College Jolt

Job fairs. They are dreaded by many, loathed by others, and loved by some only for the free pens and stress balls. But, in reality, job fairs don’t have to be so bad. If utilized the right way, a job fair can be one of the best ways to get your foot in the door at a company. When the company receives your application or sets up an interview, it’s sometimes refreshing to see the familiar face of someone that they met at a job fair. This ultimately gives you an advantage.

Job fairs give you the chance to talk face-to-face with an employer before you even mail in a resume or fill out an application. It’s a great way for you to ask the questions and see what different companies have to offer before you decide to commit more time to applications and interviewing processes. Not to mention, everyone at a job fair is hiring! You don’t even have to look in newspapers, online or call the companies.

So, you are about to embark on your first ever job fair experience. What do you need to know? Well, impressing at a job fair is relatively simple. Follow these five tips and you’ll be on your way to getting a job, whether it be summer time employment between college semesters or starting your career!

1.) Relax. This is key. When talking to prospective employers you need to act like you know you have what it takes to work for a company. If you are nervous and don’t seem sure of yourself, prospective employers may not be too sure of you either.

If you find yourself sweating bullets before you even walk in the door, take a deep breath and remember all of these employers are people just like you and that there aren’t really any negative consequences if a company representative doesn’t seem to like you when you meet him. There are literally a hundred other tables where you can work your magic and get on a company’s good list.

2.) Dress to impress. No flashy colors. No 5-inch heels. No sneakers. No mini-skirts. No open blouses. You aren’t trying to get a date at a job fair, so don’t dress like it. Dress conservatively and professionally. For the guys, wear khakis or dress slacks and a button-up shirt or nice polo. Make sure to wear dress shoes.

For ladies, skirts are all right, but it should come to your knees and not be too tight. Dress pants are always the safer option. For a top, wear a button-up blouse or other nice shirt that doesn’t show a lot of cleavage. Consider covering it up with a women’s suit jacket or sweater.

For whatever you wear, stick to navy blues, blacks, or browns. If you want to add a little color with your top, it’s okay. As for the shoes, heels are acceptable, but not too high. Don’t wear anything more than 3-inches high and make sure they’re closed toe.

3.) Bring resumes, resumes and more resumes. If you are in high school, let your counselor help you to make sure your resume is ready to give to prospective employers at the job fair. If you are a college student, take your resume down to your career service center.

Once your resume is finalized, make sure to print a ton of copies on a good, color printer, even if your resume is only black and white. If you don’t have access to a quality printer, take it to Kinko’s to get copies made. Use staples to hold the pages together and store the copies in some sort of professional folder. No cardboard folders. Use something that’s hard plastic or a leather binder. You’ll look more professional and prepared.

4.) Practice speaking. Pair up with a friend and take turns playing the roles of prospective employer and employee. It will help you practice saying the kinds of things you’ll want to tell employers so you have it down and seem confident. If you don’t have a friend that will take it seriously enough, call up a local business, or go to counselor or career services and ask to do a mock-interview. This way you can practice your speaking skills with a stranger and the conversation will be more realistic.

5.) Don’t be tempted by the swag (Stuff We All Get) at a job fair. There’s going to be tons of pens, stress balls, water bottles, key chains, note pads and other little freebies. If you want to take something from a table you are interested in, have the conversation with the table representative first. Then, once the conversation is over, feel free to pick up one of the goodies.

The bottom-line to job fair etiquette is to be professional and friendly. If you can do both, you’ll do just fine. Smile, share what you have to offer and be personable. Those who are the most outgoing are the ones employers remember. If you have a stellar resume, but a dud of an attitude, you won’t get very far.

Photos courtesy of http://uta.edu, http://jobsearch.about.com, and http://professionalbankingjobinterviews.com.