Match, Meet, and Mesmerize at a Job Fair

Are you considering another trip through the career maze? Attending a job fair can make you feel like you are playing a losing game unless you have a clear understanding of the rules. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of any job fair, and gaining a competitive edge.

GET A JUMP ON YOUR COMPETITION

* Review the list of participating companies and determine which companies interest you the most. Pick several.

* Collect information about these companies and do your research before you attend the job fair. Check out their Web sites and look for information about them on the Internet.

* Match your skills to the companies' needs and job requirements.

* Practice your fifteen-second introduction. Be sure to include your name, your key skills, and what you can do for the company.

* Review your accomplishments and be ready to talk about them.

KNOCK THEIR SOCKS OFF

* Approach the job fair as you would a job interview.

* Dress appropriately and avoid wearing too much perfume or cologne.

* Bring plenty of clean, error-free résumés on good quality paper.

* Know what you are looking for. Be able to explain what you can do and what kind of position you want. Remember it is not the recruiter's task to determine which job is right for you.

* Relate what you know about the company and their products and services.

* Link your skills and experience to what they need. If you visited their Web site, say so.

* Enjoy the process; be positive and ready to talk about yourself.

* Smile, shake hands, and introduce yourself.

* Ask questions that demonstrate your interest.

* Ask for the interviewer's business card so you can follow up later. Make notes on the back of the card so you can remember what you discussed.

DON'T SABOTAGE YOUR SUCCESS

* Don't bring your children.

* Don't try to baffle anyone with smooth talk.

* Don't bring up any past history you have with the company or its recruiters.

* Don't grab a handful of freebies. Take one.

ESSENTIAL AND YET NOT SO OBVIOUS

* Visit with the smaller, seemingly less successful employers. You could easily miss a dynamic, little-known company that is a perfect match.

* Talk to other job seekers. Exchange information about possible employers. Don't miss out on this hot source of possible opportunities.

CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION

* Sort through the company business cards you collected. Prioritize them for following up.

* Contact recruiters and hiring managers by telephone. After small job fairs, follow up within three days. After large job fairs, follow up within five days. Remind them of who you are, when you met, and what job or position you discussed.

* Express interest in meeting with them and offer to send them another copy of your résumé if they can't locate yours immediately.

* Follow up, follow up, and follow up yet again.

Mary Jeanne Vincent is the author of Acing the Interview tip cards featuring answers to the top 20 "killer" interview questions. Also included are tips for interviewing in the new economy, ideas for responding to illegal and trick questions, and suggestions for avoiding 10 deadly interview mistakes.

Go to http://www.2bworkwise.com for free job search articles and to sign up for the free WorkWise e-zine. For information on individual job and career coaching or to find out about other practical, easy-to-use career tools call Mary Jeanne at 831.657.9151.

RELATED ARTICLES

Women Who Quit Work Abrubtly After Childbirth - Are You the Type?
According to statistics one out of every five pregnant women will not return to work. Quitting abruptly after childbirth could wreak havoc on your finances, your career and even your relationship with your partner.

How To Choose The Right Resume Format
After a thirty (30) second glance lots of resumes get thrown into the wastebasket. One of the reasons this happens is because the resume writer has failed to use the appropriate resume format.

How To Get a Job Offer From Every Interview
About four years ago a friend told me one night that she had an interview the next week and was looking for some comfort as she was extremely nervous, as most people are about interviews. I thought back on my my carreer and realized that in the nine year of my career I had been to thirteen interviews and, more importantly, that I had received a job offer from every one of those interviews. I did not accept all the offers, but the point is that I had not once been to an interview without getting a job offer from it.

7 Steps To A Job-Winning Resume
A new resume can jump-start your career. Your network contacts may ask for a resume and some industries absolutely, positively demand a resume as the price of admission. When you begin thinking of your resume as a power source, the results can be astonishing.

What To Do When A Co-Worker Turns Nasty
A friend of mine laments that work would be great if only there were no other people there! No matter where we work, we will work with others. Often, those relationships are cordial if not friendly, but there can be challenges. You will not love all of your co-workers, and some will be downright nasty.

Match, Meet, and Mesmerize at a Job Fair
Are you considering another trip through the career maze? Attending a job fair can make you feel like you are playing a losing game unless you have a clear understanding of the rules. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of any job fair, and gaining a competitive edge.

Job Interviews -- How to Follow Up Effectively
Getting a job is not just about your performance in an interview. The post-interview follow up you do has a critical role in a successful job hunt. Here's how to do it effectively.

