Before you attend your next Job Fair - Success Tips!

Well it doesn't matter where you are in your career ladder, you can be just graduating college or looking for a career change, you can accomplish great success with your pursuits attending job fairs.  At a job fair you will be able to network and obtain job leads, connect with hiring managers from different companies and industries. Here are some tips that will help you make a great first impression.


Research Companies Attending

• It proves beneficial to have some knowledge of the company when you sit down to speak with one of the representatives of the company. Knowing something about the company before hand will make for a great first impression that will impress the recruiter. It is commonly possible to obtain the list of companies prior to the career fair.  Stand apart and be one of the well prepared candidates, know what positions the company is hiring for and be able to state why you would be a great fit for the position, this will really impress the recruiter that he/she will remember you.

Develop Multiple Resumes

• For every company you have researched and found job opportunities you are interested in pursuing, make a resume tailored to those positions. For example if you are targeting positions in finance, you can research the different job titles and objectives then tailor your resumes to fit the position accordingly.  You can apply for positions a bank or in a finance department of a large company like PECO. It would also be wise to have a general resume with no specific objective, this way you may be prepared for any situation and keeping your options open.

Less is More

• Be concise and exact on your resume, make it no more than a page and a half long as to save time and keep the recruiter interested. As the lines at a job fair can be fairly long make it easy on the recruiter by making your resume easy to read, cut out any unnecessary information. Make your resume quick to scan with the main information visually prominent.

Provide Supporting Documentation

• These may be things such as cover letter, professional portfolio, your transcript if you are a recent graduate, reference list, recommendation letters or job applications (downloaded and filled out from company website.)  Develop your cover letter from the information you find from the research you did on the company. Customize your letter with the names of HR managers, positions openings and job requirements you may find during your research.  Even if you do not find all this information still write a cover letter to  go with each version of your resumes.  The cover letter should tell your story, not reiterate what your resume states but get the interest of the recruiter to take a look at your qualifications and grant you an interview.  Supporting documents are not as important as your resume as some recruiters do not like to deal with the extra paperwork. 

Important - Follow Up! 

• Ask for a business card from each recruiter you met with, make a few notes immediately after each interview, this will assist you when you make follow up calls. Mail or email a thank you note within 24 hours after you have spoken to the recruiter at a job fair. It is beneficial to you to remind the recruiter of who you are and to let them know that you are seriously interested. Even after the follow up thank you it is good to email at least once a month to let them know you are still interested. It is also recommended that when you find out about more positions, altering your resume and send an updated customized version to the recruiter you spoke with.