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MONDAY'S TIP: Getting it Right at Job Fairs
It is Monday morning so you know what that means. Time for a quick tip for you job seekers on the go. Today's Advice from Abby is about presenting your resume at job fairs.
As a recruiter I have done my share of job fairs and some are fun and some are just a beat down. The difference is how many people I get to talk to versus just standing around and chatting with my girlfriends or some cute guy at the next booth. You know you have to watch out for us Recruiter-types, we're always up to something. Anyhow my preference when being at a job fair is to be able to talk to well prepared job seekers throughout the event. I even love it if there is a line at my booth!
When you are at a booth that is crowded you know that you have really got to make the most out of your time with that recruiter. So here are a few tips in being ready when it's your turn at the table.
Be ready for ME
I have said it before and I will say it again. Have a resume customized to the job you're looking for. This is important if you're not just at a job fair looking for any old J O B. If you have done your homework on the companies that will be at the job fair then you know what jobs or fields they are hiring in. So be prepared to talk to me about Engineering when you hand me that resume that tells me what an amazing Engineer you are. Or be ready to hand me that resume that focuses on all of the projects you've worked on as an Engineer because you know I am hiring a Project Manager.
Insider tip here: Always have a few general versions as well in the event that you run into a company that you would like to talk to and just wasn't listed as going to attend.
Keep It Simple
When you get through that line and up to the front there is nothing that poor ole recruiter wants to see less than a 4 page resume and your hungry eyes wanting to review it in detail with her. Make sure you get that resume down to at most two pages. If you can get it to one and keep it easy to read then this is better.
With all those great advances in technology you can even do a quick one-pager summary sheet and hand a recruiter a nicely labeled mini-disc. Have you seen these? They are CD's that are about the size of a business card and have printed labels on them. I have had a few of these given to me with a summary card tucked in the sleeve and you bet I popped them in my PC when I got back to the office.
Even though they are not as mainstream as RecruiterGuy would like them I have been pleasantly surprised to have a few open up with several formats of the resume and a video introduction. It's nice to be able to select if I want to read it in PDF, .doc or .txt format while I'm watching a video of you. It is certainly a way for me to remember who exactly handed it to me after having attended an event with hundreds if not thousands of job seekers.
Back It Up
Do you have documents that will back up your claims to greatness? Then bring them! This might sound like I am contradicting what I said earlier about only walking to the front of the line with one or two pages but if you're light on experience you may need that second page that is a cover letter, recommendation, or transcripts showing just how great a student you were last semester. There is balance in what you bring.
I am not a fan of a cover letter but if your resume is light I do not mind seeing a letter of recommendation or transcripts. My thought is that you can save the references for your interview. Do not forget that every piece of paper a job seeker brings to that booth has to be brought back to to that recruiter's office and scanned or filed or reviewed. Did I mention handing in a mini-disc?
Know Who You Are Talking To
Be sure you ask the recruiter at the booth their name and title. You can even try and get a card from them if possible although many corporate recruiters may not provide one. It is also a good idea to ask for a timeframe within which you can expect to hear back from them, if at all. This will keep you from setting unrealistic expectations.and from sitting by the phone the next few days.
Remind Them Who They are Talking To
When you introduce yourself be sure you speak clearly and give your name and area of interest. While this is more of a general job fair tip I always want to remind people to be sure that they deliver their contact information well both on paper and when they are greeting a recruiter.
Good luck at that next job fair!
As a recruiter I have done my share of job fairs and some are fun and some are just a beat down. The difference is how many people I get to talk to versus just standing around and chatting with my girlfriends or some cute guy at the next booth. You know you have to watch out for us Recruiter-types, we're always up to something. Anyhow my preference when being at a job fair is to be able to talk to well prepared job seekers throughout the event. I even love it if there is a line at my booth!
When you are at a booth that is crowded you know that you have really got to make the most out of your time with that recruiter. So here are a few tips in being ready when it's your turn at the table.
Be ready for ME
I have said it before and I will say it again. Have a resume customized to the job you're looking for. This is important if you're not just at a job fair looking for any old J O B. If you have done your homework on the companies that will be at the job fair then you know what jobs or fields they are hiring in. So be prepared to talk to me about Engineering when you hand me that resume that tells me what an amazing Engineer you are. Or be ready to hand me that resume that focuses on all of the projects you've worked on as an Engineer because you know I am hiring a Project Manager.
Insider tip here: Always have a few general versions as well in the event that you run into a company that you would like to talk to and just wasn't listed as going to attend.
Keep It Simple
When you get through that line and up to the front there is nothing that poor ole recruiter wants to see less than a 4 page resume and your hungry eyes wanting to review it in detail with her. Make sure you get that resume down to at most two pages. If you can get it to one and keep it easy to read then this is better.
With all those great advances in technology you can even do a quick one-pager summary sheet and hand a recruiter a nicely labeled mini-disc. Have you seen these? They are CD's that are about the size of a business card and have printed labels on them. I have had a few of these given to me with a summary card tucked in the sleeve and you bet I popped them in my PC when I got back to the office.
Even though they are not as mainstream as RecruiterGuy would like them I have been pleasantly surprised to have a few open up with several formats of the resume and a video introduction. It's nice to be able to select if I want to read it in PDF, .doc or .txt format while I'm watching a video of you. It is certainly a way for me to remember who exactly handed it to me after having attended an event with hundreds if not thousands of job seekers.
Back It Up
Do you have documents that will back up your claims to greatness? Then bring them! This might sound like I am contradicting what I said earlier about only walking to the front of the line with one or two pages but if you're light on experience you may need that second page that is a cover letter, recommendation, or transcripts showing just how great a student you were last semester. There is balance in what you bring.
I am not a fan of a cover letter but if your resume is light I do not mind seeing a letter of recommendation or transcripts. My thought is that you can save the references for your interview. Do not forget that every piece of paper a job seeker brings to that booth has to be brought back to to that recruiter's office and scanned or filed or reviewed. Did I mention handing in a mini-disc?
Know Who You Are Talking To
Be sure you ask the recruiter at the booth their name and title. You can even try and get a card from them if possible although many corporate recruiters may not provide one. It is also a good idea to ask for a timeframe within which you can expect to hear back from them, if at all. This will keep you from setting unrealistic expectations.and from sitting by the phone the next few days.
Remind Them Who They are Talking To
When you introduce yourself be sure you speak clearly and give your name and area of interest. While this is more of a general job fair tip I always want to remind people to be sure that they deliver their contact information well both on paper and when they are greeting a recruiter.
Good luck at that next job fair!
Comment
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Comment by RecruiterGuy on September 16, 2008 at 7:44am -
Great info, Abby. Keep it coming!
(I'm seeing more of your personality in each blog entry and love it!)
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