Kathleen Smith 00:00
Hello and welcome everyone. This is Kathleen.
Rachel Bozeman 00:27
Hey folks. You know who that makes me, Rachel.
Kathleen Smith 00:31
So today we're doing a podcast bonus edition, sharing the tips for a successful in-person job fair. ClearedJobs.Net has been producing Cleared Job Fairs for over 15 years, and these are some of our best tips that you need to be successful at a job fair.
Rachel Bozeman 00:48
I love a good bonus episode, and I love talking about job fairs. Cleared employers spend an awful lot of time and an awful lot of money making sure that they're represented at these job fairs, because they are looking for incredible talent. So we want you to be that attendee that really stands out in a good way. These are tips on how to make sure you stand out in a good way and really get a fantastic opportunity to network with some of these incredible organizations. So let's start the discussion at the very beginning, and that's with some of the prep work that needs to be done before you even step foot into the event. Kathleen, what's the first tip?
Kathleen Smith 01:35
So the first tip of attending a Cleared Job Fair and being successful is to register and upload your resume. The reason why you want to do this is that the cleared facilities employers who are exhibiting at the Cleared Job Fair actually get a copy of the entire resume data file of the attendees for the job fair a week ahead of time. This gives them an opportunity to be able to look through the people who will be in attendance, and maybe schedule time with them so that they have a little bit more of an in-depth, maybe pre-interview there at the job fair. But don't be discouraged if you don't get contacted by someone right before the job fair, because not every recruiting team has time to look through the entire resume data file. But this does lead us to our second tip, and what is that, Rachel?
Rachel Bozeman 02:23
This is a good one. Preparation. Prepare ahead of time. Make sure you get out there and review the job seeker handbook, which details which companies are going to be at the job fair and what positions they're looking to fill. Make sure you come in with a strategy. Know where they're located and know what positions they're hiring for, so that you can speak to your interest in those. Which positions really are of interest to you? Get the information, do a search ahead of time, so that you can really make that great impression. You're going to have a limited period of time. So make it count. Focus on preparing those meaningful questions about the specific positions. What's important for you to know about their culture? Things that would be helpful for you understanding about their hiring process? And get those details so that you can make sure that you find out everything that you need. Some of those things might not be presented on their website, but in person, you're going to get some great information. So make it count. Invest some time before the job fair, and you're going to get so much more out of it. Kathleen, hit us with tip number three.
Kathleen Smith 03:36
Tip number three is just getting in the right frame of mind, because I think a lot of us procrastinate. We don't do the preparation, we don't do any of the research that we want to do ahead of time. So really getting in the frame of mind that this is an integral part of your job search and that you're going to be networking. We asked recruiters and hiring managers about the importance of attitude in a job search and on a scale of one to 10, this usually comes in at 11 or 12. The attitude, coming in, being positive, being enthusiastic. We know that everyone gets nervous, but take a breath. Realize that this can be fun. You're meeting new people. You're learning new things. So Rachel, what's next?
Rachel Bozeman 04:22
Kathleen, you are so right. I think that is such a great insight, because it really is about attitude. It's coming in with confidence. It's coming in with all of the best intentions and presenting yourself at your best. I know we say it here in the South, so you might have heard it before, but you can certainly catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. So don't be vinegar, friends. Be honey. And another important tip for you, honey, is to make sure you look the part. And that's when you're at a job fair, it's really an interview in many respects. So look the part. Come dressed as the professional that you are. And if you're a transitioning military person, it's okay to come in that uniform or your camis. Kathleen, what's your last pre-event tip for our friends listening?
Kathleen Smith 05:11
So tip number five, it's never too early to start networking. Especially as you pointed out earlier, if you're transitioning from the military into the civilian workforce, if you're transitioning out of the military or government in the next year or two, now is the time to start attending job fairs. Why? Because you have to get back into that attitude. You've got to feel comfortable. You have to know the lay of the land and its practice makes perfect. Rachel, what's our next step?
Rachel Bozeman 05:41
It is so important to get that lay of the land and really understand what those employers are looking for and what positions yourself for the greatest level of success there. Now let's move from our tips about before the event to what's happening during the event. Kathleen, why don't you kick us off? What's your number one tip for at the event?
Kathleen Smith 06:07
So the number one tip at the job fair is network with everybody. You're not only going to be networking with the employers and the recruiters, but also with the other job seekers there. You're going to be standing, possibly in line with somebody, strike up a conversation. Or you might be somewhere having a cup of coffee. This is a great opportunity to be able to gather other information about potential employers. What employer is that person at? What's going on there? Maybe they have a position you'd be interested in. Do they know the recruiters at that place that you might be in contact with? Be sure that you're not just talking to the recruiters, but networking, working on that elevator speech, working on how you sort of build your professional network, and as always, be sure to follow up. Rachel, what's our next hop? Excuse me, tip. I'm just having a lot of problems today speaking, aren't I? So this is another reason why you need to practice networking, because sometimes you might get tongue-tied.