Identity Theft and Your Online Job Search
While identity theft is nothing new, the Web has opened up whole new world of opportunity for identity thieves.

Are You Ready To Start A Business? Take This Quiz and See
Don't get discouraged! A "no" answer to any of the questions will identify an area for development -- not a roadblock. I am available to help if you would like to discuss your options in greater detail.

Interview Presentation Skills: Dealing With Your Nerves
Sooner or later, the interview invitation is going to say you are required to give a presentation as part of the selection process. And like most people you may dread having to do it. You may think that you cannot speak publicly because of nervousness but all good speakers are nervous, and you can overcome those nerves.

How To Become a Mortgage Broker
The mortgage industry accounted for $1,815,949,279,000 in loan transactions in 2004. That's one trillion, eight hundred and fifteen billion, nine hundred and forty-nine million, two hundred and seventy nine thousand dollars... in one year!

Build New Habits -- Payday Will Come --
Feeling that it never works is not a good excuse. You may even remember last year not getting past February. GOOD intentions. NO success. Don't quit! Every year has a new beginning for each of us. Keep on working at it.

A Killer Secret To Get Your Cover Letter Read
You're still reading?so I know my title grabbed your attention.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do
Everyone dreams of a life full of love and adventure. But we fill ourselves with reasons not to follow our dreams. Instead of protecting us, they imprison and hold us back. Life will be over before we know it, so now is the time to really live life and love.

Job Search Tips - How to Increase Your Success
Finding a job can be a painful and difficult experience. Here are three things that you can do to minimize the pain and increase your chances of success.

Career Search from Within
Seeking meaningful and fulfilling work can become a discouraging, confusing and overwhelming journey. Beware spending too much time looking for your answers outside of yourself. Ultimately, coming to know our right livelihood is the inner work of our whole being.

Top 10 Super Job Interview Tips
Use these interview tips for job hunting success!

Benefits of Mystery Shopping For Secret Shoppers
Mystery shoppers are people who are hired to scrutinize employees, products and customer services of any organization. The benefits that they get from mystery shopping are:

American Idol Syndrome
I like Simon, one of three judges on American Idol. I find his feedback refreshingly honest. And while his words startle me with their ego wounding potential, the traditional feel-good, let-you-down-easy, sugar-coated feedback is not much of a gift. It's hard to tell someone they're not good enough and their dreams are not going to happen, at least in this venue. But not telling them is no gift either. Some contestants rise to the challenges he throws at them. Some don't. And, some can't. Which one are you? The people who influenced me most in my career were those who gave me the hardest critiques. Stricken with a bruised-ego for days, or on occasion for months, inevitably their feedback helped me make the right life choices to improve, change direction, or stay the course with intensity. In fact, the boss who was the hardest on me is the one I thank the most. Good was not good enough if I was capable of better, and she was quick to point out when that was. No sugar coating from her. And the funny thing? When I was honest with myself, I knew she was right. Being honest with yourself is one of the challenges to winning at working. We all have talents and abilities, but they're not always in the areas we pursue at work. Too many people I've run across in my career have American Idol Syndrome (AIS). Like Idol contestants auditioning with little or no singing ability, these people believe they are good at what they do. They can't understand why they don't get the promotion, the outstanding review, or the highest increases. They view themselves as varsity team material, but they play with junior varsity skills. When I was a freshman at Stanford, I got a D in biology. Stanford graded on a bell-curve, so an 84% that might traditionally put me in a B category, was near the class bottom. Accustomed to A's, first quarter grades woke me up. At first, I rationalized a D at Stanford was an A or a B at most any other school. But, reality prevailed. I wasn't at another school. If I was going to compete at the school I was at, it was time to use more than high school skills to bring results. Are you applying yourself? Are you as good as you could be to get the raise, the promotion, or the more interesting work? If these are things you want, don't suffer from AIS. Give yourself some Simon-esk feedback. Ego aside. A Simon-esk answer to the questions, "how good are you?" and "are you in the right field?" offers you a chance at becoming happier and more successful at working. The answers give you choices: you can stay the course; find a playing field at your skill level; improve your skills to compete where you are; or change directions. (c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

Layoff Survival Guide - Do You Have The Career Management Horsepower It Will Take To Survive?
In a recent survey of over 662 career seekers, some disturbing trends identified that MOST career seekers don't have a clue what career management skills they have or what those skills are! As a result, it will be difficult for these career seekers to succeed.