Career fairs can be a good way for those looking for a job, to meet a number of prospective employers at one place. Singapore has been having such events pretty regularly recently and those looking for a job should certainly take advantage of this.

While at the fair you will have a chance to briefly introduce and market yourself to employers. Many people just land up and the fair, with the intention to look around and just wander over to companies that look interesting. However, by being well prepared and following some guidelines, you can gain an advantage over other job-seekers and get one step closer to a second interview.

Continue reading "Succeeding at Career Fairs" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 15, 2009 at 1:45 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The popularity of job fairs waxes and wanes with the economy, and in our current downturn, these gatherings are back again with a vengeance. From big cities to small towns, job fairs are being organized by national job boards, local chambers of commerce and all sorts of organizations in-between. And there's no doubt that bringing together employers that have available jobs to meet with eager job hunters is a great concept.

The catch from the employers' perspective is in making sure that candidates have the correct expectations before they head off to a local fair. As a participating recruiter, everything you can do to help prepare candidates for the experience will make the day that much more valuable for you and them.

When a laid off project manager was preparing to attend a recent job fair in a New Jersey suburb, for example, he focused on the same things he thought about when he first attended job fairs 10 years ago: the look of his suit, the quality of his resume, and the best way to avoid traffic while getting to the hotel ballroom. Things have changed, and he was in for a big surprise.

Continue reading "Recruiters Helping Candidates Succeed at Job Fairs" »

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 23, 2009 at 8:07 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

During the campus recruiting process, companies will often make themselves available at a career fair. While these all work a little differently, the basic premise is the same: representatives from each company stand around a large room, pass out information and collect resumes. Even if you have already submitted your resume by some other means to these companies, and especially if you haven't, it is imperative that you attend this function and generate some face time. However, this is not as easy as it sounds.

On the day of the career fair the recruiters from the companies will be inundated by you and every other accounting student in your class. You have two goals. First, you must make yourself known to the recruiters and obtain at least one business card. Second, you must manage NOT to give the wrong impression or you will risk your resume being "accidentally left behind." Below are 5 tips to make sure that you achieve both these goals.

1. Approach with Ease - Typically there is some sort of receiving line where you will wait your turn to speak to the recruiter. Don't be nervous! Most companies send their friendliest and most inviting staff to these events, so this is not the place to be intimidated. When it is your turn, shake hands with the recruiter and greet them with a smile. Introduce yourself firmly and hand them a copy of your resume.



2. Do your homework - Companies meet and greet so many students that think that they want a career in public accounting but don't know why. You should know why a career in accounting is right for you and express that to the recruiter. Rather than simply saying "I want to be an accountant," add some more information. For example, "I am interested in auditing public companies and gaining experience with SEC clients." By letting them know that you understand their business, at least to some degree, you will separate yourself from those individuals who simply crave the Big 4 name on their resume. For more information to generate your own statement of intention, visit the Big 4's websites located in the Appendix of this book. Study up on the different departments and lines of business and you will be sure to impress.



3. Ask a Good Question - After showing that you have a head on your shoulders, wow them again with a great question. People love to talk about themselves, recruiters included. Ask a sincere question such as "If you could offer me one piece of advice to be successful with (Insert Company) what would it be." This will get them talking, thereby increasing your face time, and will show them that you value their input and advice. Further, they will subconsciously feel a vested interest in your success, as they have shared their advice, and will be more likely to put in a good word for you when they submit their resumes to their boss.



4. Keep it Brief - After a brief discourse it is best to be on your way. You do not want to be that guy (or girl) that stands around yapping for an hour, wasting everyone's' time (and there is always one). This will NOT leave a good impression. You are there to put your face to your resume and leave on a positive note. Once you've completed this there is no use taking the risk of saying something stupid.



5. Take a Business Card - As you leave, ask the recruiter for a card. Begin building a horde of these as they will be invaluable in the future. The contacts you meet at the career fair are excellent resources to bounce questions off in the future. They are typically not the same staff you will interview with and can be a valuable source of candid advice.

By: The Big 4 Guru - For More information, please visit http://www.big4guru.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Posted by Lisa Colbert, CollegeRecruiter.com on April 28, 2008 at 9:30 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I frequently get asked about whether or not I recommend companies participate in job fairs to find qualified candidates. But open houses are often a more effective means of initiating face-to-face contact with a large number of potential recruits. In an open house, you invite candidates to an event at your organization's offices or a neutral offsite location, provide them with background on your company, and conduct initial conversations to determine interest and fit. As open house events are expensive, you'll want to look at them in terms of their bottom-line results and how many qualified leads you can realistically expect. Here are a few open house tips.

• Determine the purpose of the event. For example, will informal cocktails that will serve as a sophisticated introduction to your organization suffice, or do you want to leave the event with a group of pre-screened candidates in hand?
• Assess if it's appropriate to line up a guest speaker, such as an industry name or one of the organization's top executives. Such remarks can make an event more attractive to candidates.
• Advertise your event internally and externally, online and offline, and ask for RSVPs so you have some idea of the number of attendees.
• Resolve security issues for your visitors ahead of time, so you don't have problems admitting people to your building.
• Serve refreshments that suit the mood and time of day of the event, and print plenty of copies of your strongest collateral material.
• Recruit enough employees to staff the event, handling traffic flow and responding to questions.
• Execute a plan for following up promptly with all promising attendees.

Article by Alexandra Levit and courtesy of Water Cooler Wisdom blog.

