Preparing to Attend a Job Fair

Hi everybody, my name is Bill Starr. Welcome to the MassHire workshop. Today we are going to be discussing job fair preparation. I’m just going to take you through some slides and give you some tips and advice about how to prepare for a job fair.

As you can see, this is the MassHire Career Center’s Job Fair Preparation Workshop. In order to prepare for a job fair, we’re going to go through some tips and best practices and talk about what you should do before you actually attend the job fair.

Some of the agenda items we’re going to cover today are job fair best practices, why you should go to a job fair, preparation, some anticipated questions and responses, your 30-second commercial, starting your job search, preparing your resume and cover letter, networking, and some of the things to expect in the overall process.

## Job Fair Best Practices

The biggest thing is to be open-minded to finding out a little bit more about every employer participating. Typically, there is going to be quite a variety of employers at these job fairs, and usually there is a list of them that you can check out before you actually attend. It’s a great idea to make sure you are well versed and know about all the different types of opportunities that are going to be available to you at these job fairs.

The next thing is to create a good first impression and be professional. It’s very important to put your best foot forward and always walk around and talk to everyone in a professional manner.

The next thing is to be a good listener. They’re going to be sharing a lot of important information about their companies and the opportunities they provide, so make sure you have your listening hat on and take good notes as well.

You always want to be positive, open to, and ready for change. You might have a set idea of some of the things you’re looking for and some of the employers you’re targeting at the job fair, but you never know what opportunities might present themselves. It’s really important to be open to finding out and learning about other opportunities you might not have thought of before. You might find something you really like.

You never want to leave without contact information, asking about the next steps in the process, and following up with a thank-you email or note. It’s great to have all these conversations, but it can be a little overwhelming, and it’s very easy to get lost in the shuffle and forget about the little things, like grabbing the employer’s business card or making sure you write down their name and contact information.

You also want to make sure that you ask them what they would like in terms of next steps for follow-up, and make sure that you do send the employers you meet and talk with a nice thank-you email or note.

When you’re meeting with different employers, it is also a really good idea to take relevant notes about some of the things they tell you related to their opportunities and their companies in general. Make sure you do have something to write with and a good way to take relevant notes.

You also want to make sure you don’t monopolize their time. Typically, there’s quite a crowd going through the job fair, and obviously they want to make sure they give everybody an ample amount of time to learn about their opportunities. You are one of many people looking to talk to them, so try to be cognizant of the amount of time you are taking.

You also don’t want to linger or crowd. Once you’ve had a good conversation with the potential employers about their opportunities and you’ve gotten the essential information that you need, you’ll definitely want to move on and talk to the next employer about the next opportunities.

Again, employers can be very busy, and you don’t want to interrupt. Wait your turn. Usually there are only one or two people manning a table and potentially talking to quite a few different candidates for their positions. Be patient, or find a different table and go back to them. There’s nothing wrong with working the room. They’ll be there for an extended period of time, so don’t worry about not having the opportunity to talk to them. It’s very easy to work your way around the room and get back to the people you need to once they are available.

It’s also very important to watch your nonverbal habits. A lot of people don’t pay attention to some of the things they do, whether it’s facial expressions or using their hands too much to talk. I’m somebody who does that a little bit myself, so you do want to be very cognizant of some of those nonverbal habits. Make sure that you are maintaining eye contact with whoever you’re talking to and being mindful not to give off nonverbal cues that may make somebody uncomfortable.

It’s also really important to network with everyone. You never know who you’re going to meet and where those conversations are going to lead. You do want to take every opportunity to talk with everyone that you can when you’re attending these job fairs.

You also want to be thankful and show courtesy. They’re spending valuable time out of the office to come to these job fairs and let people know about their opportunities, so be mindful and thankful of that, and show everybody there the common courtesy you would expect to be shown to you.

The last thing is that it’s really important to keep a log of which employers you spoke to, especially who you apply to. Keep your notes handy. Write down the date you were there, the name of the employer, and the job or position that you talked about or applied to.

