By Angela Rose, BioSpace.com
In this fast-paced world, time is of the essence. From sound bites to tweets, text messages to acronyms; many of us have become adept at disseminating and absorbing information as quickly as we can. This tech-fueled ingenuity is certainly useful when tweeting at stoplights or gleaning knowledge from a scrolling news ticker. Fortunately, for job seekers, it is also quite useful when meeting potential employers at a career fair.
Career fairs enable job seekers to interact with dozens of potential employers in one location. A prepared professional can leave a career fair with numerous job leads or even interviews on their calendar. The best niche job fairs attract employers from top companies in the industry. You’ll find recruiters and hiring managers as well as a unique opportunity to make a personal impression. However, to use a career fair to your best advantage, you must know how to sell yourself in two minutes or less.
It begins before you even open your mouth to speak. In fact, research shows it takes a mere tenth of a second for someone you’ve just met to form an impression of you. Make sure it’s a good one. You must be dressed professionally, approach confidently, make eye contact, smile, and offer a firm handshake.
Next comes a short introduction. This should not sound memorized or forced. It should be tailored in some way to the company representative you are approaching. For example, “Hello! I’m Robert Lewis. I have twenty years of experience in lab management and I’m looking for a position where I can use my knowledge to increase production efficiencies. I saw on your website that your company recently opened several new laboratories. I believe my skills could be of benefit. Here’s a copy of my resume.”
You will, of course, need to know something about the companies you plan to meet with at the fair in order to make this possible. Many career fairs list participating employers on their websites. (See a list of BioSpace Career Fairs and participating companies here.) Identify the companies you’d most like to meet with and research them as you would for an interview. This serves a dual purpose. Not only can you use the information to craft each introduction, you will also be prepared to answer a common career fair question: “Why do you want to work for our company?”
If you’ve made a favorable impression with your approach and introduction, most recruiters will begin to ask you questions. Be prepared to talk about your career goals, interests and skills. When the questions stop, ask the representative for a business card and inquire about the next step. Say thank you, offer another firm handshake and mention that you plan to follow up.
It’s not uncommon for companies to fill multiple positions with candidates from one career fair. That is, after all, why they invest their time and money in attending. Go in prepared to sell yourself in two minutes and you may very well be one of the professionals they hire.
About the Author
Angela Rose researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for BioSpace.com.