If you plant to attend, participate in, and fear a job or career fair and then you don’t attend you will miss low-risk job search practice and networking opportunities.
1. Packaging – How you dress, How you hair looks. How you accessorize. How you smell. And how clean and polished your shoes are, especially your heels, make a difference, first to you and how you feel, and to the people you meet. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Corny, but so true. (Read entire article and learn what is best color to wear to job or career fairs and to any interview).
2. Attitude – No one on the planet looks forward to a Job or Career Fair except for sponsors and few, very few of those “working the booths.” Yup! If your attitude is upbeat, edgy, filled with energy, and “positive,” you will benefit.
3. Get Remembered – Your mission is To Be Remembered. A) Have a two-sided business card. B) Hand out individually wrapped breath mints before you move to the next booth or person. C) Wear a fresh flower and give some away. D) Bring day-glow imprinted micro-sized helium-filled balloons and give some away. You’ll be remembered.
4. Huge Legal-Sized Resume – At job fairs, first time through, resume “viewing” time is 5 seconds (not minutes). Enlarge first page of your resume on legal-size (8.5 x 14) piece of paper. Hold it up (higher when applicants are in front of you) so recruiters can say “yes” or “no” to on-the-spot interviewing. Hand out regular-size resumes printed on off-white paper only.
5. Five (5) Applicants Interviewed At The Same Time – Ugh! That’s what to expect at busy career fairs. Your job: Speak up. With energy and just loud enough to be heard, answer in short statements: “I can do that.” Or “I have done that for 5 years.” Or “That’s what I do best.” (Read entire article to get more tips).
6. Follow-Up – Get Business Cards. Circle on each lead person’ name. Get primary or best e-mail address. Get direct line number. Mail three days later (not e-mail) thank-you note that starts with the words “you” or “your,” not “Thank you!” Remind them WHO you are by what you were wearing that day. Beat competing applicants.
7. Expectations – Make a written list of what you must do at job or career fairs. Add that you need to make friends with other professionals. Get acquainted. You give them leads about jobs that match them not you and they will do the same.