The Job Fair

The job fair or career fair is often used by companies to hire entry level staff and to introduce themselves to college graduates and other potential hires.

This isn't to say that you can't get a more senior position by attending. Finding a good, experienced person through a career fair is probably a lot cheaper than hiring a recruiter so it can and does happen!

When attending a job fair here are a few suggestions to help you make it a successful event:

1. Wear professional business attire. Dress for success and treat the job fair like an interview in terms of your style of dress. Bring a professional-looking briefcase or portfolio holder to store your resumes as well as materials that you take with you from each company you visit. In some cases, you might actually conduct a mini-interview with the company representative perhaps as a screening device to see if you are truly of interest to their firm so be prepared for it.

2. Bring enough copies of your resume so that you can hand them out to prospective employers without running out. Sure, you can always email it to interested hiring managers once you get home but when you have their attention in person it's ideal to have a copy of your resume that they can look at while you're there.

3. Once you arrive at the job fair, walk around and get a sense as to what companies are there and where each of them are located. Specifically, figure out where the companies you are interested in are located so you can plan your day.

4. Collect business cards. Once you've met a few hiring managers, you might start forgetting names or mixing up companies. Try to get a business card from each hiring manager so you can follow up with a brief email reiterating your interest in their firm. It can help keep you top of mind especially after they've met with many other job searchers.

5. Before you leave the job fair, try to say one last good bye to the representatives of the companies you are most interested in. Ask if it's possible for you to contact them by phone within the next few days to speak in more detail about their company. Again, it can help to keep you top of mind since they've probably met dozens of other job searchers during the day.

Always keep in mind that during job fairs, the people you speak with will have met with many, many people competing for the same job(s) you're interested in so anything you can do to positively distinguish yourself from other people can only help.