Having a Strategy is Key to Job Fair Success - Workology

Having a Strategy is Key to Job Fair Success - Workology DEVELOP YOUR A B LISTS The spring college recruiting season will soon be in full effect. In fact, companies are gearing up right now to scour universities for full-time talent and summer interns.   Seniors hungry for their dream jobs and juniors hoping to land internships will be armed with resumes and dressed in suits. They will come face-to-face with corporate recruiters in logo polo shirts, doling out swag. To many job seekers (entry-level or not), attending career fairs is a daunting but necessary task. And, once in the midst of a fair, you could quickly become intimidated or overwhelmed. Thats why having a strategy is important! Preparation is critical to maximizing your efforts and making the most of your career fair experience. DEVELOP YOUR A B LISTS Most colleges or job fair vendors will post a list of all attending companies online or in local papers. A few days prior to the career fair, review the list and jot down your top 10 15 dream organizations. Then research each one of these companies. Check out their corporate and career websites, conduct a Google search to see what you can find out, and review Indeed.com or Glassdoor.com to read what others are saying. Most importantly, know the positions that they’re hiring for and tailor your resume to each of these companies. On the day of the career fair, while you’re still fresh and energized, start with your A-list. Youll want to approach these companies and demonstrate that youve done your research. This alone will make you stand out from about 95% of all other job seekers! Introduce yourself and say something like: Hi, my name is Soinso and Im majoring in Suchandsuch. I was excited to learn that ABC Company was recruiting today and went to your career site. Im very interested in your Analyst position and understand youre looking for candidates with D, E and F, which I have. Can we talk more about this opportunity? Now hand the corporate rep your tailored resume. Wow! That person is going to be impressed. After you spend time talking with your A-list, be sure to ask for business cards. Now, you need to be realistic with your A-list companies, too. It could very well be that youve always wanted to work for ABC, but when you finally get the chance to learn more, you realize they dont have any jobs in the location that you want to live. Or, that you dont have the GPA for the type of program that you really want. Or, that the corporate rep was a real dolt and made you realize youd never want to work there. USE YOUR TIME WISELY GATHER AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN Once youve visited your A-list, start checking out your B-list companies. These are companies that you want to learn more about so you can decide whether or not to fully pursue. Make sure you have a resume to offer the recruiter so that you can have a conversation about your experience, and then ask questions to see if they are looking for someone like you. Try to do some research on your B-list companies so that you dont seem completely oblivious, and ask for a business card for following up after the fair. THINK OUTSIDE YOUR LISTS BE OPEN TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES Even though youve planned your work and worked your plan, you should still give yourself plenty of time to peruse other companies. At first thought, some companies or industries may seem less sexy than others. Maybe youve never considered working in auto insurance, with rental cars or in retail, but there are fantastic training programs and career opportunities within all sorts of industries! Have an open mind. It doesn’t hurt to talk to recruiters, establish connections and keep all of your options on the table. YOUR WORK ISN’T OVER WHEN THE FAIR SHUTS DOWN Hopefully, you took notes during the career fair and gathered a slew of business cards, because that information will help with your follow up. A free business app called CardMunch by LinkedIn allows you to take pictures of business cards and then save the contacts directly to your smartphone. Once the cards are uploaded, you can request to connect via LinkedIn. Once you have your contacts in order, review your notes and the brochures that you picked up. Go back through your A-list and decide which companies to apply to. Most  will require that you apply online. Theres no real way around that, so carve out enough time to thoughtfully complete required applications. Again, just a little reality check, some companies might require that you apply closer to the time that you’re actually able to start a job. If thats the case, set calendar reminders and file that information away for another day. If you land something sooner, oh well, their loss. CONNECT WITH COMPANIES RECRUITERS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA If you are genuinely interested in a company, social media is a fantastic way to stay connected and learn more. You can “like” their corporate and career pages on Facebook, @ message companies and individual recruiters on Twitter, watch videos on YouTube, and/or participate in discussions on LinkedIn. If you are a viable candidate, then recruiters will want to stay in touch with you. Creating and maintaining an online prsence  is a crucial tool when your goal is to be headhunted by recruiters of your dream company. Tell us your job fair success stories! What works for you? Share your tips!