Summer is over and students are back to school, what next?  It’s that time to concentrate to your job hunting hence - job fair events and information sessions are lined-up as early as September to December.  How do you make the most out of job fair events? A job fair is a place where people meet their potential employers.  It is a place where people find out about career opportunities and understand their requirements.  One of the most important things you should keep in mind to get the most out of the job fair is in the preparation.  Dress up as if you are going to an interview as recruiters are usually professionally dressed in these occasions, after all job fairs are meant to be a quick on-the-spot-job-interview.  Like what they say, first impressions last, so dress up for success as recruiters tend to remember people who stands out among the crowd of other job seekers – one’s that made a good impression.   They might not have the right opportunity for you at that moment in time but they will remember you for future opportunities or pass you on to someone they know who is looking for the same skill-set with a great personality.  Below are suggestions on how to prepare for a Job Fair: Things to bring:

• Several copies of resumes – bring several copies of your resume, the last thing you don’t want to happen is when you a spot that right employers and you’re down to your last resume or you had just given your last one, you go out and run to get more copies.  One of the things you can do, if that ever happen is to ask for their business card and send your resume via email.
• Pens - although, there may be plenty of giveaways, it’s always good to have one that writes the best and save the giveaways as the spare.
• Note Pad - to take down notes of the quick exchange of information you just had and other important things to remember
• Bottled water, Kleenex, Breath Freshener and look smart. 

Proper questions to ask:

• Once you have given them your resume, ask how do you follow up?  - listen to what they have to say as employers have different processes and procedures.  Resumes are usually distributed to other recruiters that are not present in the job fair and would also take time to reach the individual especially if they were at a different location.
• Ask if you can also send them a copy of your resume via email as hard copies of resumes tend to get lost in the pile.  Electronic copies of resumes are much easier to share to fellow recruiters and can be kept in their database - you might want to create a cover letter as well to remind recruiters that you met at the job fair and use this opportunity to customize your resume to gear towards the company.
• Ask how soon should you expect a call and if you don’t hear from them, who should you call/email.
• Ask what the next process after the initial meeting at the job fair.

Recruiters and Employers alike attend job fairs because they have opportunities and it’s up to you how to get them.  In a job fair, Recruiters scans through the crowd of job seekers for that perfect candidate for their career opportunities therefore, it is wise to find out what their expectations are – this is what you call prospecting target employers.  Make sure you aware of the companies that are participating in the job fair.  Go to their website and research about them, this is also a great opportunity to go a step ahead from the others.  Go to the careers section and see if there is anything that interests you and make a note to visit the booth on the actual job fair and express your interest in applying for that position.  Often times, they will advise you also apply directly through the posting as it goes directly to the person responsible for recruiting for the position. Once you have reviewed your prospects and understand their prerequisites. Be prepared to tell a brief synopsis of your background, expertise and experience that is geared towards the qualifications they are looking to fill the position. Once you’ve had the opportunity to learn more about the company and the position in person, ask for their business card to follow up regarding your conversation and give thanks to meeting them at the Job Fair.  This shows how ethical, diligent and interested you are in working for them.  

Good luck and have fun at the job fair! 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 at 1:33 pm and is filed under Its Job Fair Season - How do you make the most out of j. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.