Discover Proven Job Fair Tips and Strategies to Get Hired - Your Preparation, Your Dress, Your Documents, Your Presentation and Follow Up after Job Fair!
The first step in organizing a successful job fair is to select a date and location. Be sure to plan the fair at a time that minimizes conflict with other events and holidays. Daytime is best for employers, but be sure job seekers – your intended audience – will be able to attend, too. Make sure to:
- Reserve a space that can accommodate your estimated audience.
- Reserve tables and chairs for employers, hospitality rooms and registration.
Recruit Employers
If this is your first job fair, recruiting employers may seem like a daunting task. A clear theme or focus for the fair will guide employer recruitment. For example, an engineering fair would target engineering firms. If you are organizing a general job fair, contact human resource directors and hiring managers to promote your event. Don’t be afraid to leverage connections that you or your organization have with local businesses. It isn’t uncommon to charge employers to have a booth at a job fair. This may be the primary way to recoup your costs. Determine if the fee includes lunch, a table and chairs, and electrical power. These tasks will make recruiting employers go smoothly:
- Make a list of prospective employers.
- Create a marketing flyer or e-solicitation targeting employer involvement.
- Follow up with employers to confirm their attendance.
Recruiting Attendees
In addition to employers, a successful job fair requires job seekers. If you have a built-in audience at a school or in a community organization, recruiting won’t be difficult. If not, advertising is key. Social media, email lists, public service announcements and flyers are all effective marketing options. Consider offering career preparation workshops with topics like Dress for Success, Creating an Elevator Pitch and Resume Writing, which prepare job seekers for the job fair process. They also serve as creative advertising for the fair itself, in addition to:
- Spreading out marketing events across different time periods to continually promote the fair.
- Targeting special populations, such as graduating seniors.
- Pre-register for the job fair.
- Keep reasonable expectations.
- Understand what recruiters or employers are looking for.
- Research each prospective employer.
- Prepare multiple copies of your resume.
- Choose the best resume format.
- Consider bringing your portfolio.
Here is an overview of the different kinds of job fairs and who will benefit most:
COLLEGE CAREER FAIRS
These job fairs are organized by colleges mainly for their students and alumni, but sometimes they are open to the general public as well. Colleges put on general job fairs, which include a wide selection of employers and professions. Before you go and attend a general job fair, find out which employers will be present and if they are interesting to you! In addition to the general job fairs, colleges often organize fairs specific to certain professions: e.g. health care careers, engineering, media, or skilled trades. These are preferable to the general fairs since you know each employer present has an interest in hiring candidates from your field.
In general the employers present at college career fairs are mainly interested in entry-level and recent graduate candidates. Though alumni are usually invited as well, there will be fewer opportunities for mid-career candidates. However, talking to a live human recruiter or hiring manager is always preferable to just applying online. So the chance to talk to hiring managers directly, learn information about the company and making connections might make it worthwhile for mid-career professionals to attend.
GENERAL PUBLIC JOB FAIRS
These are often organized by local non-profit organizations, media outlets or workforce centers. They are unfocused and represent a wide variety of employers and fields. Often the majority of employers present at these general fairs are from companies or fields with high turnover jobs who need new employees frequently. These occupations are often found at the lower paying level of the world of work. If you need a job fast and are not picky, these job fairs might work for you. If you are an experienced professional, do your research and find out beforehand which employers will be present to see if it is worth your while to attend.
A drawback that college and general job fairs have in common is that some of the companies present are not really actively hiring. Sometimes they attend more for the public relations value. They want to be seen as thriving companies that are attractive to potential employees. Yes, they will still take your resume at the job fair but it will not lead to anything.
SINGLE EMPLOYER JOB FAIRS
These are the best job fairs. As the name suggests, this is a job fair for/with just one employer who is normally looking to fill a number of different positions. These are the best job fairs because the companies conducting them are in need and actively looking for people. They are usually very organized and ready to interview and process applicants on the spot. This means that there is very little time between the job fair and starting a new position. Single employer job fairs are conducted by companies in all fields, from high tech and IT, to warehouse, healthcare and hospitality.