Posted by Candice Arnold on March 13, 2008 at 9:59 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The American Chronicle has an article giving 10 tips on how to make the best out of job fairs. Of the few important tips to remember:

take it easy and enjoy the day;
be ready to meet with the top 10 employers for which you’d like to work for and that will be present at the fair;

• try to look professional;


• bring many copies of your resume with you;


• bring a notepad to write down the names of the people with whom you’ve talked;


• be ready to answer questions;


• ask for business cards; and


• follow-up after the fair.

Making a Job Fair Work for You, The American Chronicle

Article courtesy of WorkBloom, an employment blog incorporating a comprehensive career resources section, including the largest database of professionally written resume and cover letter samples on the Web.

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on November 26, 2007 at 2:46 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

With the advent of social networks and online job search engines many students feel that attending job fairs is a thing of the past -€“ on the contrary my friends. Job fairs sponsored by your school are still key in advancing your career as a therapist. The face to face element of a job fair has far more impact than submitting a resume to a job posting. At a fair you are able to speak directly to a knowledgeable representative who is genuinely interested in getting to know your career aspirations. You, in turn, are able to judge if certain companies fit your future career goals. Since job fairs are still an important factor in one's job search, CollegeRecruiter.com wrote a blog titled Job Fairs: Tips for Finding an Internship or Entry Level Job. The blog lists a €œto-do list for students when they attend a job fair. It is broken down by things to do before the job fair, at the fair and after the fair.

Continue reading "Job Fairs - Still A Great Resource For Students" »

Posted by Sarah Ennenga on November 6, 2007 at 3:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Okay, so you went to the Career fair, you collected all your prizes, you went home and sorted through all your business cards and company information and now.........the phone rings.

Someone has reviewed your resume again and after talking to you at the career fair, wants to bring you in for an interview!

YES! I knew that advice I gave you would pay off someday!

Okay, but now what......you already wore your best clothes to the career fair. You can't possibly wear the same thing to the interview.

Continue reading "What Am I Going to Wear? (The Career Fair Dilemma)" »

Posted by Dennis Smith, T-Mobile Recruiting on February 14, 2007 at 12:51 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Recently I posted a question about whether or not a Career Fair was an interview.
Then today, I'm cruising the http://www.military.com website and I come across the Top Five things to take to a Career fair and guess what? I was right?

"Pretty Scary Huh?"

So, here they are, the Top Five:

Continue reading "Top 5 Career Fair Do's / Dont's " »

Posted by Dennis Smith, T-Mobile Recruiting on February 12, 2007 at 8:02 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I’ve caught several articles in the past few weeks about career fairs and how to make the most of them. I particularly liked a piece by Tracey Minor who suggests using job fairs as practice interviews among other things. Throughout my career in the staffing and recruiting industry, I’ve been involved in many, many job fairs representing Spherion and seeking prospective employees. Although there are many new, innovative venues to use for job searching (such as this blog), career fairs still offer candidates a number of benefits, not the least of which is landing a job. I won’t list the benefits here, there are a number of articles you can check out that cover them very well including "Guerrilla Tactics for Job Fairs," and Ian Ybarra's post with three important tips.



I do have a collection of “what not to do’s” that I can share with you. They are:



1) Never attend without a resume

2) Please don’t hand out a resume with errors/misspellings

3) If you’re not dressed for the part, don’t go. Remember, this is an interview

4) Approaching employers/booths when it is overcrowded – you’ll never stand out – wait until they are less busy

5) Don’t drop off and run – avoid the urge to simply hand out as many resumes as you can – that isn’t the goal. Make sure you take the time to talk to the employers, ask questions and appear genuinely interested and not just another company on the receiving end of your resume rampage.

-- Tim Gorman is a group vice president for Spherion, a leading provider of recruiting and staffing services. He oversees the operations of 28 staffing offices in Central Florida.

Posted by Spherion Corporation on September 28, 2006 at 2:34 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

With sweat soaking his tattered tank top, Petty Officer 1st Class David Goggins hit the finish-line tape high on the slopes of Mount Whitney. He took fifth place Tuesday in a 30-hour foot race from the floor of Death Valley.

For Goggins, a Navy SEAL based in Coronado, running a 135-mile ultra-marathon in 120-degree heat across a desert and three mountain ranges is more than an adventure.

It's a job.

Continue reading "Navy seals are recruiting extreme sports candidates" »

Posted by Jim Stroud, Microsoft Recruiter on July 31, 2006 at 10:58 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

One thing that has come up in discussing the opportunity to get in front of the student athlete is the fact that many of the student athletes do not have the opportunity to attend the Career Fairs. This is due mostly to the fact that many of the Career Fairs are held during the day when the student athlete is either at practice or away at a game or meet.
Many companies are very interested in speaking with the athletes becasue they have many of the qualities that are important in the business world. Competitive spirit, good work ethic, function well under pressure, team players and the list goes on and on. There are many parallels between business and athletics, just look at the top of many sales organizations. You will find many of the top executives were involved in athletics at some point in their lives. There are a limited number of organizations that have a way to get in front of the athletes during the season. One of those organizations is the Terrington Agency. An agency that specialize in working with student athletes and helping make the transitions into the business world. Look around and find someone to help make the transition from college to the business world that understands what it takes to participate in athletics and complete a degree.

Posted by Terrington Agency on March 25, 2006 at 3:43 PM | Leave a Comment (0)