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Job Fair List of No-No’s

Job fairs are a wonderful place to look when you are trying to find a new job, but only if you avoid making some easy mistakes. There will many people at any job fair you attend and they will all be looking to one-up you, so you need to be sure that you do everything in your power to stand out from the crowd, but in a positive way. Negative attention, is not the attention you should be trying to get a job fair.

Here are some things that you should never do when attending a job fair:

  • Be Unprepared: Don’t go to a job fair without being prepared. Bring lots of resumes to a job fair. Many people will bring only three or so and what typically happens is they run out in a hurry. It is better to be prepared and bring 20 than it is to be unprepared and run out.
  • Dress Sloppy: It happens all the time, people wearing shorts and flip-flops to a job fair. Do you think that impresses a potential employer? When you attend a job fair you should dress to impress.
  • Chew Gum: If you are chewing on a stick of gum when attending a job fair hopefully you are not planning on talking to anyone. Job fairs are a great place to not only find out about a number of companies that are hiring, but also to speak with people from that company. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is smacking their jowls together due to a stick of gum.

While job fairs are not job interviews, if treated properly they can become one. You should always treat job fairs the same way you would treat a job interview and if you do, your success at them will be great.

Make the Most of Any Job Fair

job fairJob fairs are a great place to go when you are seeking employment, but many people just go to these job fairs and simply think that a job will fall into their laps. This however, is the wrong approach to take when attending a job fair and there are certain things that you can do to maximize the results of any job fair that you attend.

Here are some things to do when you attend a job fair:

•    Be Early: Many employers will be at a job fair, but that doesn’t mean that there will be many jobs available. Some employers may only have one or two openings and if you arrive fashionably late, you may inadvertently cost yourself a good number of opportunities. Remember, the early bird often gets the worm.
•    Bring Business Cards: Even if you are not currently employed you need to bring business cards with you. Simply get some inexpensive business cards made that have all your information on them and this will give you something to hand to potential employers.
•    Bring Resumes: This goes with the last point. Every potential employer you talk to should get a copy of your resume.
•    Dress Appropriately: Dress as though you are going to be interviewed. You only have one chance at a first impressions and that impression will be greatly diminished if you dress in jeans and a t-shirt.
•    Wear Cozy Shoes: Be prepared to walk. Attending a job fair means that you will be doing laps so you want to be sure that your shoes are comfortable. Avoid new shoes as they may give you blisters and women should avoid high heels.

Once you have all the materials you need and are dressed in the proper manner you can head off to the job fair ready to go. Then you simply have to make the rounds and if all goes well decide what offer you like the best and then enjoy your new found job.

The Job Fair And Getting A Job

Job fairs are great ways to connect job seekers with companies looking to hire. If you have never been to one and are looking for a job, find one in your area and go. It may be the best thing you do for your job search. However, there are many things to remember to make sure the job fair is the best experience possible for you.

  • Remember that those working a company’s booth are pre-screening applicants on the spot. They do not hire during the job fair, but instead gather resumes of qualified, pre-interviewed applicants.
  • Since the job fair is all about first impressions, make sure yours is excellent. Dress as if you are going to an interview. Look well groomed and professional. Double check your breath as you may be more physically close to these recruiters than you normally would be during an interview.
  • Research the companies who will be at the job fair and prepare resumes appropriately. This is much more effective than the one-resume-fits-all approach. You can also ask relevant questions that show you are familiar with the company. This step will make you stand out from many other applicants.
  • Prepare a 30 second or less monologue about why you would be a great fit for each company you are planning to visit at a job fair. You may or may not get to use it, but you want to know exactly what you should say to get the best use of your time in front of recruiters.

With preparation you can turn a job fair into a very beneficial step in the job search.

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