Getting Real Interviews at a Career Fair
Standing out at a Job Faire can make a difference in your job hunting. Career Faires are starting to pick up, and Dice is running some nice ones, called Targeted Job Fairs. At a Silicon Valley Career Faire in January, 10 companies as showing up, and Dice has 82 career faires scheduled for 2010 across the United States.
How do you stand out at a Career Fair? The rivalry can be significant, but you can help yourself leap out from the herd with early preparation. At AA-Careers, we have a simple step-by-step process to prepare. Planning to go? Here’s how to prepare:
First, research the organizations that are going and pick your targets. Use the web to research the companies that are there before you go. Go to their sites and see if they have their jobs listed. Pick a rational number to go after, and get ready to spend up to an hour researching each one. It’s hard to do more than seven in a day, and three to five is a much more reasonable target. For each company, you want to know: executive names, recent news, and key product lines. Try to see if you know anyone at the target companies. You’ll end up 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 hiring department is looking for. Create a mapping of your accomplishments and skills to the requirements of the job. Make the nomenclature match. If the hiring company 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 potential company/job combination. Write down a 60 second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat out loud depicting why you are a good prospect for that job. You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet people at the job kiosk.
Fourth, modify your resume for each opportunity. The objective on your resume should exactly match the position you’re aiming for. 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 description. Especially at a Job Fair, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews. It should be very easy to see that you’re a match based on your resume.
Fifth, dress and prepare as if you’re doing on-site interviews. Dress nicely and be properly groomed. Don’t overdress (this isn’t a date!) and don’t underdress (no jeans or t-shirts, no matter how much you paid for them). Avoid strong cologne or perfume.
Finally, 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 clearly labeled folder. Keep them in a lightweight briefcase or folio.
Remember to smile, and good hunting!
