The first thing you should ask yourself is: what are you trying to get out of this experience?

Some answers could be: figuring out what career you want, networking with professionals in top companies that aren’t in Vancouver, getting an interview, getting swag, etc… Try to get the root cause. If you are trying to get an interview, is it because you want to work at this company? Remember that interviewing on-spot isn't necessarily the only way to take a step closer to working at a company!

Don't be afraid of changing your goals once you arrive.

I would recommend trying as many different activities as you can early on, to better plan out your next days. I thought the job fair would be most valuable, so I spent most of the first day lining up and speaking to recruiters. However, I realized that it was hard to have engaging conversations and I should shift my focus. For the next days, I heavily reduced my time spent there. If you want to spend as little time possible on the job fair, but maximize your opportunities, you can just scan the QR codes at these booths and apply for the roles online. Since you aren't giving them a physical resume nowadays, they're usually not going to filter you based on the conversation they had with you (everyone applies with the QR code). That doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to them - you can get super helpful application tips, even on-site interviews - but just know that the option is there. You can get the QR code by physically walking around, but also join the GHC discord and make sure to share within SFU students.

I tried a little bit of everything (job fair, workshops, panels, networking), and the most valuable experiences were impromptu chats with other conference-goers. When I was on the train to the event, I saw two people with GHC badges talking about their schedule. We started chatting about the conference, and it turns out that they were Google engineers. I ended up getting lunch with them the next day, and after the event, they introduced me to another engineer who I'm still close with to this day.

A separate story, when I was picking up my badge, I made conversation with the conference-goer in front of me. Turns out that she was a Director at Walmart Labs, which recently had a partnership with Open AI. These are folks that aren't at the booths, and likely not at the networking events. It's hard to be in a room with them as a junior, so use the foundation of being at the same event to chat with them. Learn about their careers, learn about their big projects, learn about their companies. Obviously don't be intrusive and back off if they aren't reciprocating the energy, but if you approach someone with a smile and genuine questions, usually they're happy to make conversation! Also, I recognize that this approach is not for everyone and that's totally ok! You can equally make the most out of this conference by attending the hands-on workshops, getting free certificates (i.e. AWS had a booth), attending Brain Dates, etc..

Beyond networking with industry professionals, this is a great opportunity to make new friends with other university students and even network with them! The conversations are usually super fun, and it's easier to find things in common with them. I wish that I spent more time chatting with other interns and students who were sponsored to come with their schools.

If you are going to line up at the job fair booths:

• Check the list of companies beforehand and make a priority list of who you “must” meet (would line up & wait for) and who you would like to meet. This can be based on your interests, but also based on what others have said about the company’s likelihood of hiring/interviewing during GHC. I.e. if you know that Meta is not interviewing during GHC, but Snapchat is, then it might be more worth it to line up for Snapchat.
• Write down meaningful questions before you go up to a company. Especially for those “must meet” companies, read a couple of news articles, blogs, and prepare questions that show your interest.
• Follow up with company representatives that you add on LinkedIn - a message will help them (and you) remember the conversation that you’ve had.
• Don't spend all of your time at the booths! It can easily get draining and repetitive, and you definitely want to try out the different events that they have going on.

My final tip is to make sure that you rest properly and don't burn out with all of the talking. If you're not energized, you won't make good conversation! Take breaks if you need to, don't feel bad about missing out on a couple of workshops or talks, and prioritize your health. Make sure that you are enjoying the new city and spending valuable time with friends! I had so much fun with all the WiCS girlies and our late night belly laughs were the best part of the trip. The biggest thank you to WiCS and FAS for financially supporting us to go on this trip.