Getting Noticed at Career Faires
Standing out at a Job Faire can make a difference in your career search. Career Faires are starting to pick up, and a major job search company is running some nice ones, called Targeted Job Fairs. At a Silicon Valley Career Fair in January, 10 companies as showing up, and a major job search company has 82 career faires scheduled for this year across the States.
How do you stand out at a Job Fair? The contention can be substantial, but you can help yourself surpass from the crowd with advance homework. At AA-Careers, we have a simple 6-step process to get ready. Plan to go? Here’s how to prepare:
First, research the organizations that are going and pick your targets. Use the internet to research the companies that are there beforehand. Go to their websites and see if they have their jobs posted. Pick a sensible number to go after, and get ready to spend about an hour researching each one. It’s hard to do more than 8 in a day, and three or four is a much more reasonable target. For each hiring organization, you want to know: key product lines, recent news, and executive names. Try to see if you know anyone at the target companies. You will end up with with a page or two of research for each company/job.
Second, if there are job postings on the web, read them to see what the hiring department is looking for. Create a mapping of your achievements and skills to the demands of the job. Make the language match. If the hiring company calls customers "clients", your resume should do the same thing. The accomplishments should be written in the style of the hiring organization.
Third, create a ‘short sales pitch’ for each likely company/job combination. Write down a 60 second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat verbally showing why you are a great prospect for that job. You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet the company at the job stall.
Fourth, modify your resume for each position. The objective on your resume should exactly match the job you’re want. The executive summary should be a written form of your “mini sales pitch” for the job. Then choose the achievements and skills that most clearly match the job requirements. Especially at a Career Fair, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews. It should be quick to see that you’re a fit based on your resume.
Fifth, practice your ‘mini-sales-pitch’. Collect your research and the resume for each opportunity - bring a couple of copies for each – and put each in a understandably marked folder. Keep them in a lightweight briefcase or folio.
Finally, dress and prepare as if you’re doing on-site interviews. Dress well and be well groomed. Avoid strong cologne or perfume…use any cologne or fragrance sparingly, if at all.
Remember to smile, and good hunting!
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