How to Work a Job Fair

I am always amazed at how unprepared job seekers are when they arrive at job or career fairs (same thing). Whether about-to-be-college-grad, long-term employed, unemployed or retired-and-looking-for-something-to-keep-busy, none, apparently, has a clue what to do. Hopefully, this post will change that.

First, understand the purpose of the fair. It is not for you to get a job, it is for the employer to find someone to fill a position. The distinction is important. The former places the emphasis on the job seeker; the latter places the emphasis on the employer. And that is where the emphasis must be. As with all aspects of a job search - fair, cover letter, resume, interviewing, even networking - successful candidates always place the emphasis on the employer, not on themselves. It is relatively easy to do, and surprising that so many fail at it.

Second, set reasonable expectations. The odds of you walking out of a job fair with a job offer are so slim that they are not even worth considering. What you should hope for is to have started a meaningful dialogue. In other words, you want to be invited to apply online and to be interviewed. The people at job fairs are almost never hiring managers. The people you meet at job fairs are almost always from HR. They are looking for bodies. They are collecting resumes. After a few hours of seeing scores, if not hundreds, of candidates, they all blur into one big blob. So...

Third, differentiate yourself. There are a number of important - and simple - ways in which you can do so:

Dress professionally. Everyone else will be dressed as though they are coming from, or going to, the supermarket. Even though it is only a fair, dress like it is an interview; in a way, it is.

Keep it concise and simple. You are in a public space. The person to whom you are speaking wants to meet as many people as possible. Make sure you know what message you want to relay and that you can do it in 10 seconds. They don't want to hear your life story; they want to be convinced that you can bring value to their company.

Follow-up. What aggravates me more than anything else is spending a day at a job fair, meeting with people who supposedly are looking for work, and then only a couple follow-up by sending me their resume electronically or applying for a job online. Want to differentiate yourself? Just do what the recruiter at the fair tells you to do. Sadly, that'll do it!

Finally, at the end of the day, think of the job fair as a networking opportunity. Collect business cards. Keep in touch with the people you meet. Let them know what is happening with your career. Maybe they cannot help you today, but I know of many people who were helped years later by people them met at a job fair who, at the time, could not help them.

--------------------------------

Bruce Hurwitz, author of the Amazon best seller, The 21st Century Job Search, is an executive recruiter and career counselor. He has helped scores (thousands if you include attendees at his presentations) of people, including veterans, not only change jobs but, on occasion, change careers. Having successfully transitioned from academia to non-profits to the recruiting industry, he has been there and done that! A five-star rated speech writer on Fiverr, he is the host and producer of the live-interview podcast, Bruce Hurwitz Presents.