8 Steps to Successfully Navigating a Job Fair

Job fairs can be intimidating. They’re big, they’re typically held at arenas or hotels, they’re crowded, and you don’t get much of an opportunity to speak with companies because there’s usually a long line of other candidates waiting behind you for their turn.

Yep, it’s a meat market. But you can successfully navigate a job fair to your advantage. You just need to be strategic in how you manage it.

First of all, who are those people standing around in the booth, representing the company? Here are the players:

• The Corporate Recruiter / Human Resources Representative. More often than not, the HR guy / gal planned the company’s presence at the job fair. They’ve been up all night putting the display together and making sure the hiring managers who were supposed to be there actually are there. Their primary motivations are filling open jobs, and going the hell home.
• The Top Performer. Companies usually like to have their a-list employees at the career fairs, because it reflects well upon the company. Particularly popular at college fairs. I mean, why would they invite…
• The Poor Performer. Yes, you read that right – often a company will designate a bottom performer as the individual to go to the career fair. Why? Why would they do that? Because they won’t be missed in the office – if their performance isn’t great, how much more harm can it do to have them out of work for the day? Not that the job seekers being judged have any idea that this is happening.
• The Happy Alumnus. When it comes to college fairs, employers love to send their alumni, and the alumni usually love to get a free trip back to campus. When I worked at Motorola, we employed a substantial number of University of Florida graduates. They would have gladly had a knife fight to decide the winner, and thus who went to Gainesville. It makes sense – proud alumni are enamored of their alma mater, and they’re going to be highly engaged.
• Selected At Random. Yup, they needed a warm body, and this individual didn’t have any pressing business.

Now you know the players. How do you effectively stand out at a job fair?

1. Start early. Job fairs start quiet then build to a roar as the day gets going. If you have the ability to arrive when the fair opens, you have a better chance at shorter lines. You also get fresher company reps, who haven’t talked themselves raw. You may get the opportunity for a more in-depth conversation.
2. Dress for success. Wear a suit. A nice suit. This is your first impression with a company. If you’re coming from work, and they have a business casual dress code, change into that suite before going into the job fair. It makes a difference.
3. Have a plan of attack. Job fair organizers will often publish a list of exhibitors prior to the event. Decide upon your must-visit employers and see them first. Then canvas the rest of the fair.
4. Print your resumes on nice stationery. A bonded linen paper looks far nicer than your glossy white copy paper. It shows you care.
5. Have targeted cover letters for your key employers. This is a nice little touch that can make a big difference. If you know that you will be visiting Company X at the job fair, have a customized cover letter for that employer.
6. Polish your elevator pitch. This is the first thing you say after introducing yourself – 30 seconds about who you are and what type of position you’re looking for. A snappy intro will help generate interest.
7. Watch for the cues that your time is up. Interviewers want to be nice, but they may be trying to signal that they need to get to the next person. If it feels like you’ve overstayed your welcome, you probably have. Thank them for their time, and move on to your next exhibitor.
8. Send thank you notes. If you obtained the interviewer’s contact information, a brief email to them after the fair thanking them for their time along with a soft copy of your resume will reinforce your interest.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

6 Ways to Better Position Yourself for a Promotion

Guest post by Jennifer Pinto - Talent Management Professional, Professional Development Advisor, and John Maxwell Certified Coach

Do you feel you are ready for the next step, but aren’t quite sure how to make it a reality? Have you applied for new roles but never get the position? Employees often struggle with maneuvering the internal waters of their organization to get to their desired destination. While each situation is unique, here 6 tips to better position yourself for a promotion.

1.     Understand and build your personal brand: Do you know what your personal brand is and is it what you want it to be? Ask 3 – 5 various key stakeholders how they would describe you. If you don’t like what you hear, develop a plan to change it. Often, good employees get overlooked because they are incorrectly branded due to one mistake they made a while ago in front of the wrong people, and they didn’t even know the true impact it had on their reputation.

2.     Make your intentions known: This is a twofold strategy. First, subtly make it known to the movers and shakers of your company that you are open to exploring new challenges. Next (and I know this one can be difficult and/or uncomfortable conversation), you will want to have a career conversation with your manager. Frequently your manager will catch wind of available opportunities before you will. Also, if your Human Resources Department and hiring leaders have a set internal recruitment practice in place, they will probably approach your current manager about your application or your interest in another role before they reach out to you. Even if they don’t, the last thing you want is for your manager to be caught by surprise that you have applied for another role. The world is a very small place, and your underlying goal should always be to continue to build and strengthen your network – not to tear it down. In some cases, your manager may not be the most willing or understanding person when it comes to your career growth aspirations outside his/her team. In that situation, consider approaching your manager’s manager, engaging your internal mentor for advice, or reaching out to Human Resources for guidance.

