Getting Noticed at a Career Faire
Standing out at a Job Faire can make a difference in your search. Job Faires are starting to pick up, and Dice is running some nice ones, called Targeted Job Fairs. At a Silicon Valley Job Fair in January, 10 companies as showing up, and Dice has 82 job fairs scheduled for 2010 across the US.
How do you stand out at a Career Fair? The contention can be noteworthy, but you can help yourself stick out from the crowd with early preparation. At AA-Careers, we have a straight-forward 6-step process to prepare. Plan to go? Here’s how to prepare:
First, research the companies that are going and pick your objectives. Use the internet to check out the companies that are there before you even decide to go. Go to their sites and see if they have their jobs listed. Pick a tenable number to target, and get ready to spend up to an hour researching each one. It’s hard to do more than eight in a day, and four or five is a much more reasonable target. For each hiring company, you want to know: executive names, recent news, and key product lines. 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 openings on the web, read them to see what the hiring manager is looking for. Create a mapping of your achievements and skills to the demands of the job. Make the language match. If the hiring organization calls customers "clients", your resume should do the same thing. The accomplishments should be written in the style of the hiring company.
Third, create a ‘mini sales pitch’ for each likely company/job combination. Write down a 90 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 people at the job stall.
Fourth, modify your resume for each job type. 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 accomplishments and skills that most clearly match the job prerequisites. Especially at a Job Faire, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews. It should be very easy 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 light 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 meagerly, if at all.
Remember to smile, and good hunting!
