Just a few weeks ago, I was talking with Tomas (not his real name) who came back from a career fair completely exhausted. “I do not know what the purpose of career fairs is anymore,” he said with an air of disappointment in his voice. “I stood in line for 20 minutes for each company and at the end the reps just told me to apply for jobs online. My back hurts from standing in line for hours.”
Good point. What’s the point of career fairs? You walk into a crowded exhibit fall with lines snaking along the wall. All these people, you might think, are applying for a handful of openings. Why even bother coming, when you can just apply online?
Yet, career fairs do serve a purpose. First, you’ll get a sense of companies that are hiring, or expanding in the future. Exhibitors need to pay a hefty fee for booths, and career fairs are a quick way for them to collect resumes and talk to candidates at the same time. Be sure to look over the floor plan in advance so you will know where the relevant companies are.
Another reason to attend is to collect contact information from friendly reps. If you get to the career fair early, before the reps get exhausted, they are more likely to talk to you in detail about their openings and possibly give you their business card. If you do exchange contact info, be sure to follow up and send them a copy of your resume electronically.
Career fairs will also give you an opportunity to talk to recruiters at staffing agencies, who can recommend your resume to multiple companies. Recruiters frequently hire for temporary positions as well, which can help you get a foot in the door into industry.
Finally, career fairs are great for networking. You might meet a colleague or old acquaintance, and you could help each other in the job search. The more professional events you go to the more people you will meet and the more connected you will become.
For more tips about career fairs, visit:
http://www.nationalcareerfairs.com/advice/
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/CareerManagement/story?id=4575484&page=1
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobfairtips/Attend_a_Job_Fair.htm