3.     Get a mentor at least a couple of levels above you and cultivate the relationship: You can’t imagine the number of people I run across that don’t have a mentor. When it’s time to discuss an open role and possible internal candidates for that open role you want to have someone in the room to advocate for you, and that person will be your mentor. But it’s not enough though, just to have a mentor; you need to develop that relationship the same way as you would a friendship. Maintain regular communication, and ask for that person’s support and feedback. If you are truly vested in the relationship that will increase the likelihood your mentor will be as well.

4.     Do your homework: Do you know the ins and outs of the position or positions you are interested in being considered for? Will the roles play to your strengths, capabilities, and personal motivations? Do you know what a good day in that role looks like? Do you know what types of challenges someone in that role would need to overcome? Or, do you know what it takes to be successful in that role? Have you spoken with an incumbent in that role to better understanding what you will be accountable for and how your success will be measured? What skills do you need to be proficient in to be a viable candidate for that role? Do you know who the key stakeholders are for the role? What is the hiring manager’s vision for their function/team/business? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you probably haven’t prepared enough.

5.     Don’t apply for every role under the sun: Such a strategy will do more harm than good to your personal brand. Be selective about the roles you apply for. If you don’t apply for this position, other opportunities will become available ­– either inside or outside your company. Besides, do you really want to be stuck in a role that you don’t like for the next few years? That will lead to personal dissatisfaction, a lack of engagement, and may impact your productivity – all of which could hinder your chances of getting the role you want when and if it becomes available.

6.     Make sure your current state is solid: Often employees are eager to move on to the next, bigger and better thing. That’s great, but if you are so focused on what’s next then you may start to neglect what’s right in front of you. If you want to position yourself for a promotion, you need to be successful in your current role. It seems simple and like common sense, I know. However, time and time again I see employees apply for a role and get declined because their reputation precedes them; things like not being viewed as a team player in the current role, not hitting performance targets, having a poor attitude, lacking collaboration, being difficult to work with, and so on. Such negative factors may derail any future role you want to apply for. People talk; word gets around. No hiring manager wants to adopt the problem child of another manager. So manage your reputation and your current position.

At the end of the day, self-awareness is key - awareness of who you are, what you want, what you don’t want, what you are good at, and how you are perceived by others. That can make all the difference when applying for that big promotion. Also, don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the promotion the first time around. Re-focus, do some reflecting, and go out there and try again. Find your sweet spot!

Jennifer Pinto is a John Maxwell certified coach, trainer and speaker. For over 14 years she has helped leaders and professionals, at various stages in their career, gain clarity and focus around their own strengths, opportunity areas and what that means to their career. She has also worked within private organizations partnering with senior leaders to design and implement effective people strategies and talent programs targeted at identifying and maximizing the talent within the organization. She leverages those insights helping her clients understand how to best market and develop themselves within their organization. Her website is  www.PinteraCorp.com.

7 Highly Effective Questions to Ask During Your Job Interview

You know how at the end of a job interview they ask you if have any questions?

That's not the time to get all quiet. Employers don't want to hear that they've answered all your questions. They want you to engage them in brilliant repartee. 

You need to be prepared with some outstanding questions for them, queries that show you have not only been paying attention to what they've been saying, but also are thinking about the company and the job deeper than you've pondered anything else to date.

All right, that's an exaggeration. But you don't want to come across like a moron, either.

The question portion of your interview is an easy way to score points. Here are some great questions for you to ask your potential new employer!

1. What would the first 90 days in the position look like? This shows that you are not only taking the position and its strategic role in the organization seriously, it demonstrates that you are visualizing yourself in the position. You're already planning ahead in terms of what would be expected, and what to expect.
2. What does the successful candidate for this role look like? Not every job seeker is a fit for every position, or every company. By asking this question, it shows that you are actively working to determine if you are a skill and culture fit for the position. And, the interviewers' responses may provide you an indication of the metrics and milestones you'd be expected to meet.
3. How does this role fit within the department / team / organization? Companies want to see that you're doing more than just your job. They want to know that you understand that you play a larger role in the success of the company, andhow you will partner with coworkers and internal (and external) customers to meet organizational goals.
4. What challenges would I face in this role? No job is all ducks and bunnies and rainbows (in other words, there's not-so-fun parts of the job). By finding out the problems you may have to deal with, you have an opportunity to explain how you will overcome adversity, while getting the skinny on some of the negative attributes of the job.
5. What does the career path for this role look like? You're thinking about growth opportunity within the company. This is a nicer way of addressing this than asking, "When can I expect to be promoted?"
6. What other questions may I answer for you? Demonstrates that you invite the opportunity for your interviewers to truly evaluate your fit for the role, and that you don't squirm under scrutiny.
7. What are the next steps in the interview process? This is a polite way of indicating that you are very interested in the role, and would love the consideration. I've seen interview processes accelerated after a candidate asks this.

Incidentally, it is very okay for you to bring notes to an interview. When there's a lull in the process, and there's a moment, feel free to say, "Thank you for the consideration! I have a few questions of my own." Then refer to your prepared list of questions. This demonstrates that you've prepared for this interview.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.