In my last post I had several suggestions for what not to do at a job fair. This was after experiencing my first ever non-law enforcement job fair, which to say the least taught me a lot. Well let’s get to it then shall we?
First let’s set the stage, you will wait in line for anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours just to hand your resume to a recruiter who may or may not know exactly what they are looking for. In my case I couldn’t tell you the difference between a java developer and a coffee bean, but I did know that there were key words I was looking for on each resume handed to me. One thing I did know was project management, but I didn’t have to know all that much about it to be able to figure out if the person I was talking to knew anything about it or not, so again, key words, specific turns of phrases, etc. was what I was looking for.
So here’s what you should do:
1.)
List your best qualifications and skills right at the top. Have you ever heard from some recruiters that putting “PMP” or “
MBA” after your name is pretentious? Well I’ve got news for you; it’s so competitive out there now that you don’t have room or time to be humble. Put your best stuff right at the top. If not letters after your name then be sure and have a summary of skills and qualifications at the top or something.
2.) Secondly hand your resume to the recruiter and say something to the effect of “hi my name is bob, I’m an IT project manager with 10 years experience, I’m project management certified and I have obtained a masters of science in information systems from (name your school)”. Just spit it right out. This isn’t normal English conversations we’re having here, this is selling yourself in 30 seconds or less. Heck you could even say “hi my name is Bob, I’m a certified PMP, have 10 years experience in technology projects and I am a killer project manager”. Yeah that sounds like bragging, but it ain’t bragging if it puts food on the table, savvy?
3.) Third you need to have an objective and know what you do. Make sure you have your skills focused which brings me to…
4.) Look at the companies that will be at the job fair, research them look at their available jobs listed on their website and write a resume specifically for them. Do it for all the recruiter tables you plan on stopping at then write a general resume for the rest of the fair.
5.) Multiple page resumes are common, parsing your life down to one page probably will not help you in this type of environment. We took a big box of resumes back to the office where they will be sorted through one at a time, a snap shot or synopsis resume will look woefully inadequate. Again, have that summary of qualifications on page one to introduce yourself then go ahead and get more detailed later. Try not to exceed two pages if possible, never exceed three.
6.) Make an impression that will last, I spoke to one guy that I went looking for his resume the day after the fair; he made an impact on me to be certain. I took 15 to 20 minutes out of my day today on a break to go talk to our recruiter about him and help her sort through a few hundred resumes in an effort to find his.
7.) Realize that part of a job fair depends on luck, if you don’t make it don’t change up your whole game, give yourself a reasonable assessment instead to see if anything NEEDS to be changed, then change it. It can be a confidence shaker to go to several fairs and get no leads, but it does happen. Realize that there are a lot of unemployed highly qualified individuals out there.
8.) Tell the company what you can do for them. Try to approach everything as if they are a customer and you are going to sell them a service. Don’t look for what they can do for you and certainly don’t mention salary or benefits during a cattle call (job fair). Instead they’re focused on what you can do for them, so should you be.
9.) Be sure to dress nice. Real nice. Men, coat and tie are not optional for professional jobs, even if it’s a 100 degrees in there KEEP THAT COAT ON. Trust me it presents a way more professional image.
10.) If you’re young and fresh out of college don’t fake years of experience. It’s fairly easy to spot, instead sell your energy, your enthusiasm and flexibility in scheduling, etc. Sell the things that make you attractive to an employer, a fast learner, team player, high energy and positive attitude.
11.) If you’re older it’s still good to have high energy and a positive attitude, trust me it won’t hurt but you have the advantage when you sell your experience but remember that’s not the only thing that’s valuable about you. You also are likely to seem more company loyal, dependable and stable and overall have your career path sorted out. If you are older make sure your career objectives are sharp and focused.
12.) Keep your skills sharp. If you get a job make sure you never stop learning. Read trade magazines, books, learn new skills, DIVERSIFY for Pete’s sake, branch out. I don’t know how many well established professionals who over the years found a relatively good paying job doing niche work unique to that employer only to lose the job in a bad economy have few currently marketable skills. Time doesn’t stand still, things change and so should you. Make learning a life long commitment.