Standing out at Job Faires
Standing out at a Job Fair can make a difference in your job hunting. Career Fairs are starting to pick up, and a major job search company is running some nice ones, called Targeted Job Fairs. At a San Jose Area Career Fair in January, 10 companies as showing up, and Dice has 82 job fairs scheduled for this year across the United States.
How do you rise above the crowd at a Job Fair? The rivalry can be substantial, but you can help yourself stand out from the crowd with advance planning. At AA-Careers, we have a simple six-step process to prepare. Planning to go? Here’s how to prepare:
First, investigate the companies that are going and pick your objectives. Use the web to research the companies that are there before you go. Go to their internet sites and see if they have their openings posted. Pick a rational number to target, and get ready to spend up to an hour researching each one. It’s hard to do more than 9 in a day, and 3-5 is a much more reasonable target. For each company, you want to know: recent news, key product lines, and contacts you know. Try to see if you know anyone at the target companies. You will end up with with a page or two of research for each company/job.
Second, if there are job openings on the web, read them to see what the company is looking for. Create a mapping of your accomplishments and skills to the requirements of the job. Make the nomenclature match. If the hiring organization calls customers "clients", your resume should do the same thing. The achievements should be written in the style of the hiring company.
Third, create a ‘thumbnail sales pitch’ for each potential company/job combination. Write down a 90 second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat verbally depicting why you are a great candidate for that position. You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet people at the job booth.
Fourth, modify your resume for each opportunity. The objective on your resume should exactly match the job you’re want. The executive summary should be a written form of your “mini sales pitch” for the job. Then choose the accomplishments and skills that most clearly match the job prerequisites. Especially at a Career Faire, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews. It should be obvious to see that you’re a match based on your resume.
Fifth, dress and prepare as if you’re doing on-site interviews. Dress well and be fittingly groomed. Don’t over do-it (this isn’t a date!) and don’t underdress (no jeans or t-shirts, no matter how much you paid for them). Avoid strong cologne or perfume.
Finally, rehearse your ‘mini-sales-pitch’. Collect your research and the resume for each spot - bring a couple of copies for each – and put each in a clearly tagged folder. Keep them in a lightweight briefcase or folio.
Remember to smile, and good hunting!
