‘Tis the season!
Job fair season anyway.
Yes, it’s that time of year, when the employers (especially seasonal and industry ones), schools, and organizations haunt gyms, community centres, and exhibition places, looking for new employees, to get a lay of the land, and scope each other out. (I’m only being mildly facetious).
For job seekers, job fairs are usually just seen as places to wander around in a bit of a daze, clutching resumes, and hoping for the best. But this really isn’t putting these events to their best use and a lot of people go away feeling a bit disillusioned with the whole thing.
So what can you do to make the most out of the opportunities that job fairs offer? They are incredibly useful, when they are utilized properly, and should not be missed if you’re looking for work or even if you’re just trying to broaden your network.
Temper Your Expectations
*Some* employers at *some* job fairs will do interviews on the spot. But many won’t. What many organizations are there to do is really the same thing you are – scope things out, network, and put faces to names. They are often at least mildly advertising their business not only to prospective employees, but also to prospective customers and clients. Oftentimes, the people manning the tables aren’t even allowed to conduct interviews or necessarily even accept resumes. Their job is to talk up their business, network, and make sure business cards get out there.
For example, Costco was at the job expo here in Prince George. I don’t think they were there to get employees so much as try to get customers!
So does this suddenly make them a waste of time if you probably won’t get any (or many) interviews? Absolutely not! Remember that the hidden job market makes up most of the employment field and by going out and meeting representatives of different organizations, you have something that makes you more memorable later. For example, if you then apply to a job after the fair, you can refer to the person you met with in your cover letter, which creates a personal bond.
“I was delighted to meet with Lauren Michaels, the Talent Recruiter, at the job fair on [whatever date it was] and she told me all about what you do which made me even more excited to apply for this position!” Ta da! Instant connection, which is valuable all on its own. (This also gives you a name to address your cover letter to which is also very important).
So, temper those expectations. We aren’t going to a job fair to get an interview (though it would be nice if it happened). We are going to meet people and get a feel for the organizations and see what they are up to.
Plan Ahead
Whichever group is planning the job fair will have a list of the employers, organizations and schools which are attending, so take advantage of that list to do some advance research. There really is no point in trying to hit up every single vendor because there just won’t be time. Instead of trying to do bits with everything, pick a few you are genuinely interested in and plan to foster a deeper connection with them. This is a great chance to do more casual conversation that will still be memorable, rather than racing around trying to see everyone and not making an impression on anyone.
By narrowing down the ones that seem of most interest to you, you can also then do some digging into the organization itself so that you can ask intelligent questions and comments. Again, we are striving for memorable in a positive way so that when you send any follow-up emails, resumes, cover letter, job applications, they think of you favourably, which makes it more likely you’ll get that interview.
Dress for Success
You might not get any interviews, but you still want to dress and comport yourself as though you are going for an interview. Dress nicely, shower, have copies of your resume on hand, be ready to talk about yourself and your experience, and be friendly! You can rehearse your small talk beforehand (and in fact, you’ll probably want to). All of this will also give you more confidence which will make it easier to move around the job fair. You might not get an interview, but by preparing as though you will, your odds of getting one later go up. Again, we are trying to make positive, memorable impressions on people.
Networking
Above all else, job fairs are really a golden opportunity to network. And networking is still a critical part of a successful job search. With the unemployment rate going up and many businesses nervous about the future, any edge you can get over the competition is an important one and job fair networking holds the potential to be a very big edge. So take advantage of them in that light: get business cards, talk to people, and don’t forget to follow up afterwards by doing things like following businesses on social media, emailing resumes with a more personal touch (if there are jobs available to apply for) and if a business was particularly helpful, a thank you note! It’s all about fostering positive memories of you in the minds of others.
Job fairs can seem intimidating, exhausting or even pointless if they don’t seem to lead to a job right away. But the reality is that they can be very useful when you go in with the right mindset. Be ready to network, narrow down who you want to talk to, and make sure to do any follow-up. Remember that a successful job search is a marathon, not a sprint and everything you can do to lay down a positive foundation will only help you in the long run.
Good luck!
