arrive with clearer expectations and greater confidence.

Career centers can deliver this level of preparation consistently, even with limited staff capacity.

This is where Hiration fits naturally into existing career services operations.

By combining ATS-aligned resume support, role-specific interview practice, LinkedIn optimization, and counselor-controlled feedback in one system, career teams can standardize preparation and extend advisor expertise to more students without adding manual workload.

The result is practical readiness before students ever step onto the fair floor.