## Dress for Success

As far as dressing, dress for success. Again, it’s very important to dress professionally. Also, make sure you wear comfortable shoes. Typically, you are going to be walking around and on your feet for an extended period of time, going through and talking to all the different employers at these job fairs. Sometimes the spaces can be pretty large as well, so it’s very important to make sure that you are comfortable and have those comfortable shoes to travel around in.

Travel light. You don’t need to bring too much with you. It’s really important to be able to not take up too much space and not be weighed down by things that you may not need to have with you at the job fair. You are going there to maybe have some resumes on hand and something to take your notes with. You shouldn’t need too much more than that.

It is great if you can be hands-free. Besides something to take notes with, that’s really all you should need.

It’s also really important to pay attention to your hygiene. Make sure you have a fresh haircut, your hair is done nicely and professionally, your nails are clean and manicured, and anything else that helps you put your best foot forward and look as professional and polished as you can.

The last piece of advice we do tell people is to go easy on anything scented. There’s certainly nothing wrong with having some perfume, cologne, or body spray, whatever it may be. You just want to make sure that it’s not anything overpowering.

## Why Go to a Job Fair

There are obviously many reasons, but some of the reasons we’ll go through right here are that some employers actually will hire individuals right on the spot. Depending on the position and how the company does their interviews, they do oftentimes have positions and somebody there who can interview people and actually make them an offer right there at the job fair.

It’s also a great opportunity to meet companies in a less formal setting. There’s not as much pressure as there is if you’re going to a formal interview, so you can have a little bit looser conversation, and hopefully that will lead to interviews in the future.

It’s a great way to work on your self-confidence and get that practice in terms of how to talk to employers and ask good questions, and also just have those interactions with individuals who make some of those hiring decisions at those companies.

It’s also a great way to get your resume out there. You want to give out as many resumes as you can, again, just to increase your chances of somebody seeing your skills on paper and following up with you about the opportunities they have after the job fair.

It’s also a great way to get feedback on some of your marketing tools. You always want to ask good questions, and you can ask different employers there what they think of your resume, any business cards you have, or anything else you are trying to use to promote yourself. A lot of employers would be happy to give you some feedback on what is working or how you might be able to improve some of those things.

It’s also a great way to get contact information, as well as schedule an interview and be able to follow up with a thank-you email. It’s very important to make sure you write down the contact information of the people you talk to and get their business cards. Then follow up with a nice thank-you email. They do appreciate that, they do see those, and it does make a good impression.

It’s also a great way, just in general, to make a good impression. You’re dressed professionally, you talk to them with confidence, and it’s a great way to put a face to a name and a resume. If you make a good impression, they’ll be much more likely to remember you and want to reach out about opportunities in the future.

It’s also a good way to learn about demand for current skills. You can only read so much online or in different articles about companies and what they’re looking for. A lot of times, the people who are there will talk about what’s current in their industry and what things they’re looking for that are important to them in the market right now. It’s a great way to get up to date if you’re not sure whether some of the things you may have done in the past are still relevant.

It’s also a good way to meet your competition. You’ll see other people potentially interested in the same positions as you, so it’s a great way to see what they’re talking about and what kind of skills and experience they have related to the skills and experience that you have.

It’s also a great way to compare different companies. A lot of times there will be companies from similar or the same industries that have similar jobs, so it’s a great way to see what opportunities, benefits, and other things they have to offer so you can make the best decision about what is going to be the best long-term fit for you.

It’s also a great way to network. We talk about networking as being very key. Networking can be with employers, other job seekers, or people running the job fair. You never know what type of conversations you’re going to have and what opportunities those can lead to, so make sure you talk to and meet as many people as you can and try to build relationships that way.

It’s also a great way to save time. You may not have to send out so many applications online or through other traditional means. You have a lot of employers right in the same place at the same time, so you’re able to really make the most of the time that you’re there and get your information out to a lot of different employers.

