Why should you attend your local career or job fair? There are any number of goals for attending a career fair, depending on where you are in the job-search cycle:

• Networking: One of the key benefits of attending a career fair is meeting new people -- recruiters, other job-seekers, career professionals -- to add to your network of contacts.
• Jobs Locally: Most job fairs are designed to gather candidates for positions within the geographic region of the fair, so employers are searching for qualified local job-seekers.
• Jobs Long-Distance: Even if you are thinking of relocating, it makes sense to meet with recruiters of national firms who can pass your contact information on to recruiters in other parts of the country.
• Internships: For college students, of course, this goal is the most common for attending a career fair -- to establish contacts to obtain an internship for an upcoming semester or summer.
• Gain Experience: Even if you are not currently in the job market, there is nothing like gaining valuable experience in mastering the art of working job fairs -- especially if you are typically shy. The more experience, the more confident for when it really matters.