Job Fair?
Help!! I’ve never been to a job fair and to be honest I don’t really even know what happens there. I remember my mom telling me that she went to a couple of career fairs when she was looking for a job but she claims those events weren’t very helpful and she never got a job offer out of any of them. Theres going to be one in my town next week so I still want to give it a try and maybe have my own positive experience. Should I dress up and be prepared to interview with various companies on the same day or are job fairs more of a Q&A opportunity. What should I expect?
I attended a job fair recently. Dress professional and make sure you have plenty of resume copies. It's not really an interview but more of an information session. The recruiters do most of the talking but you'll still have a few minutes to introduce yourself. Take business cards from recruiters and write down something memorable about the conversation you had on the back. Include that memory on the follow-up email or phone call.
Hi Dylan: Great question! There are a ton of job fairs happening around the country at any given time, so you're definitely asking a timely question. I recommend reading up on this past Jobcase convo about job fairs: https://www.jobcase.com/conversations/888ac5bd-084c-5454-9b28-45a2b78bb31c It has a lot of great advice about what to do to prepare for a job fair!
Hey Dylan: Okay...job fairs are generally where recruiters from various companies and firms provide info about their company (including mission statement, types of jobs their hiring for, etc.). A lot of firms will have you fill out applications on the spot and sometimes will interview you right there. Most will usually also have free tchotchkes (e.g. highlighters, pens, pencils, post-it pads, stress balls, note pads, key chains, etc.) with the company logo on them as well as info sheets you can take with you and some hold drawings for bigger items. As far as dress is concerned, my suggestion would be to dress at least business casual or dress for interview. My suggestion would also be to have some resumes with you (at least 10) just in case. Carry them in a portfolio with a writing pad or something that will keep them from getting bent or smooshed up. I can't guarantee you'll get interviews there but sometimes it happens so be prepared. Carrying the resumes are helpful to make sure the info you put on your applications are accurate. Good luck at the job fair and I hope that these suggestions help!