10 Tips for attending career and job fairs
Many people walk-in to attending career fair for nothing or without any specific purpose. Most of them will roam around the exhibition booths take some brochures and hoping that somebody grab them in to fill-up applicaition form and will be called for interview.
Is it the right thing to do?
Jobstreet at their website has some tips for you to consider when attending for any career fairs.
The top 10 as follows :
1. Always have your pen : Have a pen/pencil and paper available for notes
2. Bring resumes/portfolio : Bring enough copies of resumes and a folder or portfolio to hold your materials on your job hunting.
3. Find out more : Take the time to find out what hiring companies will be represented before the day of the career fair
4. Do research : Research information about the participating companies and organizations prior to approaching the recruiters. Use the Internet, news sources and career fair materials to learn about the companies’ booths you plan to visit. You can impress a recruiter by knowing about his or her company and can discuss its current situation
5. Use time wisely : Determine where employers are located and in what order to visit them. Focus on three companies that you are truly interested in
6. Broaden your focus : Broaden your focus and include many types of employers. For instance, you may not have considered working for a hospital, but hospitals recruit and hire professionals in many different fields (e.g., hospital management, information systems, or health care)
7. Aware of your time demands : Be aware of time demands on employers. Do not monopolize an employer’s time. Ask specific questions and offer to follow up after the fair, as appropriate
8. Self-introduction : Be direct. Introduce yourself, including your name and career interests. If you are job-seeking, state the type of position in which you are interested. If you are gathering information, let employers know that you are only interested in materials and information. Remember to use good eye contact and a firm handshake. Career fairs are the perfect place to use your elevator speech
9. Understanding employment/hiring trends : Make sure you learn from the recruiter employment and/or hiring trends, skills necessary for different jobs, current openings, salary negotiations, benefits, training, and other information about the organization. Also make sure you know whom to contact for follow-up discussions
10. Follow ups : Ask the employer for the next steps in the recruitment process and try to obtain the recruiter’s business card for follow-up discussions/correspondence