Job Fairs Are A Waste
Am I the only one who finds that most job fairs are a complete waste of time? They tell you to sign up online, bring resumes, and be ready for an interview. This almost never happens. What happens is you do all this and show up. There are no job interviews. There are people from the companies handing out pens, brochures, etc. They tell you to apply online. Great, then why bother dressing up and coming to a job fair. Doesn't it make more sense to view what companies will be at the job fair and apply for the ones you want at home? Unless you like dressing up for free pens and can waste all that time, energy, and effort. Also, it is a bit annoying to me when they put small selling business there to try to recruit you, like oh yes get a job today selling (insert name of some beauty product or vacuum here lol) all you need to do is pay $500 for inventory of a bunch of crap you probably aren't going to sell.
I've been to a few, and I have to agree they were a waste of time. They were more so companies could advertise they had participated in the jobfair, and gain some brownie points from the community. In reality I didn't see and interview, or anyone hired on the spot. People go because they are desperate for a job, but with no stats to back-up the success of the jobfair there is no accountability. Good Luck...
I’m sorry you had a bad experience Amanda but I’m afraid I going to have to disagree with you on this one. To be successful at Job Fairs I think it’s important to understand what type of event you’re attending in order allow you to set the right expectations.
Hiring Events, Career Fairs, and Job Fairs offer different recruiter engagement opportunities. You’re more than likely to have good opportunity to receive an interview and on the spot job offer at a Hiring Event rather than a Career or Job Fair. Hiring events are usually held by single company, Amazon for example, whenever they need to recruit immediate hires for a large number of job openings. Those events are great if you're interested in the jobs they’re offering and can meet the specific job requirements for the open positions.
Career and Job Fairs are offer job seekers more recruiter networking opportunities. Think of these events like a an opportunity to meet face to face and put your resume in the hands of someone involved in the recruiting and hiring process rather than just submitting your application online and hoping the automated pre-selection system rates your application high enough to be selected from a pool of hundreds of other applicants. Putting a face to your resume and walking away with recruiter contact information instantly gives you an edge over other candidates in the general application pool. So, did you identify any potential companies you might want to work for? Did you have an opportunity to speak with that company(s) recruiter and get their business card? If yes, then apply online ASAP and use that contact reference to personally follow up on your application. Laila offers some excellent follow up tips on her “Don't Play The Waiting Game!’ conversation. You can also find more Job Fair and Hiring Event prep tips from other members at #JobFairSuccess.
Don’t get discouraged if recruiters asked you to apply online. Most companies operate under strict Equal Employment Opportunity Commision, (EEOC) rules that require all applicants, internal and external, to apply online first in order to ensure everyone has a fair shot at getting hired for the job.
Maximizing Job Fair potential is a process that requires practice, consistency, and trial and error for success just like anything else worthwhile but if managed correctly those events offer an excellent alternative towards gaining full employment.
Remember, we’re here to help. Please feel free to reach out to our recruiting team at #recruitersadvice with questions and career search support. Talk Soon!