Did you attend the recent MLK Day Job Fair, sponsored by the Urban League of Philadelphia (ULP) and Global Citizen, at Girard College, this past Monday, Jan 20th? (If you missed it, go to urbanleaguephila.org and call them to get connected to employers and skills!) :

If you attended and you want an advantage in securing that next job:

Follow-up immediately with everyone you met at the fair

One of the most common mistakes made after job fairs is jobseekers thinking there's a polite amount of time to wait until I reach out and (re)connect with a rep from an employer.

There is no appropriate waiting time, post-job-fair. It is, in fact, just the opposite: most employers see your immediate/quick follow-up as a sign of your motivation and commitment- it gives you an advantage!

So, if, right now, you are waiting to follow-up, you are actually giving away one of your biggest advantages in the job-seeking process! Don't wait!

Follow-up immediately and - importantly - don't accept an excuses for not doing it:

• I don't have the contact info: look up the company, get their number, call the department, ask for the email address
• I don't know what to say: look up job fair follow-up messages and use existing examples as a template
• I don't have time: Break it down into steps - write your message, get your contact info, etc. Do whatever you can now.
• I _________: whatever reason may be keeping you from doing it, post that reason here, now, and let the Jobcase community help you resolve it!