If you’re going to a job fair with a goal to get hired, you’re going to want to come prepared. The best ways to stand out while attending a career fair include:
- A superb resume (bring several copies). After carefully arranging your experience and accomplishments into a resume, make sure to have plenty of copies to pass out to recruiters.
- Professional appearance. Take time to get a haircut, shave, and prepare to look your best.
- A well-rehearsed elevator pitch. It may seem difficult to compress your accomplishments into a 30-second pitch but with a little work it can be done easily.
- Knowledge of businesses and companies at the career fair. The key to making an impression while chatting with recruiters is to already know what the company is and what they do.
- Ask the right questions. Researching the companies can help you prepare questions for recruiters. Other crucial questions to ask involve follow-up and scheduling interviews - a key to getting hired!
- Update your resume and LinkedIn: You may not be sharing your resume or LinkedIn, but it’s good to make sure they’re up to date, just in case! The practice of updating your resume and LinkedIn can help you reflect on your professional career.
- Be prepared to talk about yourself: Consider your career goals and the kinds of work you’d be interested in. How you would summarize your education, skills and projects that you’ve been working on?
- Do your research: Check out which employers/organizations will be attending. This way, you can create a shortlist of ones you’re most interested in speaking to, and do a little research on them so you can ask in-depth questions
- Set goals for your experience: Have some rough goals for what a “successful” career fair day might look like.
- Do you want to have more clarity about your career plan?
- Do you want to have a shortlist of employers to begin applying to?
- Do you want to learn what education you need to get the job?
- Dress professionally: While you don’t need to dress formally, it helps to appear professional when speaking with recruiters. Another element of professionalism is to have your job search documents ready, in case an employer requests them. Have a copy of your resume/CV or links to your portfolio or LinkedIn profile.
- Be curious: Have an open mind when exploring the fair. Try and approach employers outside your ideal industry; you might find fitting opportunities with them!
- Create quality connections: Be genuine when speaking with recruiters and think of questions other than, “are you hiring?” If you feel you’ve connected with a peer or employer, ask them how you can follow up after the fair.
- Network with everyone: Recruiters are the obvious option for networking, but don’t forget to talk to Career Services staff and your fellow students — you could learn valuable information from them!
- Reflect: Evaluate your experience based on the goals you set before the fair. How did you feel about the fair? Did you find any employers you’d want to look into? Are there any next steps to take?
- Follow up with your connections: If you connected with a recruiter or employer, you could send a note by email or LinkedIn to keep the conversation going. You can also use social media to engage with employers or your network afterwards.
- Take action: Keep the momentum going on.
We often hear Lumberjacks refer to career and job fairs interchangeably when in reality, there is a big difference between the two! Knowing the differences between these fairs is essential as you try to appropriately prepare for each kind of event.
Job Fair
Typically, at a job fair you can expect to leave with some strong job leads, or perhaps even an offer! The companies at a job fair typically have open positions that they are planning to fill from the attendees that they interact with. The purpose of a job fair is to find a job (sounds obvious, I know, but these are the facts!). For a student, a job fair will be filled with employers on and off campus that are hiring part time positions and internships.
Career Fair
A career fair, which may include Premedical Professions, Pre-Law, and other graduate opportunities, is not as exclusively centered on finding a job or filling a particular position. Going into a career fair with the expectation that you will leave with a job offer will likely set you up for disappointment. However, career fairs provide many great opportunities including a chance to practice your networking skills when meeting new employers or checking out graduate school possibilities. Coming to the fair prepared with a strong elevator speech- a 15-30 second overview of your qualifications and interests- enables you to make meaningful connections with hiring professionals.
1. Copies of your resume. Be sure it represents your knowledge, skills, and abilities effectively. It needs to look professional, easy to read format on plain white or cream paper, and be free of typos. If you are looking at several career options, you may want to have two or more targeted resumes with different career objectives.
