How to work a job fair p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

Each week in hotel conference rooms, on military bases and in sports stadiums across America, job-fair organizers deliver potential recruits to civilian hiring managers searching specifically for new employees on their way out of the military.

Employers literally line up to find job candidates with military backgrounds.

Job fairs are useful on a number of levels, said career consultant Patricia Frame during her recent “Be Your Best: Working a Job Fair” seminar prior to a recent ClearedJobs.net job fair in Arlington, Va.

Job fairs can help you gain a sense for the jobs available in your field and help you find out which companies are hiring. They give you the opportunity to practice interviewing so you’ll be prepared for the real thing, and they’re a fast way to get face time with corporate recruiters.

ClearedJobs.net stages job fairs in the Washington, D.C., metro area, catering to companies on the hunt for recruits who hold active security clearances.

Frame leads how-to seminars on how to work a job fair, plus sessions on interview tips, do’s and don’ts and defining your overall career strategy.

Here’s what Frame said every job-fair job hunter should do:

1. Research the employers who will be there.

Job-fair companies such as ClearedJobs.net, MilitaryStars and RecruitMilitary post lists on their Web sites of employers scheduled to attend each event. If you want to work for the federal government, for example, and find out in advance that the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis will be at the job fair, you have the opportunity to impress recruiters by learning more about the department.

2. Be conscious of your presence.

When you introduce yourself, shake hands firmly — but not too vigorously — and maintain eye contact, Frame advised. Practice your “elevator speech,” a 30-second summary of your career and your objective for attending the job fair. Employers are looking for smart, confident people with good attitudes.

3. Prepare to ask intelligent questions.

Listen carefully while recruiters tell you about their companies. Being able to ask good follow-up questions demonstrates inquisitiveness, Frame said. And if you draw questions from your own experiences — if you learned something in the military that applies to the company you’re interviewing with — that’s even better.

4. Network with other job seekers.

You never know what the contacts you make among your job-fair competition could lead to, Frame says. So go ahead and introduce yourself. Don’t be shy. You’re building your professional network by asking for their contact information.

5. Follow up promptly with a polite note.

Don’t forget to collect hiring managers’ contact information, too, so you can follow up with thank-you notes after the job fair, Frame said. It’s polite, and it’s an additional chance to remind recruiters of your potential value to their company.

ACE THE INTERVIEW

Job fair interviews happen quickly — often with the next interviewee standing in line behind you. But if you understand interviewers’ objectives going in, you’ll have a better chance of giving the right answers on the spot, hiring expert Patra Frame says.

Here’s what job-fair hiring managers are trying to figure out about you:

• Do you meet the minimum requirements for the position?

• Do you present yourself professionally?

• Are you a potential match for the company?

• Is it worth the time to bring you in for an interview?

(Originally published Nov. 3, 2008)