If you go to a career fair, there are bound to be tons of recruiters and eager students vying for limited positions. However, the big question is, how do you stand out from the other multitude of job seekers?
It is true that not everybody is great at networking and not everybody knows how to talk their way into the big leagues. Listed below are some useful tips that can give you the edge when approaching recruiters for a job.
Do Your Homework: Do not just hope for the best when you attend a career fair. It is important that you do a little digging about companies you are interested in, find out about their brand, entry-level positions and the services or products they offer.
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Go with Your Resume: Online applications are quite common these days for job applications. However, it still wouldn’t hurt for you to take your resume as a backup. By all means, apply online if there is the option too. Regardless, do not be shy to ask the recruiter if they would like a personal copy of your resume.
Dress Like You Want To Be Addressed: Nothing extravagant or flashy, but have the right outfit for the occasion. Some companies may be all out to judge potential candidates during a job fair. Ensure you turn up as professional and as polite as you can. Recruiters will be looking out to see if you are someone that will slot into their organisation. You really do not want to be in joggers or sweatpants at a job fair, as it projects an awful image on you as a person, even before you get any chance to demonstrate your worth.
Cut to The Chase: If you are going to be directly emailing a recruiter about a job or position that you are interested in, remember to keep it brief, concise and detailed. To begin with, a professional networking platform like LinkedIn is a great place to reach out to recruiters.
It is important that you communicate your interests immediately and skip any unnecessary pleasantries. Recruiters are very busy people, and it's best to get to the point as soon as you can. Communicate your skill, passion and interests without going into much details and ensure that it’s in line with the post or company you are vying for. Finally, attach your resume to the end of your message so the recruiter can have a quick look. Follow this up with another message after a week or two if you do not get a reply.
Communicate Your Career Aspirations: Tell the recruiter what you really want. Ensure that they know that you have done your own homework about the company, their culture, history, recent achievements and the likes. Demonstrate where you think you would fit in and the qualities that you can bring. The goal is to sound confident and professional, not proud and arrogant.
If you are still undecided as to what you want or the career path to choose, then see job fairs as an avenue to build connections, sharpen your networking skills and learn more about various companies and how to interact with recruiters.
