Last year, I wrote several columns on Job Fairs and how to make them successful. In anticipation of next Tuesday’s job fair in Saratoga Springs, here are some things to keep in mind around job fairs. After reading this, check out prior postings on job fairs that I have posted.
From 2009:
Feedback from my students and clients of late has been that job fairs don’t do anything for them. Some of the reasons for this that I have heard include:
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.
Today, I’ll address the first point. I’ve seen this myself; apathy or lack of care in the people working the job fair tables. This could be the result of someone being assigned to the role with little interest, a belief that no candidates will be found by using this method, or the misconception on the part of the attendees that the people behind the table don’t care.
Some of the best practices to employ as a representative of your company at a job fair:
1. Rotate job fair responsibilities between HR, managers, and other representatives of the company.
2. If possible, break up the job fair into shifts, and have people rotate roles during the shift.
3. Outsource your job fair representation; their are plenty of passionate people out there who if hired for a single event may be more passionate about your product than you!