2. A smile, a strong handshake, and a positive attitude. First impressions are important. Approach an employer, smile, and offer your hand when you introduce yourself.
3. A 30-second sales pitch. Hand the recruiter a copy of your resume and be prepared to expand on it quickly. Share basic information about yourself and your career interests
4. Information about the organizations which will be attending. Gather information as you would for a job interview. To maximize the brief time you have with each employer, you need to know how your skills and interests match their needs.
5. Energy! Career fairs require you to be on your feet moving from table to table for an hour or so. Each time you meet someone, be at your best, as refreshed as possible!
Five Things to Take Away From a Career Fair
1. Business cards from the recruiters you have met. Use the cards to write follow-up notes to those organizations in which you are most interested.
2. Notes about contacts you made. Take paper and pen with you to write down important details about particular organizations, including names of people who may not have had business cards. Take a few minutes after you leave each table to jot down these notes!
3. Information about organizations you have contacted. Most recruiters will have information for you to pick up, including company brochures, position descriptions, and other data. You won’t have time to deal with these at the fair!
4. A better sense of your career options. If you have used the event correctly, you will have made contact with several organizations that hire people with your skills and interests. In thinking about their needs and your background, evaluate whether each company might be a match for you.
5. Self-confidence in interacting with employer representatives. A career fair gives you the opportunity to practice your interview skills in a less formidable environment than a formal interview. Use this experience to practice talking about what you have done, what you know, and what your interests are.
Five Things Not to Do at a Career Fair
1. Don’t cruise the booths with a group of friends. Interact with the recruiters on your own. Make your own positive impression!
2. Don’t carry your backpack, large purse, or other paraphernalia with you. Carry your resume in a professional-looking portfolio or small briefcase works well. It will keep your resume neat and handy, and gives you a place to file business cards of recruiters that you meet. Usually you can stow your coat, backpack, or other gear in a coatroom.
3. Don’t come dressed for rugby practice or any other extremely casual activity. A career fair is a professional activity — perhaps your first contact with a future employer.
4. Don’t wing it with employers. Do your homework! Research the companies just as you would for an interview. You’ll be able to focus on why you want to work for the organization and what you can do for them.
5. Don’t come during the last half hour of the event. Many employers travel a long distance to attend the fair and may need to leave early. If you come late, you may miss the organizations you wanted to contact.
How to Get the Most Out of the Career Fair
First-Year and Junior students:
This career fair will give you the chance to explore different career opportunities, ask lots of questions and find out about possible internships. You will also be able to begin networking, which will be important in helping you reach your career goals.
Seniors and Graduate Students:
This is your chance to network, make contacts, and find out about full-time career opportunities. Bring plenty of resumes!
Step-By-Step Suggestions for ALL Students:
- Check in at the Career Center’s registration table and pick up handouts describing who the employer participants are and where their tables are located.
- Ask a Career Center staff member or a student Career Fair assistant (student workers from the Center for Student Development) for help in how to approach the employer participants and what questions might be appropriate to ask. If you’d like, they can even introduce you to particular employers to help you get started.
- Budget your time carefully. Determine which companies or organizations interest you. It may be a good idea to take a quick walk around to find out where the companies are located, and to take a few minutes to jot down some questions you may want to ask the representative(s). Being well prepared will help you in case you become nervous and forget what you intended to say.
- As you approach the representatives, greet them with a firm handshake and introduce yourself. You may want to tell them a little bit about yourself that will help you to build rapport and ease you into the questions you have prepared. Be sure to speak clearly when asking questions.
- Take copies of your resume, either to distribute when appropriate OR to show employers to get their feedback and advice for ways to improve it.
- Be sure to thank the representative(s) for taking the time to speak with you.
- Pick up business cards and any pamphlets the organizations have on display. These materials will give you additional information about the organizations.
- Feel welcome to use the list of sample questions for ideas on what to ask about, but try to add some questions of your own. Above all, enjoy yourself and learn as much as you can!
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