Get a job you bum!

Some tips on making a successful contact at the Career Fair

The Southeast Missourian Career Fair will take place at the Show Me Center on Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It's a chance for young prospects to meet with employers and seek out a job that's right for them.

What should you know before going to the fair?

According to Keri Young, Experiential Learning Coordinator at Southeast Missouri State's Career Linkages, career fairs should be used to gather information about potential employers and to make contacts that could lead to a job.

Job fairs, by nature, are used for entry-level recruiting, offering the corporate recruiter a high number of prospects in a short amount of time. Employers, according to Young, size up candidates quickly based on appearances and first impressions.

Young also stresses that job fairs should not be viewed as a "get-acquainted" session for attendees to meet prospective employers.

"Job fairs are multiple interview sessions that separate the unprepared prospect from the target focused and prepared candidates," Young says. "Even two to three minute greetings and exchanges of sound bites are considered a real interview."

Below, Young offers her advice on how to make the most of your time at the event.

How to Prepare for the Interview/Job Fair

1. The best thing you can do to prepare for an interview with a specific company is research that company. Find out as much as you can about what they offer, i.e. products and/or services. Who is the contact person for hiring? If at all possible, speak with someone who is already on the inside and find out about their company culture.

2. Practice: Before you go through an actual interview, you should first go through a mock interview. Fewer than 5 percent of people take advantage of mock interviews, therefore 95 percent merely "wing it" before they have any practical sense of how they are doing -- usually when the rejection letters start coming.

3. Speak with a career counselor or do research yourself on types of questions that might be asked in advance. Practice your answers ahead of time.

4. Make sure you have someone review your resume before you pass them out. Have them check for grammatical errors, misspelled words, format, etc.

5. DO NOT go to a career fair with just one generic resume. Research the companies that will be there and cater your resume to each organization that you are interested in. Your objective, experience, skills, etc. should fit for each position you apply for.

6. Your resume is not the only thing that you can use to sell yourself. The key element to successful interviewing can be summed up in one word: attitude. Your attitude determines whether you will make the cut or be discarded. Remember, there are plenty of competitors with the ability to do almost any given job, especially at the entry level. Employers typically differentiate at the entry level by the candidates' attitudes toward the job and that will be what the recruiter will likely remember after the career fair.

7. Even though many companies have relaxed the internal company dress code, interviews and career fairs still follow the conservative standard.

Dress tips for Men and Women

• Conservative two-piece business suit (solid dark blue or gray is best)
• Conservative long-sleeved shirt/blouse (white is best, pastel is next best)
• Conservative, clean and polished shoes
• Well-groomed hairstyle
• Clean, trimmed fingernails
• Empty pockets-no bulges or tinkling coins
• No gum, candy or cigarettes
• Light briefcase or portfolio case
• No visible piercing (nose rings, eyebrow rings, etc.)

Five Things to Take to the Career Fair

1. Copies of your resume (25 to 40 depending on the size of the event). Be sure it represents your knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) effectively. It needs to look professional -- easy to read format on plain white or cream colored paper -- and be free of typos. If you are looking at several career options, you should have two or more targeted resumes with different career objectives!

2. A smile, a strong handshake and a positive attitude. First impressions are important. Approach an employer, smile, and offer your hand when you introduce yourself.

3. A 30-second "sales pitch." Hand the recruiter a copy of your resume and be prepared to expand on it quickly! Share basic information about yourself and your career interests like this:

"Hello, I'm Susie Smith. I'm a senior here at Southeast Missouri State University and I'm majoring in Business Administration. I'm very interested in a marketing career. As you can see on my resume, I just completed an internship in the Marketing Division of the XYZ Company in Jackson. I've also taken some courses in business management. I'm very interested in talking with you about marketing opportunities with your organization."

4. Information about the organizations which will be attending. Gather information as you would for a job interview. To maximize the brief time you have with each employer, you need to know how your skills and interests match their needs. And don't just concentrate on the "big names." There are often great opportunities with companies with which you are not familiar.

5. Energy! Career fairs require you to be on your feet moving from table to table for an hour or so. Each time you meet someone, be at your best, as refreshed as possible!

5 Things Not to Do at the Career Fair

1. Don't cruise the booths with a group of friends. Interact with the recruiters on your own. Make your own positive impression!

2. Don't carry your backpack, large purse, or other paraphernalia with you. Carrying your resume in a professional-looking portfolio or small briefcase works well. It will keep your resume neat and handy, and gives you a place to file business cards of recruiters that you meet. Usually you can stow your coat, backpack, or other gear in a coatroom.

3. Don't come dressed for basketball practice (or any other extremely casual activity). A career fair is a professional activity -- perhaps your first contact with a future employer.

4. Don't "wing it" with employers. Do your homework! Research the companies just as you would for an interview. You'll be able to focus on why you want to work for the organization and what you can do for them.

5. Don't come during the last half-hour of the event. Many employers come a long distance to attend the fair and may need to leave early. If you come late, you may miss the organizations you wanted to contact!

5 Things to Take Home From the Career Fair

1. Business cards from the recruiters you have met. Use the cards to write follow-up notes to those organizations in which you are most interested.

2. Notes about contacts you made. Take paper and pen with you to write down important details about particular organizations, including names of people who may not have had business cards. Take a few minutes after you leave each table to jot down these notes!

3. Information about organizations you have contacted. Most recruiters will have information for you to pick up, including company brochures, computer diskettes or CDs, position descriptions and other data. You won't have time to deal with these at the fair!

4. A better sense of your career options. If you have used the event correctly, you will have made contact with several organizations that hire people with your skills and interests. In thinking about their needs and your background, evaluate whether each company might be a match for you.

5. Self-confidence in interacting with employer representatives. A career fair gives you the opportunity to practice your interview skills in a less formidable environment than a formal interview. Use this experience to practice talking about what you have done, what you know, and what your interests are.