Job Fairs Serve Their Own Purpose, Not Yours.

After about a solid year in workforce development, my view of Job Fairs changed drastically.  I, like most job seekers, viewed job fairs as an oasis of employers endowed with jobs that are available to those equally qualified.  My observation is that this expectation drives thousands of hungry candidates to convention center doors throughout the nation.  I encourage all job seekers to attend them, but I help understand the importance of job fairs from an employer perspective.  I would not attend a job fair with the expectation that I am going to get an interview; you will leave disappointed.  I attend job fairs to network with other job seekers and employers, to learn about the companies represented.  After learning about the company and its product/service offering, I then determine if there is a need for someone with my experience.  For example, I might say, "I am an administrative assistant with 4 years of experience coordinating and scheduling administrative priorities for mid to large manufacturing entities.  I would like to know if you have a need for someone with my experience."  The employer will say yes or no.  If he or she says yes, then ask for additional information about the position, a job description.  I will probably not give the employer representative my resume, especially if that person is not going to be making the hiring decision.  If there is a job description, I will ask the company representative if I can send him or her a resume via email.  This give me time to craft a product (resume) that closely resembles what the employer is looking for.  It is tailor made for the position, which gives me a better chance of being called in for the interview.  If the employer says that there are no positions that require my skill set, I will then ask if the representative know someone (in his network) that is in need of administrative help.  In the next few days, I will follow with more details on this strategy.  Again, I want to encourage you to attend every job fair you hear about.