"It's great to see an alumni-focused career fair — I found it very useful! It was a quick and effective way to actually speak to representatives from many different companies in one evening."
The following information was developed by the Career Development
Center at Stanford
What is a
Job Fair?
Job fairs, also referred to as career fairs are usually one day
events set up to connect large numbers of employers with job fair
participants. Employers are there to recruit employees, so if you
are interested in looking for a job or finding out more about a
potential career, don't miss out.
What Can I Expect?
You can expect over 90 employers represented at different booths or tables. Employer representatives are interested in providing you information about their companies via brochures and other promotional materials. Their job is to meet as many attendees as possible and promote their organizations to you.
Benefits of a Job Fair
Consider a job fair to be your opportuntiy to market yourself to and gather more information about numerous employers at one time and place.
Some direct benefits of attending a career fair include:
- An efficient and economical way to make contacts.
- An opportunity to learn more about specific industries,
careers and organizations.
- Actually talking to a company
representative instead of just mailing in or submitting an on-line
resume.
- Asking someone in the field for
feedback about your resume, education or experiences.
- Making a company contact.
Plan to use your best networking skills at the Job Fair:
Many employers use jobs fairs to screen
applicants and/or collect resumes to bring back to their organization.
It is ideal to be able to engage the recruiter in a conversation
so they will remember you and your skills. Do not be discouraged
if this does not happen; there can be numerous people to compete
with in this setting. Use your time to collect valuable company
information via conversation and company materials so that you can
write an incredible, well-informed cover letter stating your interest
in an organization.
The job fair can be separated
into three stages:
- Before
- During
- After
BEFORE — the
preparation stage
Do your homework. Contact the organization sponsoring
the event and find out some of the following details.
- How many companies will be represented?
- Is there a published list available
ahead of time or on the day of the event?
- How will employers be organized?
alphabetic order, by industry, etc.?
- What is the starting and ending
time of the event?
- What is the appropriate dress?
- Are there any special procedures
to follow in order to participate?
Put together your resume. You may have a dichotomy of interests and in that case it may be
ideal to have different versions of your resume. Be realistic
in your preparation time and remember that it is most important
to have a well-polished resume that shows off your education,
skills and experiences. Be sure to have your resume critiqued
by at least three people. It is better to attend without a resume than to NOT attend the job fair at all. At least in this case you
can pick up pertinent information about an organization to use later.
Have a plan. It is very easy to feel
intimidated at such an event. Wandering around aimlessly will only
enhance this feeling. Have a plan—even if you only plan to
explore. This will help you to have some
idea as to which organizations you want to approach. An example
of a plan may be geographic, industry based, or by experience/majors
requested. Many organizations will publicize the types of majors
or job titles they are seeking. Be open-minded and flexible; you
might be surprised at what you find.
- Bring a pen, folder, note pad
and/or some sort of log sheet to keep you organized.
- A highlighter can be useful to
help indicate which organizations you want to target on your employer
list.
Bring your pertinent questions.
Your questions will depend on your goals (career exploration vs.
job search). Sample questions include:
- What qualities and background
are you looking for in employees?
- What is the application process
for your organization?
- Do you have a business card I
could have for future reference and contact?
DURING —the actual event
Hand out your resume. Have plenty of copies of your polished resume easily accessible
(if you chose to distribute your resume). If you have two versions of your resumes, color-coding them can be very helpful. Gray, white and off-white are all good choices. A new trend is for employers not to collect resumes on site but to just refer you back to their Web site for on-line resume submission. Try and use the face time at the fair to gather pertinent information to enhance your application.
Thank employers for any brochures
or promotional materials you were given. This is not a
time to pick up gifts for your friends and family. Be reasonable
with your consumption of recruiter giveaways.
Collect business cards.
Jot down a fact on the back to jog your memory when you write a
follow-up letter.
Approach a company representative
and introduce yourself. Don't sit back and wait to be approached.
Shake hands, make good eye contact and tell the employer your name,
background and your interests. The more focused you are the better.
If you are unsure how you would fit into the organization ask the
employer open-ended yet specific questions. What qualities do
you look for in your employees? What types of positions are currently
available?
Create a one-minute commercial
as a way to sell yourself to an employer. This is a great
way to introduce yourself. The goal is to connect your background
to the organization's need. In one minute or less you need to introduce
yourself, demonstrate your knowledge of the company, express enthusiasm
and interest, and relate your background to the company's need, and end with a question. This is meant to be a dialogue NOT a monologue.
Other dos and don'ts:
- Be assertive without being rude
- Be sensitive to others waiting
behind you
- Realize that recruiters like to
talk to groups
- Maximize your time at the career
fair
- Observe other attendees/employers
for clues
- Don't ask about salary and benefits
- Don't monopolize someone's time
- Don't exhibit a lack of direction
and focus
AFTER —the follow up
You are only as good as your
follow up. Keep track of those companies and representatives
with whom you spoke.
Send a thank you letter to
those representatives you wish to pursue. This will set
the stage for future correspondence.
Dress appropriately.
Professional is best unless it is a more casual event.