The last thing is that it’s great practice, practice, practice. Every conversation you have with an employer is going to make it that much easier to have further conversations with other employers for other opportunities in the future.

## Questions to Ask

When you go to the job fair, it’s also really important to have some questions ready to go. So we’re going to talk about developing some of those questions.

Some of the things you may want to know about the companies that are there are, first of all, what they do, how many people work there, and who their competitors are.

You can certainly ask about the company history in terms of how they got started and what they did to get to where they are currently.

It’s great to ask about what their future plans are in terms of growth and trends within their industry—what they think they’re going to be doing to stay competitive in the industry that they’re in.

You also want to make sure, again, that you get different contacts. Certainly, the people who are there are going to be your main points of contact, but it is also important to ask if there are other people you should get connected with as well.

Lastly, ask about recent employment trends. It’s a great question, and companies are happy to talk about why they’re there and why they’re hiring. You do want to get a sense of the reasons they have some of their openings available as well.

Some of the other things you can do to prepare to talk about these things, and also make sure that the information you’re getting is pertinent and lines up, is to go on their company website. A lot of companies will have the answers to many of the questions we just went over. You can also go on their LinkedIn page, and most companies nowadays do have a separate LinkedIn page that will typically have even more information or links to articles about them.

You can also find articles about companies just by doing a simple Google search. A lot of times you can also look at local media, newspapers, magazines, or other print materials in your local area about those companies. They can give you insight from people who may have done reporting or interviews with people from those places as well.

You don’t want to ask too many questions that can be answered by simple research. It does highlight a lack of preparation and a lack of interest, and you don’t want to waste their time. Just make sure the questions that you do come up with are relevant and pertinent to the position and the company that you are going to be speaking with.

## Questions to Develop

This is more about developing your questions. Again, these are some examples of how to demonstrate your interest in some of the companies.

You can ask them what they think about a certain initiative, topic, or something you saw about their company or about the job itself.

You can ask them what the typical five-year trajectory is for someone in the position that you’re talking about.

You can also ask questions to demonstrate your qualifications, such as what different skills they look for in a candidate for the position you’re discussing.

You can also ask questions to learn more about the company. Some of those might be: What is one of the biggest challenges of that particular job? How would you describe the company culture? What do you like most about your job at the company?

Those are great ways to get them to share some insight about their experiences and what they see as some of the highlights of working for the company, but also some of the challenges of the jobs they have.

Some of the questions you can use to conclude the conversation are asking whether you may contact them with further questions and whether they have a business card or if you can get their contact information.

Some of the questions to avoid would be: How much will I be paid? How much vacation time will I get? Or, what does your company do? Those are things that you will certainly learn about throughout the interview process if you do interview with the company. In terms of how much you get paid and how much vacation time you get, those are not things you typically want to start by asking about before you even have a chance to meet with somebody at the company. Of course, asking what the company does again just shows a lack of preparation.

## Additional Questions

Some other questions to ask—just more examples—would be: What type of entry-level positions are available in your company?

This is great if you’re just trying to get your foot in the door. They may have certain positions they’re promoting at the job fair, but they also may have some positions available that are entry-level and may not be posted, and they’ll certainly be happy to let you know about them.

You can also ask, does your company offer any internships or training programs? Again, that’s another great way to get your foot in the door and gain experience in industries. Even if they don’t have positions available for a specific role, a lot of companies do offer different types of internship or training programs that could lead to other positions with them in the future.

You can also talk about how, if you went online and filled out an application for a particular position with the company, you can ask them what else you can do to demonstrate that you are a good candidate and to get an interview for that role. That shows your motivation and willingness to do what’s necessary to secure an interview and shows that you’re really interested in that particular position at that company.

You can also ask how long the application and interview process is and what it consists of. It’s perfectly fine to ask, just so you have an idea of what that looks like.

You can also ask them how they would describe a typical day in the particular position that you’re interested in.

