Srping Job Fair Readiness

Job fairs bring together job seekers and employers with opportunities available within their organizations. Over the years, it has become one of the leading means for entry-level recruiting, giving employers the opportunity to meet job seekers, and to get firsthand knowledge about them through their appearance and first impressions. Job fairs are opportunities for job seekers to make a positive impression on employers that they might have selected.

When attending a job fair, the first impression you can make on the employers is by the way you present yourself. Appearance is a big deal! The way you dress, and the way you carry yourself at the job fair tells the employers more than your personal pitch. At a job fair, because of the different types of job opportunity available dressing to suit all of them is a plus. Dressing for the job fair in professional attire is best, suits and dress shoes are required and for men ties are a must! Some things to avoid are high heavy perfumes, lots of jewelry, overdone makeup and bulky purses or briefcases.

Preparation is the key to success; this truth applies to being successful at a job fair. When attending job fair you want to know which companies would be present; select the companies that are of interest to you and do some research about them (research what is happening within the company or organization). When you know what the company is about, create your resume that would represent your skills, qualification and experience that you can bring to this company. Print at least thirty (30) copies of your resume and have them available at the job fair to give to perspective employers.

Communicating with employers is key, because you want to show confidence and competence; so preparing what you will say about yourself will display these qualities. Your personal pitch should be a brief statement including your educational background, work, skills, desired position or area of interest, and reasons for your interest in that particular company or position. Arriving on time to the job fair gives you a calm feeling and you will have the opportunity to meet with as many employers as possible. You want to maintain a positive attitude and be polite, so turn off your cell phone, and remove hats and headphones. After meeting with employers that you might be interested in remembering, collect their business cards so you can send them a thank you note for taking the time to meet with you.

Attending a job fair is not a guarantee of getting a job. It is an opportunity for you to present yourself as the right person for the position. Being able to present yourself well takes preparation and positive attitude that would convince an employer to give you an interview.

 If you need your resume reviewed or help creating a resume please stop by The Office of Career Development in C102 and meet with someone who is there to help.

 by: Dennis Hamichand and Yasalenny Peralta