Rachel Bozeman 07:14
A little flubberly flu. It's all good, but you know something you said made me kind of wonder, and I wanted to clarify with you. So if I'm at these Cleared Job Fairs and I'm getting a cup of coffee or maybe grabbing that delicious cookie, really what you're telling me is it's okay to talk to my neighbors around me. I'm not giving away any top secrets or anything by talking to those around me, right?
Kathleen Smith 07:38
That's correct. There are so many opportunities at our Cleared Job Fairs to network. Yes, we do have brownies and cookies. We always have coffee and so there are other opportunities than just talking to the cleared employers to be doing your networking. So definitely talk to everyone there, because it's not that you're talking about classified information, you're talking about your career search, your career development, and you're looking for more information on the next position you want to go for. So Rachel, what is our next tip?
Rachel Bozeman 08:14
Well, it's still about talking. Kathleen, that's what you and I love to do, and so I think it's important that we share the wealth, but it's about talking to every employer in the room. We told you to come prepared, to look at who's going to be there. Look for those positions that best marry into what you're looking to do. But it's also important that you are prepared to talk to all of the employers. Give them the opportunity to also learn about your skills and talents. You just never know who's going to be behind that tablecloth table.
Kathleen Smith 08:46
I think that one thing that people don't understand with a job fair is that job seekers tend to gravitate toward the big names. They tend to gravitate toward the Beltway bandits or the large, well-known government contractors, and that's really great, because you're going to have a lot of different opportunities. They're usually going to have a large team of recruiters there, but there are also employers there that might be from smaller or medium-sized companies that you may not have heard of before. And they're the ones that are going to be able to spend a lot more time with you and share with you their culture, where they started, what their focus is, and you're not going to have many other times to actually speak with their hiring managers or their program managers. Many times it's their leadership team that comes to the job fair. So when you go to a Cleared Job Fair, be sure you talk to every single company there, because there might be several companies that you may not have even considered before.
Rachel Bozeman 09:48
So come with a plan, but also an open minded for those possibilities that might be out there.
Kathleen Smith 09:53
And also remember, you can ask the recruiters for resume feedback as well, because they’re really good at asking various different questions to find your various experience that might not be on your resume. So when you're at the booth, sometimes ask the recruiters, is there anything that I should put on or keep off of my resume? Always a good tip.
Rachel Bozeman 10:18
It is. It's really about that feedback, making sure that you are asking for that feedback. Feedback is a gift, and even when you look at it and it might sometimes surprise you, or you hear something that you weren't expecting, consider it a gift. It's a new perspective. It's a new perception and something that can really benefit you. The goal for any recruiter is to make sure that they're helping that person find a career that matters to them, and so while it may not be something that works for their organization, they may say something that would benefit you in another organization. So be open to the feedback. The recruiters, we've told you, they are there for you. They're there to help. They're wonderful people. So listen to the advice they have. But also remember that there are other folks that want to get their feedback as well, so don't be that person. There's always that one, right? Kathleen, I think we could probably tell some stories of that person that hogs the recruiter’s time or just doesn't value those others that they've made friendships with over the brownies and cookies by just taking up all of the time. Be open-minded. Come with a plan. I don't know, Kathleen, I feel like there's at least one more tip that we can share.
Kathleen Smith 11:29
Definitely. One of our final tips, not our absolute final, but almost our last one, is get the contact information from the employers, the representatives that you met, and maybe some other people, but definitely from the employer representatives. You want to make sure that you have their name, their contact information, and ask them if you can follow up and sort of get their feedback on, should I follow up tomorrow? Should I follow up in a week? Realize that even if that conversation that you had at the Cleared Job Fair was not going to be a perfect fit for you or the recruiter didn't think it was going to be a good fit for them, that is a contact that you made. So definitely keep that contact information so that you can follow up with them. But Rachel, what is that absolute last, final tip that everyone should know about?
Rachel Bozeman 12:25
This is so important, and it's after. So we told you what to do before, we told you what to do during, and this is what comes after the event. So you've walked away. The lights are off, the tablecloths are down, the foley signs are gone, and the cookies are all eaten. Now the work is back on you. So you did your pre-work. This is your homework. It's so important that you connect with those employers and other connections that you made, whether you're using LinkedIn as that avenue to connect with them or maybe some other social media platform. Do it timely. Don't wait six weeks. They're not going to remember you, friend. I know that you are impressionable, and I know that you are wonderful, but they've met a lot of people in those six weeks. So do it timely. 24 hours really is a great window of time to reach out to them. Make sure that you include at least one or two points on why you would be a great asset to their company. And if there was something in particular that made your connection special, maybe you accidentally knocked over their water bottle, you can say, “Hey, remember me? The friend that knocked over your water bottle.” Put them back in that frame of reference so they can remember the great conversation that you had. And please do not underestimate the power of the face-to-face connection at a job fair. You can't put a price on it. You can't put any other thing higher above that. That face-to-face connection is so important. Cleared employers use these job fairs as a recruiting tool. Because guess what, friends? They work. So if you want to get to work, get on out there. So if you want to follow up on each one of these tips, just check the link in the notes section, and that will take you to all of these tips. Thank you so much for listening with us today. Remember to get out there and follow us, because we really, really want you to be with us every single week. Yes, friends, come on down. Follow, like, and we'll see you soon. Bye, bye.