'Fair' Game

It's called a Career "Fair" for a fair reason. You meet all sorts of people (clowns?) at the stalls. Check out a few:

* The I-will-have-you-for-lunch types: You go and meet this guy from a very popular company and guess what, he is as haughty as he can be. You tell him you have some expertise in a particular area (java, say) and believe it or not, he directly starts asking you intervew-type questions. "Tell me the algorithm for ...." and " What is a better programming construct...." He successfully freaks you out. [amazon.com]

* The me-not-interested types: You go to them with a lot of enthusiasm written all over your face. Standing tall, cheerful bright smile on your face and a strong introduction leads only to a very disinterested response. Poke him/her here and there, but nope, the situation does not improve. You stop short of asking "What are you getting paid for?" [Apple, Goldman Sachs, list goes on...]

* The student-hunting types: This is in direct contrast to above type. They are actively 'hunting' for people. "What's your major"? "CS"? they will literally shout at the top of their lungs and will try to 'pull' you to their table. Some of them are really good at marketing skills, but honestly, is that enough? [Noria]

* The I-like-watching types: These guys will sit behind their table and will watch everyone pass by. They are absolutely content with the state of affairs and are probably very happy to spend a day off from their regular work. Sure they will stand up and speak if you accost them, but hey dude, life's much better with me watching the fun! Run along. [UBS]

* The you-gotta-sweat-it-out types: The real hard-workers. They will work very hard in trying to impress you. Sweat dripping from all sides, they will never stop short of answering the questions and getting you more and more involved in their firm. When it needs to be done, better do it with all the effort. [Verizon]

* The overwhelmed-with-people types: Honestly, no fault of theirs. Their company has got such a reputation that students flock to it like flies to a piece of ... [err, let it be]. These guys have no notion of how to deal with a swarm of people. They try their best to act like Neo fighting off the infinite Mr Smiths in The Matrix, but hey, not everybody is the 'chosen one'. [Nike, Microsoft, Intel]

* The really-good types: If there's a contest among the presenters, these guys are the winners. They are really enthusiastic about their responses and know very well how to deal with 'customers' (job-hunters, in this case). You feel like talking to them forever. A bright smile and friendly attitude, these guys are diamonds in the coal mine. [Bloomberg (Non-technical)]