You may be thinking to yourself right about now: “How can a job fair truly benefit me?” If the truth be told, job fairs actually have an abundance of information from different companies that will allow you to submit your resume and establish contacts.  It sounds so much better than going around from place to place submitting your resume and waiting for a follow-up.  At least at a job fair you can check out what is available first.

Recently, after seeing an advertisement on the news about a local job fair I felt compelled to share with you not on the importance of a job fair (providing you are searching for a job), but the many benefits of attending a job fair. Now, I personally have never attended a job fair but I have been told that they are definitely worth your time since there are a variety of companies present for you to get information about.  Sure, this doesn’t guarantee you a job but it’s definitely worth a shot especially if you are currently unemployed and searching hi and low for a job.

What can one expect to see at a job fair?  This is an excellent question.  Here is what I have found:

According to eHow,  “A job fair enables companies, headhunters, staffing agencies, job seekers, prospective employees and career counselors to meet, engage and interact with one another.”  (ehow contributor)

Employers

You can expect to meet an actual employer in person within a job fair stall or booth.  Many employers conduct interviews on the spot with potential job offers to those who qualify. (Having an updated resume handy is of utmost importance.  Expect to make between 10-15 copies to submit to employers).  Go to the employment guide on how you can talk to potential employers.

Job Seekers

You as the job seeker get a chance to scope out all of the available companies within the job fair.  This allows you to weigh your options available to you. For example,  if you are seeking jobs in the science and engineering fields, physics today has a job fair listing available in Texas.

Headhunters/Staffing Agencies

Headhunters and Staffing Agencies expect to meet many people eager to find a job.  These particular job outlets collect quite a few resumes in the process.  When confronting headhunters and staffers there is a great article over at msmoney.com on 6 steps to getting a job.

Career Counselors

Career counselors can be seen at a job fair to help guide those in need of assistance.  Many college graduates usually visit a counselor to help guide them with their career choices. For more information on finding a career counselor go to Career Counselors Inc.

Networking

Networking has become a big part of the business world.  Meeting with those of the same career interests helps individuals learn from each other, etc.

What kind of questions should you ask at a job fair?

According to Randall Hansen Ph. D. over at Quintessential Careers, there are four categories of questions that any job seeker should ask a potential employer:

Categories

*Strategic Comeback Questions- Examples of some of these strategic comeback questions may sound like this:  “What skills do you look for prior to hiring?”  “If I pursued an advanced degree would this allow me to advance in your company and if so, what kind of degree?”

*Strategic Planning Questions- Examples of some strategic planning questions would something like: “How long does a hiring process within your company take?” “What percentage of employees are actually hired after an interview?”

*Key Company Information- Key company information questions could be something like: “What is the average length of time an employee stays with the company?” “Upon hiring, do you expect your employees to be willing to relocate or travel?”

*Recruiter Information- When asking a recruiter of the company questions, keep the them simple yet pithy like: “What made you want to stay with the company?”  “How long have you been with the company?”

These are excellent and very beneficial questions as mentioned by Randall Hansen Ph.D. and ones that we should definitely take note of upon attending a job fair.

A few more points and tips I would like to throw in is remember to dress to impress and have a neat and professional resume available.  You want to look like you are serious about getting a job.

Have you ever attended a job fair?  What was it like and what can we expect if we ever choose to attend a job fair?  Did you get hired from a company at the job fair?  We would love to hear from you.

Well, that might have been the case before there were 14.5 million Americans looking for work right along beside you. With today’s unemployment rate still hovering solidly above 9% finding a job will probably not happen as quickly as you’d hoped. Eventually, your daily regime of web surfing and resume sending will get old. But you can’t let the disappointment of virtual doors being slammed in your face get you down. So how do you maintain a positive attitude in an economic firestorm?

A great way is to start your own job search support group, as opposed to a networking group. How is this going to get you a job? By keeping you and your job-seeking cohorts accountable. Because as your days of unemployment increase, your enthusiasm for looking for a job will decrease, thus lessening your chances of finding work.

Using the same concepts as Weight Watchers or Alcoholics Anonymous many of the unemployed are independently joining forces both online and in their own communities in order to stay focused on finding a job. They meet regularly (usually once a week) to set job-seeking goals for themselves and then to report back in the following weeks on the results. This gives jobseekers the motivation to be accountable when looking for a job.

And if the results come back dismal (meaning jobs were not forthcoming this week) then it’s up to the rest of the group to share experiences (showing that everyone is in the same boat) and provide the necessary pep talks to keep everyone encouraged so no one falls into the trap of giving up.

True, there are existing job support groups, most of which you can find on a state-by-state basis on the website job-hunt.org. However, these groups typically place an emphasis on networking (which is also important) and many times don’t offer the one-on-one support jobseekers need to keep their spirits up while looking for work.

