Career Fairs. Speed dating. Public speaking. Well, these are things that some people do well, and most of us dread about the prospect itself. If you are attending one, and aspiring for success in career fairs, have no fear. Here are some ideas on how to make a great first impression at job fairs.
Career fairs (or job fairs) are an important avenue for meeting a lot of recruiters and hiring managers and make connections that will result in a job. Instead of just blasting a series of resumes in response to job postings (which of course you will continue to do), career fairs offer a unique advantage – meeting living, breathing persons from the company. (Of course, a day may arrive in the future when robots take over staffing the career fair booths, and bots interact with you to take down all the information.)
Job fairs often focus on a particular group of job seekers, an industry, or a skill. For example, career fairs abound on college campuses. There are alumni career fairs, career fairs targeting women, career fairs for tech talent, and what have you. Irrespective of the focus, the common thread in these career fairs is an opportunity to meet and learn about those who have open jobs and introduce yourself to the representatives from the company.
Let’s explore the top ten ideas for success at career fairs. Remember, the effect is cumulative, and you have to follow all the ten ideas and strategies for you to be successful at the next career fair you attend.
Top Ten Ideas for Success in Career Fairs:
Well before you go to the career fair, there will be a fair amount of research work. Find out which companies are going to participate – the organizers may list it on their website or the promotional material. Once you have the list do a high-level scan of which companies interest you and then the positions that fit your profile. In reality, if a career fair features 100 employers, you cannot possibly meet all of them and do it well. Realize that it is not the quantity but the quality of interactions that matter. Compile notes in a folder including potential questions you may want to ask.
Sleep well the night before the career fair. Eat a healthy meal and pack a snack and water. Be comfortable but dress elegantly and appropriately. Remember, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
03
Bring a Stack of Resumes
Depending on the level you are applying, you may need a full resume, or an executive bio may suffice. Please ensure that your resume is legible in a format that is pleasing on the eye and has no spelling or grammatical errors. Ensure that key bits of information – contact information, education, work experience, and stellar extracurricular items are a part of your resume.
Create a plan on which company booths you want to visit. In some cases, grouping the employers may help. Or sometimes, the floor plan of the career fair may provide the logical way to visit prospective employers. As you meet each company on your target list, check them off.
Allocate sufficient time so that you don’t have to scramble. If your goal is to meet ten employers, and assuming it takes 10-minutes for each stop, it is a time commitment of one hour and forty minutes, not including the time to register, and any breaks or delays in between.
06
Have a Conversation and Establish a Connection
Remember two things. 1) The representatives of the company are human beings too and not someone from Mars. So, establish a basic human connection and have a good conversation. 2. It may be difficult to find the perfect job at a great company; the corollary is also true – Companies also find it difficult to hire great talent, given the low unemployment rates and scarcity of talent in certain professions with specific skills.
07
Ask Interesting Questions
A company representative may meet dozens, if not hundreds, of prospective job seekers. Why would or why should they remember you? This is where breaking the ice and asking interesting and intelligent questions will set you apart. Demonstrate that you have done your homework and know about the company by asking questions only someone who knows quite a bit can ask. Don’t squander away the opportunity by asking basic questions that may already be in the promotional material of the employer or one that you could easily Google.
08
Leave with a Referral and a Next Step
The fact is the company booths are staffed by a couple of people and mostly by recruiters. And these people generally do not make the hiring decision but what they can do is filter candidates and shortlist a few for further follow up. Your goal should be to be one that goes into the “Interest List” and not the “Discard Pile.” If possible, before you walk away from the booth, please try to get a referral for whom to follow up and the next step.
09
Take Good Notes and Follow Up
After a visit with each company, write down the names and titles of who you spoke, scan their business cards into your contact list, and then jot down notes. The notes will be valuable when you go for subsequent rounds of interviews at the company. Greeting a person by their name or recalling a nugget from your conversation will help your candidacy. Also, use the notes to draft and send emails with specific nuggets from the conversation. And please do follow up at least two or three times.
10
Breeze through the Secondary Targets
You should spend all your time on your primary targets. But if you are going to a large career fair, and assuming your primary target is a dozen employers, have a secondary list where you may just drop by for a quick hello and leave your resume. Don’t expect much from these cursory interactions but sometimes you will never know.
