Got Job Fair?

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend my first full-fledged job fair as a recruiter! Having now experienced a job fair from the other side of the fence, I have a few tips to throw out there for job seekers.

1. It’s a no-brainer, but I’ll say it anyway: It’s always a good idea to do your homework beforehand and know a little bit about the company before speaking to their representatives at the job fair. Extra props if you come with well-informed questions.
2. If you weren’t able to research the company before the fair, that’s fine. Just make sure you’re respectful and don’t have the attitude of “I don’t know anything about your company so just give me your spiel so I can decide if you’re worth my time.” Basically, be interested and sincere in wanting to learn more about the company since you’re now talking to their representatives.
3. This might just be my opinion, but I think it’s better to start off telling the recruiters your background and interests instead of just asking them, “So what are all the employment opportunities you have?” Whenever someone started off telling me their background and interests, I was able to focus and elaborate on the specific jobs that they would be a good fit for. If I didn’t know the applicant’s background, I ended up just giving a broad overview of some of our positions, which the applicant might not have been interested in.
4. As an applicant attending job fairs, it used to bother me when recruiters would just say, “Apply online.” Now that I’m doing some recruiting, I kind of understand why recruiters say that. It’s their protocol. For my agency, applying online (through our application or by e-mailing a resume and cover letter) is the best way to figure out if an applicant is formally applying for a specific position. I collected resumes at the fair, but the act of handing over a resume doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is applying for a certain position. Unless applicants write down a specific job that they’re applying for when they hand me their resume, I have no idea what they want.
   • Nonetheless, I did screen the resumes I collected and some of those applicants will probably get interviewed based on their general, “no job indicated” resumes. This may not be the case for other employers.
   • Applying online after you’ve given the employer your resume is also a good way to follow-up with them. This strategy of submitting your resume and applying online can also help you stay on the forefront of the recruiter’s mind and separate yourself from other applicants they might have met that day.
   • If you do apply online following the fair, I’m more likely to remember you, your qualifications, and your personality/professionalism if you gave me a physical reminder (e.g., money—jk jk, I’m talking about your resume). This might only be an advantage if the representative at the job fair is the same person that looks at incoming applications.
5. When submitting your resume, make sure to include your phone number and make sure that your contact information is accurate! You could be shooting yourself in the foot if you have a typo in your contact section…
6. If you’re a job seeker at a job fair, take advantage of all the free swag employers give away. No, there’s no recruiting wisdom or reasoning behind this tip. I’m just saying that you should get all the free stuff. That’s all. As a recruiter this year, I didn’t get a chance to walk around and score free bags, pens, and stress balls, so take advantage of it while you can!
7. Lastly, don’t underestimate the recruiter and avoid talking to her just because she herself looks like a student/12 years old/not like a legit working professional. She could be a 22-year old alumna, who works in Human Resources and gets paid to do recruiting. So there.

Well, there you have it! Some insights/tips from an amateur recruiter. It’s pretty basic stuff, but hopefully someone reading this will get something out of it. However, if reading this has been a waste of time, I first off want to apologize. Second, I hope I can redeem your time with this video of two different species of baby animals spooning:

 

 

cuuuute…

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