Making the Best Out of Job Fairs

Finding a job is no doubt a daunting task; so much so that job seekers tend to look far and wide in order to find the best methods they believe will lead to the best jobs. And even after investing so much time and energy they often discover that all strategies have not been utilized.

One example of such under utilized methods is the use of job fairs which are often overlooked. This is because many job seekers get annoyed with the full capacity, hectic activity, and baffling series of events associated with job fairs. Such crowded spaces and the annoyance which they invoke do not reduce the effectiveness of job fairs as the best places to land a job.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment is likely to be boosted by 15%, a subsequence of which would be an enhanced capacity of job fairs as the best places to find a job since many companies will be participating in these events.

There is also the possibility of a misperception about how crowded job fairs are, because when you really think about it, they are not really that bustling. The important thing is to provide the necessary information, documents (where applicable) and desire needed for a job application and the rest, as they say, is history.

Here are a few things a job seeker must have by the time s/he is at the job fair in order to make the most out of it:

1. Advance research can be very helpful.

Most job seekers aim to find the best employment possible. Hence, it is important to do some advance research before going to a job fair. Usually, the organizers of this event will post information about companies that will participate in the job fair. Obtaining some information about the companies and the position being offered would be an edge over the others.

2. Job seekers should have enough resumes.

It would be a good idea for job seekers to have enough copies of their resumes, at least 25, before going to the job fair. This way, the applicant will be able to provide resumes to all the potential employers in a job fair. Your chances of securing employment increases with the number of applications (and resumes) you submit.

3. Job seekers should know how important it is to dress for the occasion.

According to the old adage, the first impression is a lasting impression. Therefore, in order to be cut above the rest of job seekers, an individual should learn how to impress his or her future employer by dressing to impress. The attire should project a professional outlook, enthusiasm, and determination to get the job that s/he really wants.

4. Job seekers should be prepared for some on-the-spot interviews.

5. An applicant should have a list of the companies where he or she had given his or her resume.

Knowing these things can be very helpful, especially if it is the applicant’s first time at a job fair. Hence, people should be more aware of the benefits they can derive simply by participating in job fairs.

Job Sites – The Top Five by Preference


Of all the web sites currently being used by aspiring job applicants to search for and locate suitable employment, there are five that stand out and have risen to top the list of most preferred by online job hunters. Following are those sites along with brief descriptions listed in order of preferred to most preferred.

5) Net-Temps.com – Preferred

This site provides job openings at one click. All an applicant needs to do is simply enter a keyword and specify the location for this system to list over a hundred job results. It also provides assistance in posting resumes, including a tutorial on how to create one.

Additionally, this site allows searchers to use a job search assistant that searches thousands of contracts and direct jobs to store up to three cover letters/resumes for each applicant. Other helpful features can be found in the advice and tips for interviews and preparing impressive resumes.

4) CareerShop.com – More Preferred

This is a company that actually delivers products and services which help organizations in acquiring human resources by means of improving the power and effectiveness of the Internet. The company also offer a hiring management system which is focused on recruitment and management staffing.

3) TrueCareers.com – Even More Preferred

This site caters to job hunters as well as employers looking for qualified applicants to fill positions in their companies. It provides a list of available jobs, resume postings, employers currently in need of applicants, hot openings, and even advice to small business owners.

2) JobCentral.com – Second-Most Preferred

JobCentral provides information about their member companies as well as assistance to new graduates and old time job seekers. The site also provides a salary calculator for calculating average salaries based on position, including information and premium salary data depending on the state or kind of company being applied to.

1) Hotjobs.com – Most Preferred

Woo-hoo! We come to the most preferred site: HotJobs! It has all the tools you need for completing any job search. The site has a complete set of workflow tabs that provides assistance.

Home and Job Search tabs provide the basic assistance in order to search different related job categories, locations and descriptions. The Job Search tab more specific My Searches tab gives an applicant the complete list of searches s/he saved.

This eliminates redundancy and reduces duplication of jobs already seen days before as it is thenature of job search engines to change data on a daily basis. The My Saved Jobs tab helps an applicant search for the saved jobs in which s/he is most interested, while allowing said applicant to plan and manage searches in one convenient location.

The My Resume tab help employers find a qualified applicant, who in turn can upload an existing resume and even create a new one.

The Career Tools section assists applicants in preparing a resume as well as composing a job-winning application letter. It also provides support to applicants for interviewing and preparation in making a great impression; helps applicants make connections and create relationships, and lastly, it calculates how to find out the most effective way to negotiate starting and future salaries.