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[T640]The Office Job Fair

by Ryan Stewart, Rya

Dress as you would for a job interview. The interactions you have with prospective employers at a job fair are likely to be brief, and first impressions count. Put your best foot forward with proper attire, a smile, and a confident hand shake. Also remember your own promotional materials, and a professional looking case to hold them as well as the information you collect.

Come prepared. Bring copies of your up-to-date resume, and be ready to talk about yourself. What kind of positions are you interested in? How does your previous experience relate? Decide ahead of time what skills you are going to promote, and have the evidence to back them up.

Do your homework. Spend some time browsing company websites ahead of time to get a better feel for their organizations, what they have to offer, and what they are looking for. Having a good basic understanding of a company will enable you to get right to the point when you have the opportunity to ask questions in person. This will allow you to ask more useful questions, as well as make a better impression than a person who has not prepared ahead.

Figure out your target. When you arrive at the job fair, take a moment to figure out where your target employers are located and have a plan for organizing your time. Too much aimless wandering will decrease your energy and make it difficult to stay focused.

Network, network and network. Take advantage of opportunities to network not just with potential employers, but with other job seekers. They may be able to offer valuable information that could save you time, or open you up to possibilities you hadn't already considered.

Follow up. Once you have met with an employer, get their contact information, and take some notes to remind you of points you want to follow up on, additional questions you may have thought of, and any specific recommended action. Follow up with a thank you note or email to express your appreciation and solidify your good impression.

Remember, even if you do not receive a job offer immediately following your attendance at a job fair, networking is a huge and very valuable aspect of any job hunt. Take business cards to exchange with others in the interest of helping one another and broadening your contact list. A job fair is also good for keeping you in practice, refreshing your interview skills, staying on top of job trends, and more. Make the most of your opportunity to meet others, exchange information, give a positive impression of yourself, and remain open to future possibilities.

Whether you're looking for entry-level hires, tech talent or experienced executives, job fairs are an increasingly important strategy for recruiters seeking employees at all levels. The experts at diversity job board LatPro.com offer the following tips to improve your career fair recruiting results while promoting a positive public image for your company:

-Plan as a Team: Make sure there's no disconnect between those planning the exhibit and the recruiters actually attending the event. All members of an exhibiting company need to work together to ensure that everything runs smoothly and nothing falls through the cracks.

-Ask About Advertising Opportunities: Almost every job fair provides a variety of opportunities to publicize your company, often at no additional cost. You may be able to publish your open positions on the event Web site, include your company logo in printed materials, get listed as an exhibitor in radio or TV ads, or receive additional exposure as an event sponsor.

-Don't Put All your Marketing Materials in One Basket: If you ship your booth, display graphics and all your printed materials together, what will you do if they don't make it to the event on time? At the very least, make sure some marketing materials and brochures travel with you. Then if there's a shipping snag, you won't be empty-handed.

-Stay Until the End of the Event: Make sure your travel plans and other arrangements leave enough time for you to exhibit for the entire job fair. Breaking down your booth early is a distraction to other attendees, and it could cause you to miss top-notch candidates who arrive at the end of the event.

-Be on Time: Get directions to the job fair location in advance and give yourself plenty of extra time for missed turns, elusive parking, event registration, booth set-up and last-minute errands. You should have all your prep work completed before candidates are scheduled to arrive.

-Never Leave Your Booth Unattended: If one recruiter goes to lunch, the other should stay at your exhibit. The same goes for cigarette breaks and trips to the bathroom. You never know when outstanding candidates will visit your booth, and you can't guarantee they'll come back if you're missing in action.

-Greet Candidates When They Approach Your Exhibit: Sounds like common sense, but some recruiters seem to prefer chatting with their booth co-worker instead of welcoming candidates. Remember why you're there and be a good host. When someone visits your booth, introduce yourself, shake the candidate's hand and start a conversation!

-Always Accept Paper Resumes: The biggest complaint from career fair candidates involves recruiters who refuse to take paper resumes and instruct jobseekers to apply online at a company Web site. You should always accept resumes from job fair candidates; just explain that they must also apply online as part your company policy. This courtesy shows candidates that their effort to meet you in person is appreciated.

(c)2007 LatPro, Inc. This article may be freely distributed or republished, provided that the text and links are not changed or edited in any way, and the copyright, company information paragraph and this distribution notice are included

Article Source : Employment Opportunities In Canada

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Both Ryan Stewart & Robert Steward & Mesia Quartano are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Ryan Stewart has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interview Questions, Careers and Job Hunting and Employment. Ryan Stewart has coached hundreds to pharma sales success (and he's done it all for free). To jump-start your career go to. Ryan Stewart's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.

Robert Steward & Mesia Quartano has sinced written about articles on various topics from Employment. LatPro and its ,