For example, the website No Shortage of Work is not so much a job website as it is a place to get support in the areas you need while you look for work. NSOW truly believes there is NEVER a shortage of work—just sometimes not enough money to go around. Their motto? “Even when you’re not doing something for pay, do something anyway.” Only then do you stay active, focused, and motivated while looking for work. In other words, you have to be doing something productive in order to find a job.

NSOW offers an abundance of advice and inspiration, including putting you in contact with mentors, interns, and experts who can help you build a business or research your market. They even encourage you to submit articles and blogs. No, contributors don’t get paid (even the people who run the website don’t get paid) but if you’re in a career holding pattern anyway, why not share your thoughts on your personal job-seeking journey with others who want to hear what you have to say? Or if you’re not a writer, you can read what others have to say about how they’re coping.

Regardless how you do it, the ONLY way you’ll find a job in this market is to keep looking, even if your prospects look doubtful. I know it’s hard to stay enthusiastic when your bank account is dwindling, but it beats the alternative, which is to give up. That’s not an option. Because no one ever found a job by sticking their head in the sand.

Do you know of other websites that offer job-seeking support similar to that of No Shortage of Work? If so, post a comment. We’d love to hear about it!

Step 1-Create a Personal Brand

Ideally you should start thinking about branding yourself when you enter college. If you create your own personal brand, it creates buzz; and four years down the road you won’t just be another graduate in a pool of applicants vying for that one specific job. In the area of personal branding, Dan Schawbel is the man to follow. This guy created his own personal brand while attending college at Bentley University in Massachusetts. When he graduated, he wrote a book on the subject, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building your Future. Dan wrote an excellent article for Mashable outlining the basics of personal branding: discover your brand, create your brand, and communicate your brand. BrazenCareerist.com is also a great site to build your personal brand and connect with others. It will require some effort on your part, but you will reap the rewards upon graduation.

Step 2-Network, Network, Network

Fortunately, college students have more opportunities to network than any other group of job seekers. The key is to take advantage of every occasion and leverage those connections.

1. Attend every single career fair, even if it’s not in your major. You never know what connection you might make or what company you might impress. Ask questions, make contact, and present yourself positively to every company represented.
2. Attend alumni events. Alumni are your best connection to the business world because they were once in college and know how hard it is to find a job. Connect with a few that are in your field of study and maintain those connections all throughout college.
3. Become involved and volunteer. Volunteering is an excellent way to meet business professionals and boost your network. It doesn’t matter if you choose to spend some time with your church or an area non-profit. There are professionals in your field in every walk of life if you keep your “networking” eyes and ears open.
4. Work at internships, even if they are unpaid. These give you the best hands-on experience in your field and allow you to connect with professionals in that area. Collect business cards (and give them one of yours—yes, you need to have business cards with your photo on them) and stay in contact with those people throughout your college career.
5. Attend networking events by locating them on Meetup.com. These events are great places to meet other business people and establish yourself in the community. People are more likely to recommend you if they know who you are and have some form of relationship with you.

Step 3-Become Socially Active

Be socially active. Spend some time on the social networks: Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, and blogging. Get started by following these simple instructions:

1. Get active on Twitter. Set up a profile and link it back to your Facebook page, your blog or you LinkedIn profile. Connect with alumni, business professionals in your field of study, internships gurus and other college students. Attend Twitter Chats (you can find a list of chats by clicking here) related to job searching, networking, resume writing and internships.
2. Set up a Facebook page if you haven’t already done so. Remember that potential employers will view this page, so you want to keep it clean and professional. Be sure to include a picture of yourself, omitting obscene gestures or beer bongs. Fill out your profile completely and make sure to turn on the privacy that disables the ability for people to tag you in pictures and videos (allowing people to see the ones tagged of you). Search for alumni pages and make those connections as well.
3. Create a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is an online resume and a current collection of your own personal network. It’s notable that people with more than twenty connections are thirty-four times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five. It makes sense to spend some time making those connections. Guy Kawasaki wrote a helpful article: Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn. If you utilize the tips he gives, you will add to your hiring appeal.
4. Start your own blog. Blogging helps you strengthen your personal brand and establish your expertise and interest. Blogs rank higher in search engines and provide a forum for you to communicate with potential employers. Leave comments on other blogs and use those blogs to make additional connections.

You may be in college and feel as if all these suggestions are overwhelming and too much to expect when you are focusing on academics. But think about this: spending a few hours a week on these three steps might make the difference in finding the job of your dreams after graduation. The sacrifice of your time is definitely worth the return on your investment.

Have you used any of these techniques to find a job? What worked best for you?