How's Your Career
Fair Etiquette?

Attending a career fair can be highly beneficial to anyone looking for a job. Whether it be a college job fair as you near graduation, a local fair that hosts many career interests, or a specialized niche job fair targeted to a specific profession, the job seeker can establish important contact with potential future employers and have a chance to find out what jobs are available. To increase your chances for getting a call back for an interview keep these ideas in mind:

Come prepared. Bring plenty of copies of your resume. A generic cover letter and list of references are a good idea as well. Some companies may not accept hard copy resumes but instead will direct you to their website to apply. Still, it never hurts to ask.

Leave the kids at home. Attending a job fair with kids in tow or a significant other on your arm looks unprofessional and doesn't make for a good first impression. You are better off attending alone so you can fully focus your attention on talking with companies and getting as many leads as possible.

Overdress. Even if the job fair is advertised as business casual it's still smart to overdress. It shows you are serious and will help you stand out from all the button down shirts and khaki wearers out there. Remember the rule: Dress for the job you want not for the job you have (or don't have).

Plan ahead. It's a good idea to do some research before hand to learn about the companies who will be attending. This will help you narrow down your targets of who you really want to talk to so you don't waste time when you get there. Knowing some background information will also save the person at the booth the time of giving you the spiel and they may be impressed that you already know something about their company.

Ask questions. You can never ask too many questions when trying to get an idea of what a job entails. Don't just ask about the position you are interested in but find out about the company culture and why the person you're talking to likes working for the company. Their answer will tell you a lot.

Collect cards. Get as much information as you can from anyone you speak with at the job fair. This can include business cards, brochures, information packets or just jotting down a name and email address. This way you'll be able to follow up after a week or so to see if it's possible to schedule an interview. It's also not a bad idea to send a follow up note immediately after the career fair to thank the person for taking the time to speak with you and attaching a resume if you haven't already submitted one.

For a more unique job fair experience, go virtual. OrlandoJobs.com is one of the first companies to host a job fair event entirely online. In this environment there's less pressure and you conveniently apply to jobs on your own time. Check the site for upcoming online career fairs.

By Robin Doering