Standing out at a Job Faire can make a difference in your search. Job Fairs are starting to pick up, and a major job search company is running some nice ones, called Targeted Job Fairs. At a San Jose Area Job Fair in January, 10 companies as showing up, and Dice has 82 career fairs scheduled for 2010 across the US.
How do you rise above the crowd at a Job Faire? The rivalry can be sizeable, but you can help yourself surpass from the bunch with early homework. At AA-Careers, we have a straight-forward six-step process to prepare. Planning to go? Here’s how to prepare:
First, research the companies that are going and pick your targets. Use the internet to check out the organizations that are there ahead of time. Go to their sites and see if they have their job openings posted. Pick a rational number to target, and get ready to spend about an hour researching each one. It’s hard to do more than nine in a day, and four or five is a much more reasonable target. For each hiring organization, you want to know: recent news, key product lines, and contacts you know. 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 organization is looking for. Create a mapping of your accomplishments 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 achievements 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 sixty second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat out loud showing why you are a good prospect for that position. You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet people at the job booth.
Fourth, modify your resume for each opportunity. The objective on your resume should exactly match the position you’re going after. 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 Job Faire, 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 match based on your resume.
Fifth, rehearse your ‘mini-sales-pitch’. Collect your research and the resume for each spot - bring a couple of copies for each – and put each in a distinctly tagged 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 properly groomed. Avoid strong cologne or perfume…use any cologne or fragrance sparingly, if at all.
Remember to smile, and good hunting!