Career Fairs Aren’t Fair!
Do they think that if you call it a fair, we will think it’s a fun thing?
Actually, I had a blast at the last two career fairs I went to with ConnectWork Chicago. It was the first time I ever attended a career fair as an employer and I learned a lot! I learned that if you’re a job seeker, and you prepare well enough, a career fair is an excellent opportunity to get an on-the-spot interview and open many doors for other opportunities! My goal as a recruiter at the career fair was to source for specific positions but also to meet professionals that may be a good candidate to call for future needs. If you’ve ever attended a career fair before…or even if you haven’t, here is what it’s like on the other side of the table:
We arrive early to check in and find our table, set up our signage and make our spot look pretty. We want to look attractive to job seekers because believe it or not, they will pass up your table so fast, you didn’t even have time to blink. So, yes, we care, take time, and put thought into what goes on those tables!
Once the job seekers arrive, we wait. Personally, I would say hello to anyone that walked by our table because I just want to talk to as many people as possible. But I noticed other recruiters were waiting to be approached. I thought this would be a good tip for job seekers.
Tip #1: Approach every table you can because not all recruiters at job fairs are as outgoing. But they definitely expect you to be!
The majority of candidates that approached me all had exactly the same intro. “What kinds of job openings do you have?”
It actually shocked me because I’m a big introduction kind of person. The hand shake, the “my name is…”, you know, the introduction. As a recruiter I have many different positions that are open, and as a networker, I know of many other open positions as well. So this leads me to another good tip for job seekers.
Tip #2: Give a proper introduction. Develop an elevator pitch and let the recruiter know who you are as a professional and what opportunities you’re interested in. Believe me, this doesn’t limit your opportunities, this identifies them. If you’re willing to take any job, your chances of finding one just decreased. There are plenty of career focused professionals who know what they want.
Now there were a few candidates who approached me with a proper introduction and spoke to me like I was a person. And that was awesome. Pure awesome. I like being looked at as a person just as much as the next person. However, please take note of the person you are talking to.
Tip #3: Give a firm and confident hand shake but please don’t hurt someone! (I had my hands crushed so many times I was scared to extend my hand again for the rest of the day!)
Once I had met a candidate and began to chat about their job search and take a look at their resume, I noticed that interviewing skills are a necessity at a career fair. I gave quite a few on-the-spot interviews right there. Many candidates were caught off guard and that wasn’t my intention. I just genuinely wanted to know certain things to see if they may be a good fit for one of my job openings.
Tip #4: Be prepared for an interview. Or multiple interviews.
Other general tips for career fairs:
- Attire can be business casual but suits are the most impressive to recruiters. If you don’t have a suit, wear something that isn’t visually distracting. Use an iron. Avoid bright colors and complicated patterns. PLEASE DO NOT WEAR JEANS. (even with a sport coat, just don’t)
- Keep your hair clean and tame. Men: clean cut, fresh hair cut. Women: avoid high volume hair styles and pull your hair back if it’s a frizzy hair day.
- Avoid loud and large jewelry.
-I was literally distracted by many colors, prints, large hair and huge rings. Then I realized I had no idea what the candidates were saying to me.
What I liked most: Candidates that were prepared.
- Portfolios with multiple clean resumes and personal contact business cards.
- Looking up the company before attending the career fair. I was very impressed when a candidate knew about me and my company before even approaching my table.
- Writing your industry and job target on your name tag. It may be difficult for you to approach every table at the fair but if you’re walking by and I can see what you’re looking for on your name tag, I’ll get up and chase you down if I have something for you.
Career fairs really aren’t all that fair. Not everyone knows what they are walking into. But if you have the opportunity to go, and you’re prepared, you might have just as much fun meeting new people as I did!
Do you have a career fair story to share?
5 Responses 
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Veronica,
that’s a good article. And some very useful tips. Many might not even realize how important their appearance or a proper introduction is.
I feel it does not matter what I do as long as I passed out a resume- feel like participant meet many people. But some job fairs have been good for finding information about careers and companies in learning what you can apply for
Veronica, Very nicely written and full of helpful information. I look forward to your next article.
Hello, I love this Article it is inspirationa; and I have few job fairs coming up and am in the process of relocating from Indiana to Chicago so I appreciate the help in this article, I will be sure to pass it on to my colleagues.
Very informative article. That’s a rare thing to find. I’m trying to evaluate whether job fairs are worth the time for a mid-level web designer/dev like me.