{"id":150,"date":"2009-02-27T13:13:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-27T13:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/career-advice\/job-fair-preparation-tips\/"},"modified":"2024-12-31T04:19:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T12:19:17","slug":"job-fair-preparation-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/job-fair-preparation-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Job fair preparation tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gayle Hallgren-Rezac co-author Work The Pond! <\/a><\/p>\n

\"Job_fair_preparation_tips\" Job fair preparation becomes key around this time of year, as career fair season moves into full swing. If you Google \u201cjob fairs\u201d or \u201ccareer fairs\u201d in BC and Alberta, you\u2019ll see that there are any number of opportunities to get out and meet potential employers this fall. Continue your Googling and you\u2019ll find numerous sites with extensive information on how to prepare for a job fair. Also, do a quick scan of all the valuable articles on this website<\/a>. So what can I tell you to make your job fair more successful? Work on first impressions<\/a> and answering \u201cThe Question\u201d.<\/p>\n

First impressions at job fairs<\/strong>
\nDo you know if you have good eye contact when you first meet <\/a>someone? Many people do not make eye contact when they first meet. They may tentatively look at you, but then their eyes dart away. Recently, I was doing a networking training session with a group of forty sales professionals. I walked around the room before the event, shook hands<\/a> and introduced myself. Later, when doing my presentation, I mentioned that some of them, without naming names, had very poor eye contact when we met. They seemed shocked. There was a nervous hum in the room and they wondered, \u201cWas it me?\u201d
\nMake eye contact at job fairs
\nHow can you make sure that\u2019s not you? Be aware that, when you meet someone, you are making eye contact and maintaining that contact as you converse. What is the best way to do this? Hold eye contact long enough to know the color of the other person\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the other benefit of maintaining eye contact? It actually helps you concentrate on the conversation you are having with that person. Remember, it will be noisy and there will be numerous distractions at a job fair, but if you give that potential employer 100 percent of your attention, you will impress them. Please read my article on Mirror Neurons<\/a> for additional helpful social interaction skills.<\/p>\n

Answering The Question.<\/strong>
\nCome prepared to answer \u201cThe Question\u201d. It may come at you a few different ways: \u201cTell me a little about yourself.\u201d \u201cWhat kind of experience do you have?\u201d \u201cWhy are you interested in working for us?\u201d \u201cWhat are your career plans. (https:\/\/miedemaproduce.com<\/a> \u201d To answer any and all of these questions concisely and with positive impact, write out your answers as part of your preparation.<\/p>\n

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Prepare a job fair pitch<\/strong>
\nStart with a Twitter<\/a>-size answer (140 characters) to get the core message across and then develop it from there. Ask yourself: \u201cWhat can I say to define myself as different from someone who wants this same job?\u201d Look at what you have written and ask yourself, \u201cWould I really say this?\u201d If it\u2019s full of jargon, sounds weird or unnatural, then rewrite your answer until you feel comfortable. This is the most worthwhile investment you\u2019ll make prior to walking into a job fair.<\/p>\n

Related to job fair preparation and networking<\/strong><\/p>\n