Thursday, October 13, 2011

What to do at a job fair to increase your chances of being hired ...

If you are looking for work right now, you know it is a tough job market out there.

You most likely are spending time on-line, searching … searching … searching.

And, you probably have also been to a “job fair”. But most of you went home after the job fair without a job. Right?

Well, I’m here to suggest that a job fair is a place where you can stand out – and get hired – if you do three things:

1.  You need to research and find out facts about the employers who will be at the job fair.

The job fairs typically publish a list of participating employers before the event. Once you know the companies that will be attending, you can research the targeted companies you want to visit during the event. You’ll want to note any unusual data you learn about them and their competitors, as well as any problems or opportunities they are facing.

2.  Be sure and bring your notes to the job fair. Review them briefly before meeting with the individual hiring managers. Then, speak with them about what some of your research revealed.

Once you’ve found some interesting information during your research phase, be sure and write down notes and bring them to the job fair with you. The key is to WRITE DOWN YOUR NOTES and take them with you. Do NOT try to commit them to memory.

3.  Bring “thank you” notes with you to the job fair and then mail them THAT DAY to everyone you meet.

Bring about 25 “thank you” cards with you along with stamps. You’ll want to jot a quick note to a potential employer while the conversation is still fresh in your mind. Then, just mail the cards on your way home.  

So, during your meeting with them at the job fair, be sure and get a business card from them so you’ll have a mailing address you can use.

Now, the key word in this step is MAIL. Do NOT email follow-up notes to potential employers. Email will have little to no effect because email requires no effort. But actually writing and mailing a “thank you” note DOES require effort and a little coin – and that will set you apart from the many others who follow-up by email if they follow-up at all.

There you have it – three things you can do right now to increase your chances for success when you attend a job fair.

Good hunting!

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