Your resume is the most important thing that you need to bring in a job fair. Even if the company provides you with an application form, it is still a good idea to bring a good resume. Since there will be many employers in the fair, bring many copies of your resumes. How will you be able to increase your chances of landing a job if you’ve only bought one or two copies of your Curriculum Vitae? By the way, you should also make sure that your resume is short but has all the necessary details that can highlight your education, skills and work experience. Since employers will surely receive dozens or even hundreds of resumes during the fair, you do not want to submit a resume that is long and boring. Make your CV short but interesting.

If you are interested in going to a job fair, it is important that you do some research so that you can have an edge over the other job applicants. It would really be a good idea to ask the organizer of the fair the names of the companies that are participating in the fair. This prior knowledge is important so that you can research about the nature of the company and other vital information about your prospective employers. Since you cannot really know in advance all the companies that will be participating, the next step is to know the job descriptions of the possible positions you will be applying for.

Planning before you go to the fair is the one thing that you have to do before blindly rushing onto the battlefield. Making sure that your exhibition stand actually does stand out can be a challenge. Dressing you and your area up can be the difference between hiring quickly and having a position open for months on end. Having people wandering up and down the halls with information will also increase the exposure of your company and you will have a much better chance of getting candidates to notice you. Setting up quick interviews on the spot will also save you a lot of time and effort later on. If you find out more about your candidates at the fair, the more you will have to go on in later interviews. You also need to get accurate data on your candidates so you can decide how many are actually a great fit for the job. If not, then you will have to waste time interviewing people that were never going to get the job in the first place.

The other reason that a virtual job fair has become relevant is that hiring companies are trying their best to make their brand stand out amongst their competitors to attract the best talent that is out there. Many organizations are able to receive résumés of interested job candidates at their own career websites. Some even have a .jobs domain name to go with their overall web presence. With such elements they are trying to create an exclusive corner for their hiring needs and thus build some branding. To create an element of brand-loyalty even before they have become an employee of the company, many organizations prefer to have their own online event to invite and engage candidates who have expressed interest in working for that specific organization. The virtual job fair is an ideal way to maintain a pipeline of future employees that care about an organization’s brand

A virtual job fair with a defined time-frame is successful for the following few reasons. It is not reasonable to expect hiring managers to be online ‘staffing’ virtual booths for more than a few hours. Hiring processes have a life-cycle, and matters have to move beyond the initial screening that the virtual job fair painlessly allows. When a virtual job fair is closed, it is best to open pre-registration and pre-announce the next virtual job fair. A pre-announced calendar of job fairs helps sustain the momentum of the first fair. It gives job candidates something to look forward to. It gives recruiters a breather. Most of all, it helps the job fair organizer build a brand for the job fair. Based on our experience, if you deliver virtual job fairs in brief spells of time, and also use it in conjunction with face-to-face job fairs, you will experience measurable success. One must remember that the Internet works best when used as a tool to enhance human interaction.

Make an advanced research to the companies that will be participating in the said event. Before job fairs are organized, some postings of available job positions and company names that will be partaking in job fairs can be seen in tabloids, job bulletins and Internet. You can check the job nature, working environment and shifting hours. These matters can help you a lot in order for you to decide what positions and companies you prefer most. When attending the event, make sure you have enough copies of your application documents like resumes, forms, certifications etc. Have at least 20-25 copies of the important application forms that you will submit to the potential employers. Remember that the more applications you render the more chances for you to obtain a job. After you have passed resumes to the companies, try to have a list of the employers you have inquired with.

One of the most important presentations you should be prepared with is the way you present yourself. Most employers are more attracted to job seekers who put effort to the way they dress and present themselves. Always avoid wearing sneakers and jeans when applying for a certain job. A professional outlook should be seen in a job seeker. Business casual outfit is the best clothing one should wear. Avoid too many accessories and rugged make-ups and nail polish. Always be prepared for some interviews. Set aside those weird mannerisms during interviews. Greetings before and after the interview process must always be present. Job fairs are one good means of finding job and preferred occupation for those who are still in job-hunting. You don’t have to jump to every company just to inquire their available vacancies and job positions. The process can be very hassling but in the end you’ll find it worthy after you have opportunely passed the series of application station.

It’s important to have a short two to three minute mini speech about yourself that can be delivered at a moments notice. But hundreds and even thousands of people going through the job fair you may only have two or three minutes with each employer and you want to make sure that you leave them with the most important points about who you are and what you have the offer. One could argue that the information is readily available on the resume that you give them but it’s more about making an impact to generate interest for them to actually read the resume. For more connection or impact that you make on them increases the odds of them remembering you when it’s time to contact candidates to fill their positions.

Ideally you would have already identified the top 10 or 20 companies that you want to make sure that you connect with before you enter the job fair. The reason you want to have a short list is so that you can make sure you see them all, get your questions answered and make your impression. You want to make sure you have an attention grabber or a trigger to help them remember who you are when you do your follow-up work. This can be achieved through asking well thought out relevant questions or if thinking outside of the box and doing something different to set you apart from everyone else they’re seeing that day.

Look over the floor plan of the job fair. Mark out those employers that you have an interest in and plan the most efficient way to visit each one. This way you’ll be able to spend more time with those that interest you rather than wandering throughout the entire job fair. With time left over browse the other employers, you never know when you may come upon something that interests you.

Write out a list of questions to ask the employer’s representatives. Try to put together a list of questions specific to each employer. If the information is already on the web site, don’t waste your time trying to stump the employer’s representative. Look for information on the organization’s work place culture, future plans and career progressions. If the particular employer has no openings that fit your skills and career plan ask for referrals. The employer’s representatives are in the recruiting business and may be aware of other openings that fit your skill levels and job requirements. Get the name of the representative and their phone number and email address.

Take notes of each conversation. You will be talking to so many people that your notes will help you later if you elect to follow-up with a specific employer. If possible, don’t just drop off a resume. Get a copy of the job announcement, and with the information learned at the job fair, draft a specific cover letter, with appropriate changes in your resume, and then mail the application packet to the employer. This way your cover letter and resume will closely fit the announced needs of the employer. Your chances of getting a favorable decision to advance to the next step just went up.

Many job fairs have informational workshops. Check the schedule on all the workshops and make sure to attend all that are of interest. Be prepared to ask general job hunting questions at these workshops. They are generally a good source of job hunting strategies, especially if seem stuck in a job hunting rut. At the end of the job fair, you’ll have a briefcase full of information, and hopefully a number of employers that have job openings that fit your skill set. If anyone helped give you a possible job referral send them a thank you note. Begin immediately writing appropriate cover letters and redrafted your resume to submit for possible job openings.