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Source: Career Opportunities News, Ferguson, An Imprint of Facts on File, Inc., January/February 2004.

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JOB FAIR PREPARATION

Preparation BEFORE a Job Fair:

•Clarify your goals and expectations before attending the fair, as well as understanding the intended focus of the event you will be attending.

•Update your old resume or develop a new resume.

•Make sufficient copies of your resume (25-30) to distribute to employers at the job fair.

•Know which organizations will be there in advance.

•Research your top organizations for the following information: Products, Services, Size, Locations, Leaders, History and News. Develop a list of questions to ask the employers as you perform the research. Excellent ways to perform employer research include: Talking to someone who works at the company calling the company directly linking to the company website asking a reference librarian at the local library for help visiting the Chamber of Commerce Office and utilizing Internet employer search engines.

•Prepare a 30 second "infomercial" as an introduction of yourself to company representatives. it should contain RELEVANT aspects of your work history highlights and personal qualities your education and training your strongest skill sets and your knowledge of and expressed interest in that organization. For example:

"My name is___________. Over the past several years, I have served in both customer service and technical roles. I'm good at interacting with non-technical personnel about technical applications and computer problem-solving. I get feedback all the time about my ability to make technical concepts easily understood. I have recently been taking computer networking classes, and I like the idea of working in the networking area, especially in a help desk or technical support role. I understand that your company hires help desk professionals, and want to explore those opportunities."

•Prepare your business attire and portfolio in advance. The night before the job fair, make sure that you have sufficient copies of your resume, and any portfolio components (i.e. Graphics work writing samples) that relate to your professional field.