You can also ask how the company measures performance for that particular position and what some of the company’s systems for feedback are.

Lastly, you can ask what type of training or education programs the company offers to employees. Again, this is very relevant and shows your willingness to want to improve yourself even after you have secured a position with the company.

## Common Interview Questions

Some of the things to practice: Again, we would like you to Google common interview questions. You want your questions to show some level of motivation and interest in the company.

You want to be able to answer:
Tell me about yourself.
Why are you interested in the company?
What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

These are all good things to prepare for just to make yourself stand out and show them that you are well prepared for the job fair and the positions that you’re talking to them about.

## The 30-Second Commercial

Now we’re going to talk about the 30-second commercial.

Real quick, what is it? Basically, it’s a short, memorable introduction that promotes you and your potential. It is very key to interviews, networking, and job fairs. It helps make an impression, and it helps grab their attention.

Again, it’s basically a very structured, quick 30-second introduction about yourself that helps you stand out and makes you memorable to somebody you have an initial interaction with.

Some of the guidelines for this 30-second commercial are that you want to use concise and memorable language. Make sure you emphasize your strengths and link them to the employer’s needs. You want some prepared statements about how your experience is going to be a good fit for that employer.

You do want to sound natural, so make sure you practice these. You want to keep it current so it’s relevant to the situation and the position and company that you’re talking to.

You do want to revise it for each interview. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all 30-second commercial. You want to adjust it to the different people and organizations you’re talking to.

You want to make sure to remove any type of jargon or industry-specific slang. It is also great to use labor market information, because it shows you’ve done some research about some of the things that are happening in that industry and for that job.

Also, make sure to mention something about your resume and cover letter, and make sure they have the chance to get that in front of them.

## Networking

We did talk about networking a little bit before, but here are some basic rules.

You can start with relatives, friends, social or community groups, professional relationships, past colleagues or bosses, volunteer groups, LinkedIn, and job clubs. Those are all great places that you can look to network, both in and outside of job fairs.

When you are networking, one very basic rule is to give as much as you get. If you’re asking people to help you get in contact and make connections with people who can help you out in your job search, certainly be willing to do the same for others if you’re able to.

Be proactive, as we talked about. When you’re at the job fairs, talk to as many people and organizations as you can.

Develop a strategy. Figure out what kind of statements and 30-second commercials work for you, and also which places and people you want to start with, then work your way to others that may be a little more outside the industries you’re most interested in.

You always want to stay positive and stay confident. That does translate. People are going to remember how you interact with them, and staying positive, being confident, and being polite always makes a good impression and is going to lead to better networking opportunities and results.

Take advantage of the opportunities as they are presented. As we talked about, you never know which conversations you’re going to have and where they’re going to lead. Sometimes that might be very outside the realm of what you thought was going to initially happen, but take it as it comes and follow the opportunities to where they lead.

Don’t forget about social media. Obviously, there are lots of great networking opportunities on social media. Just be careful that you’re doing it in the proper forums and being professional when you are doing it.

You also don’t want to be a pest. If somebody is willing to work with you and offer you advice or networking opportunities, certainly be very thankful. It’s okay to reach out to them from time to time, but make sure you do it with some balance and do not do it too much. They are probably helping many other people as well.

Then, networking cards. A lot of people create basically their own business card that just has their basic contact information and maybe a very quick statement about what they’re interested in. Include your name, phone number, email, and maybe other social media contact information. If you have the ability to create some of those and have them with you at the job fair to pass out, it’s a great thing to do as well.

That is everything that we have to go over for today. If you have any questions or want any more help or advice, certainly feel free to go on our JobQuest website. There are lots of tools and information there. We are also open to the public. You can stop by our career center here at 340 Main Street in Worcester, fourth floor, anytime, or give the career center a call. We can answer questions or connect you with other counselors or people such as myself who can help you in a variety of ways.

So thank you all very much for coming, and good luck at the job fairs.