How to Maximize Your Career and Job Fair Attendance

Whether you are a new graduate or an experienced veteran of the workforce, the recent recession was an employee nightmare. Now that the recession is behind us (statistically, at least), employers are finally resuming more active hiring efforts. Many companies find it cost efficient and worthwhile to appear at career and job fairs to meet potential candidates.

Benefits to Employees

Career fairs benefit employees as much as employers. You can speak directly with employer representatives while learning about their current job openings. Equally valuable, you’ll have the opportunity to form some opinions of potential employers that interest you (or, don't interest you).

When multiple employers from the same industries attend job fairs, you are able to get a better “feel” for their corporate culture, career opportunities, and general professionalism. Most companies understand that these fairs are more than just a “meet and greet” opportunity. Career fairs are a live opportunity to display their brand and image via their booth or table and the quality of the personnel they select to speak with attendees.

At well attended job fairs, you will increase your personal network, place your resume in the hands of the right people, and, if you’re outgoing, learn more about an employer than you can during your research phase. As you collect business cards, brochures, and other employer “hype,” you can make quick notes on these items displaying your impressions.

Note-taking is important. Attending a career fair with one hundred employers may become a “blur” just a few hours after the event. Maintaining an accurate mental list of your impressions is often an exercise in futility. Jotting down a few simple notes (or, even, key words) will become priceless after a grueling day of putting your best foot forward.

How to Get the Most From Your Attendance

Career and job fairs can be highly important to your current and future employment. Do not simply show up and meander aimlessly around the exhibition room. Prepare properly for a positive, rewarding experience that might accelerate your career. Here are some proven tips that will help you stand out from the crowd.

• Commit to exhibiting a positive attitude to all. Whether you are happy with your present job or depressed about being between jobs, load up with positive attitude for your job fair visit. Unless you have extraordinary personality control, do not plan on simply flipping a switch to turn on your positivism when standing face-to-face with company representatives. Bring a total positive attitude with you and keep it bubbling.
  
  
• Prepare a 30- to 45-second “Me” advertisement. Instead of an in-your-face commercial, think of your “look at me” presentation as a brief infomercial. If you tend toward shy instead of exuberant, don’t think of this introduction as a pure selling ad. Understand that first impressions are often critical to career advancement. Make your first impression an enthusiastic, professional, but understated “billboard.”
  
  
• Bring multiple copies of your resume on good stationery. Make a small investment in 24-pound bond or linen stationery (probably under $15) and print your resume. Bring around 20 copies or originals, at a minimum, to the career fair. If you can afford to purchase or print around 100 business cards, do so. While not as critical as good copies of your resume, cards only add to your perceived professionalism.
  
  
• Perform research on the companies that interest you before the fair. Your chances of impressing company representatives skyrocket if you can ask specific questions or converse intelligently about their employer. You can bring some notes with you as reminders of any particular questions or points you can discuss. You will become a memorable visitor in the interviewer’s eyes.
  
  
• Always get employers’ business cards and printed company information. Capturing employer representative business cards, brochures, job descriptions, and all other printed matter at their tables is critical. Of particular importance when dealing with large organizations, collecting this information gives you a.) a real person’s contact information, and b.) data on the employer that may be difficult to obtain through any other source.
  
  
• Have a few thoughtful questions for company representatives. Preparing a few meaningful questions about the employer further displays that you are a professional and sincerely interested in the company. This technique also gives further evidence that you have done some research into the employer, which is always impressive to company representatives.
  
  
• Dress appropriately in business wear. Never attend a career fair looking like you just finished cleaning your garage or working on your car’s transmission. Dress like a businessperson, even if you seek a lower level position. Your attention to displaying a professional image helps ensure you past the “first impression test” with flying colors. The criticality of a positive first impression cannot be over emphasized. Good first impressions will enhance your standing for the remainder of your discussion. Conversely, a less-than-stellar first impression can render the rest of your chat as an insurmountable obstacle, impossible to overcome. Fair? Debatable. True? Absolutely.

Career and job fairs are wonderful opportunities to make valuable contacts, learn useful information, and gain advantages over your competition for good jobs. Need convincing? Put yourself in the employer’s shoes for a moment. Would you react the same way when receiving an unsolicited resume from someone, or receiving a hand written thank you note from a person who impressed you, in person, with their professionalism, interest, and evidence of research about your company? The answer should be clear. Maximize your attendance and contacts made at career fairs.

Source:
http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/careerfairs/careerfairtips.aspx