Previously, I mentioned 4 common comments I hear about job fairs:
1. The people that are working the tables don’t care.
2. All the jobs at these fairs are cold-calling jobs.
3. I already have a job, why should I go to a job fair?
4. There are only entry level opportunities at the fairs I have been to.
This time, I’m going to talk about #2
There is a misconception amongst job seekers sometimes that the only jobs offered at career fairs are sales positions for financial companies, entry level jobs, or companies looking to add to their list of possible candidates for future openings.
Approaches to take for a company at a job fair to rectify this misconception:
1. Have a list of open positions and opportunities available for candidate review.
2. When you meet possible candidates, try to match the candidate on the spot with an opportunity that may match their skill set.
3. If you are going to have just entry level positions, or “cold-calling” positions, look at ways to frame this work realistically but also creatively to convince candidates of the worth of these roles.
Approaches from the candidate point of view:
1. Have an action plan going in about the companies you’d like to speak with.
2. Research what companies are going to be at the career fair prior to the fair.
3. For these “cold-calling” companies, research what these roles actually entail before making a judgement ahead of time.
Next week, I’ll touch on reasons why a job fair is worthwhile, even if you already have one.
