Looking to attend a job fair Soon? Treat it like an interview – Yes, the employers have a ‘YES’ and a ‘NO’ pile behind the counter!
Week 4 of the “Dream Job Search Bootcamp” is all about learning how to nail your next career fair. Follow my comprehensive guide to learn everything you need to know to ace your next job fair – from getting ready for the event to performing your best and following up afterwards.
Before the Job Fair – Preparation
- Define job search goals: This is really the first and the most important step in anyone’s job search process. Understand what are your values, strengths, lifestyle preference and long term career goals. This will help you define what type of roles you are looking for and what companies will be a good fit for you. Download all necessary worksheets for this exercise HERE.
- Pre-register for the event: Whether you are planning to attend on-campus or other local career fairs, pre-register for the event. First, it ensures you a spot if space is limited, and second, you will save precious time and energy on the day of the event by not standing in a long queue to register.
- Research the companies: Career fairs are not for browsing and learning about what the company does. Research the companies beforehand, make notes, and use the time in the job fair to get insider information on the experience of the individuals you meet, which can be used later in follow-up emails.
- Prioritize the list of companies: A typical job fair will have representation from over 50 companies. You cannot, and must not meet them all. Prioritize the top 15 companies you definitely want to meet during the career fair. Also select 3 practice companies (more on that in tip #13).
- Make targeted resumes: For the list of 15 companies you have selected, in addition to completing research and making notes, make targeted resumes so you can showcase your skills that are best fit for the company. To learn how to write a great resume, check out my step-by-step guide.
- Practice your elevator pitch: The last career fair in which I represented my company, I met over 50 students throughout the day. What will make me remember you a couple days after the event when the recruiters sit down together to counsel on who to call for an interview? It is your elevator pitch. Don’t regurgitate your resume; instead make a 2 minute summary of your top skills with one awesome example of how you can bring success to the organization.
- Prepare questions to ask: Just like in an interview, I often ask the attendee, “Do you have questions for me?” Saying NO signals either you are not interested enough or have not done your research. Prepare a list of atleast 5 good questions to ask the employer!
- Map out your route: Have a gameplan before you hit the career fair. Map out the exact route you will take on the D-day and follow it for maximum efficiency.
- Prepare a job folder: Prepare a professional looking folder to take with you. Bring atleast 20 resumes, a notepad, a pen, your business cards (if you have them) and a map of the career fair (with your route marked clearly).
During the Career Fair – Performance
- Show up early: Employers have their best energy and attitude in the morning. They will also be able to give you their maximum attention when queues at their booth are short.
- Dress professionally and comfortably: Dress for the job you want! You’ll probably be spending atleast 5-6 hours at the job fair, so also ensure your attire doesn’t tire you out.
- Bring enough resumes, and your best attitude: Bring atleast 20 resumes to the career fair and a positive attitude to tackle the battle!
- Start small to build up confidence: Don’t hit your priority list just yet. Practice your pitch on atleast 2-3 companies to gain confidence and then move to the big players. Work down your priority list to ensure your top preferences are not left for the last, when energy is low for both you and the employer.
- Greet with a firm handshake: The best way to make a negative impression is to greet with a sweaty, limp handshake. So start strong with a warm smile and a firm handshake.
- Ask appropriate questions: Don’t ask obvious questions about what the company does, company values etc. Instead demonstrate your knowledge of the company in your elevator pitch. Ask thoughtful questions to gain insider information on the experience of the individual you are talking to.
- Don’t overstay your welcome: Like I said earlier, I meet over 50 people at a typical career fair. For an 8 hour event, that translates to 10 mins per person. Don’t let the employer become anxious by letting a long line build up behind you.
- Ask for contact information: Employers usually don’t give away business cards at the career fair. But if you don’t ask, you don’t get, right? If they don’t have a business card, go ahead and ask if they can share their email address as you would like to send them a thank you note. If you have made a good impression, some of them may actually give their email address.
- Write down notes: Immediately after meeting each employer, jot down some quick notes about your conversation. Use this information later to personalize the thank you note.
- Don’t just grab the freebies: Many employers have free giveaways at their booth. Don’t just grab the freebies and sneak out, ask for it politely if you want one. Remember though, when you come to chat with an employer with a bag bursting with freebies, you are not making a very good first impression!
- Network with other candidates: Time permitting, network with other attendees. You never know, it maybe the start of a professional relationship that lands you a job in future.
After the Job Fair – Follow up
- Add contacts to the Networking Tracker: Download at networking tracker and add all the contact and reference information you have collected for efficient follow-up.
- Send thank you notes: Within 24 hours, send a thank you note to everyone you met at the job fair, and have the contact information for. Use the notes collected earlier to personalize your email as well as attach your resume. Also, don’t forget to ask for a follow-up meeting over phone or coffee, so that you can build a deeper relationship and get insider information on the company.
- Utilize LinkedIn: After the career fair, connect with employers over LinkedIn. Again, ideally this should be done within 48 hours of the event while everyone’s memory is still fresh.
- Take action: Take proactive action to apply to company websites with tailored resumes and cover letters, again using the notes you made at the career fair.
- Don’t stop: When I was at Purdue University, I decided to drive 2 hours to attend another career fair for Indiana University, which ultimately landed me a job offer. Don’t stop with just one career fair. Sometimes, students are allowed to attend job fairs at sister schools, so take advantage of that. Other useful job fairs are the ones organized by professional societies like SWE, NAWMBA, Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), etc.
Job search process is like a marathon. If you prepare well, continue to put one foot in front of the other, and adopt a winning attitude, you will land your dream job. All the best!
In week 5 of the “Dream job search bootcamp”, we will learn how to ace your job interview. So stay tuned!