Playing The Odds: Are Job Fairs Worth the Price of Admission?

Yesterday I heard an amazing story from one of my former clients. He told me that he landed the job of his dreams at a job fair.

This may not be as amazing to you as it is to me. But, in my 20-plus years working as a career counselor and job coach, I have never once heard anyone (client or friend) tell me that they landed a job at a job fair. Mostly I hear how depressing job fairs are -- so many job hunters, so few jobs.

Job fairs are like speed-dating for the unemployed. You have about 30 seconds to make a good impression on a recruiter, knowing that there are people lined up both in front of you and behind you vying to make the same coveted first impression.

So how did this man (my former client) manage to do the impossible? For starters, he chose the right venue. Since he was looking to make a transition into the entertainment industry, he attended an entertainment industry job fair. But he also did something unusual. Although he is a management professional, he attended a job fair that was targeted towards seasonal workers (i.e. summer help) and this alone helped him standout from the crowd. When one recruiter reviewed the people he met that day, he instantly remembered the experienced professional who was willing to wait patiently in line for his turn to make contact.

He also has the benefit of good communication skills. As a sales professional, he knows how to establish eye contact, build instant rapport, and communicate effectively. He also knows how to look the part. No one needs to tell him how to dress for success.

But what about the rest of us? How can you (or someone you know) convert a job fair experience into a real job opportunity? It helps if you think of it as a process that begins before the actual day of the event.

A few tips to get you thinking in the right direction:

1. Pre-register, if possible. Many job fairs encourage attendees to pre-register and submit your resume in advance. This enables recruiters and hiring managers to identify candidates who interest them. If they know who you are before they meet you, it is much easier to make a connection in the allotted time.

2. Get a list of the companies/organizations that will be attending the job fair. Use the list to research those organizations that interest you.

3. Develop a game day strategy. It is usually best to prioritize your list so that you can organize your day effectively. Try to meet with your "high priority" employers early in the day before the lines are too long and both of you are numb from the stress of the experience.

4. Create, practice and perfect a 30-second commercial explaining your skills and experience. But avoid the temptation to deliver it robotically. No matter how many times you've said the same thing, you've never introduced yourself to this particular person before. They are meeting you for the first (but hopefully not the last) time. To make your time count, you have to be a real human being. Whenever possible, use your research to tailor that presentation to the specific person that you are talking to.

5. Be prepared to participate in a longer interview. If a recruiter gets interested in knowing more about you, they may ask you to sit down with them in a more (semi-private) area so that they can learn more about you. This is more like a real interview albeit still in a more abbreviated form. At most, you can expect 5-10 minutes with the interviewer. Try to be mindful and respectful of their time constraints and keep your answers short.

5. Bring lots of resumes and business cards to leave behind with recruiters. This is another opportunity for you to create a more lasting impression.

6. Follow up and follow through. After the fair is over, send thank you notes and, if appropriate, another resume to those recruiters who expressed an interest in you. If you don't hear back from them within a week, follow up with a phone call and/or email to express your continued interest in working with them. In some cases, it is the professional follow through that really impresses potential employers and enables you to stand out from the crowd.

7. Manage your expectations. Granted, landing the job of your dreams at a job fair is a long shot. But every so often, it pays to play the long shot.