1. Activities to accomplish before the event
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Take the time to read one or more of the articles
on working career fairs, which you can find in Career
Fair Resources section of Quintessential Careers. |
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Go to the career fair Website. Whenever
possible pre-register with the career fair and obtain the list of organizations attending the event. |
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Decide on the organizations you are most interested in and conduct research on each.
Gather basic information about the company (size, organization, locations, top
management), their products, and standing in their industry.
Learn how to research companies. |
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Develop a plan of attack for the career fair. Many experts suggest interviewing
with your top companies first, then with other recruiters, and toward the end of
the day returning to your top choices. |
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Finish polishing your resume. Review for keywords and accomplishments, check for
typos and other spelling errors, and customize for each targeted organization (even
if it is something as small as inserting the organization's name into your job objective).
Print out extra copies of your standard resume to bring to the career fair -- just in
case you need them. Go to the Resume
Resources section of Quintessential Careers if you need help with your resume.
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Consider a mock interview if it's been a while since you have been interviewing.
If nothing else, review common interview questions as well as prepare a few
questions to ask the recruiters -- ones that can't be easily answered from
available company information. Check out these
job interviewing resources.
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Check your attire. Whenever possible, you should wear a well-fitting suit to career fairs.
For men, it means conservative shirt and tie, polished shoes, styled hair, and removal
of jewelry from all visible piercings. For women, it means a conservative suit (pants
or skirt), shoes and pantyhose, styled hair, and removal of jewelry from visible
piercings. Oh, and if you are prone to sweaty palms, be sure to pack a handkerchief
or something else (other than your suit) on which to wipe your hand.
Read
more about dressing for success. |
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Create or review your elevator speech -- a 15- to 30-second commercial that
succinctly tells the person you are giving it to who you are, what makes you
unique, and the benefits you can provide.
Learn
how to create your elevator speech. |
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Other useful, though not necessary items, for the career fair include a portfolio of your accomplishments
and samples of your work, as well as a stack of personal business cards. Portfolios usually get
more attention in later interviews, but it doesn't hurt to bring one along if you get a recruiter who is
hot to hire you. Read more about career portfolios.
Your personal business card, which is not the business card of your current employer,
could be a networking card or a resume highlights card.
Read more about personal business cards.
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Get a good night's sleep the night before. And, as my students like to add, don't
get drunk the night before either. Oh, and packing some breath mints for the long
day ahead might also be helpful. |
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Remember to pack pen and paper for jotting down notes, contact information, and other vital details. |
2. Activities to accomplish during the event
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As soon as you enter
the hall, survey the layout and confirm that it matches up with the plan you developed. Then
execute your plan. |
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Attempt to establish rapport
with each recruiter. Remember to smile, make eye contact, and offer a firm (but not
death-grip) handshake. Use your elevator speech. |
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Gather information and
materials from each organization's booth. And if they have some goodies (pens,
magnets, etc.), feel free to take one, but don't be greedy. |
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Answer questions, showcase
your knowledge of each company, but also remember to ask questions so you'll have a better
understanding of which organizations are the best fit for you. |
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Ask about the organization's
recruiting timetable. Solicit information about the next step in the process. |
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If you are considering relocating
to a different state, once you've established rapport, ask the recruiter if you can obtain the name
of the recruiter for that area. Better, ask the recruiter to forward your information to that other
recruiter. |
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Remember not to overstay your
welcome. If the recruiter starts looking over your shoulder, it's time to move on. |
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Don't forget to collect business
cards from each recruiter. And if you can't get a business card, be sure to get all the
contact information (including the correct spelling of each person's name). |
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Remember that politeness counts.
If the recruiter appears thirsty, offer to get a beverage from the refreshment area for him/her.
And don't forget to thank each person you speak with for taking the time to meet you
and talk to you about opportunities with his/her organization. |
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Network, network, network.
Make connections with people -- not just the recruiters but with fellow job-seekers,
career professionals, and the like -- the more people in your network, the stronger it becomes. |
3. Activities to accomplish after the event
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Send thank-you notes to each recruiter, thanking them for their time, interest, and help in your job-search. It doesn't
matter how you send the thank-you... just as long as you send one.
Read more about
thank-you letters, see samples. |
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Reflect on your system, your execution, and your results. What might you have done more effectively? Make some initial
plans for improvement before the next career fair. |
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Plan to follow up with each recruiter about two weeks after the career fair. Contact them and express your continued interest with the
organization, your assurance of your ability to contribute to the organization, and get more
information about next steps in the process. |
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Consider developing some sort of system for keeping track of all the recruiters and potential job leads.
See an example of a job lead log. |
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Remember to find other
sources of job leads. Career fairs are a good source, but there are many other ways to
generate job leads. Read
more about ways of developing job leads. |
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Search for Jobs
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers,
one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of
Quintessential Careers Press,
including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter,
QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a
published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often
quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is
also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his
personal Website or
reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.
