Networking at a job fair

May 29, 2011

YOU have been job-hunting for months now, but you just learn of an upcoming job fair in your neighbourhood. This is the opportunirty you have been looking for to meet employers and cannot waste any chances or blunder.

YOU have been job-hunting for months now, but you just learn of an upcoming job fair in your neighbourhood. This is the opportunirty you have been looking for to meet employers and cannot waste any chances or blunder.

What do you do after reaching the job fair? We are assuming you have got a plan mapped out and you know which company stalls to visit. It is simple. Approach those stalls and start talking to hiring managers and other employer representatives.

Hereunder are tips to help you over the rough spots:
Look at the literature, but not too much. You want to initiate conversation, not stand there reading. Brochures that describe the company and its products will be good bets. Pick one up, look at it for a few seconds, then ask about the company products or services.

Find out who you are speaking with. You can, for example, ask them the department of the company in which they work, whow they like the section or how long they have been at the company.

Don’t let the representative brush you off. If you questions and are told; “You should go to our website” explain that you have been there and found it helpful, but now want a little more information. Then ask, in your most charming way, “Who should I talk to in the company to learn more about the audit department?

Do you think it would be possible to arrange a meeting?”
As you can see, all of these tips are based on a single premise: Ask a question, then listen. If you’ve been practicing an elevator speech or other canned pitch, now’s the time to let that go.

The last thing a booth rep at a job fair needs to hear is another run-on sentence about how much you can do for the company. Since you know that most people attending the fair will not connect with a solid job lead - there are just too many job seekers relative to the number of leads available - your conversation is better spent making a real connection and discovering who to talk with later.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t discuss your skills and background; just don’t make them the center of the conversation. In some ways, you should find this strategy less stressful than one where you feel judged by how well you give a spiel.

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