2. BEST
PRACTIC
Best practices, in short, are those
methods or programs that have
been found to be successful in
accomplishing goals, and that
can be used in your circumstances.
WHY FOCUS ON BEST
PRACTICES?
3. Your Business Challenges are not Unique…
Whatever challenges you’re facing, other
businesses have experienced them before
and found solutions that work. The answers
are out there, but it can be hard to find the
time to research different options.
Here are the Top Ten Best Practices for Job
Fair Success for Employers, compiled from a
network of associates including business
owners, managers and business specialists.
SOMETHING
TO CONSIDER
4. 1. BE PREPARED
Responsibility of preparation is a two-way street. Your Job
Fair coordinators invest a lot of time, effort, and
resources to set up Job Fairs.
Job Seekers appreciate company representatives who are
easy to approach and have clear answers to their
questions.
If employer representatives and job seekers both prepare
adequately, Job Fairs can be great successes for
everyone!
5. 2. CLEARLY IDENTIFY THE JOB
OPENINGS WITHIN YOUR COMPANY
A board that reads, "Now hiring for..." and lists
the available opportunities can go a long way to
ensure that the right candidates stop by.
If you are a company known for hiring general
laborers, you may not get that Human Resources
Professional you need if you don't let job
seekers know what you are currently hiring for.
6. 3. BRING USEFUL AND ORIGINAL
MATERIALS
Potential candidates can learn almost everything about
your company with a quick internet search. Make their
time at the job fair worthwhile by offering information
they couldn't easily find elsewhere.
For example, if your website doesn't have any visuals of
the physical workspace, bring a laptop to the career fair
and play a slideshow or video that offers job seekers a
virtual tour of the office.
7. 4. SET UP AN EYE-CATCHING BOOTH
THAT WILL ATTRACT JOB SEEKERS
Have an attention-grabbing display that will
make people more likely to stop by and visit
your table.
The more job seekers you attract, the greater
your talent pool will be at the end of the day.
8. 5. MOVE FROM BEHIND
THE TABLE
You have to stand out in a crowd (literally), says William
Jones, a director in the Rutgers University Career Services
office.
"Push your table out of the way and show your own
enthusiasm for the work that you do. You can't expect
talent to always come and find you — especially when you
are competing with other similar organizations looking for
the same skill sets."
9. 6. PREPARE QUESTIONS OR A BRIEF
INTERVIEW TO PRE-QUALIFY APPLICANTS
Chitchat is great, but the goal of attending a job fair is to find
candidates for your jobs.
Prepare brief interview questions to ask those who express an interest
in your company to pre-qualify them.
Have a packet of material about your company to hand potential
employees.
Give them your card and take theirs if they have one along with their
resume. Be prepared to use that information to follow-up with them.
This ensures that you don’t waste your time, or theirs.
10. 7. BE OPEN TO ALL MAJORS AND
BACKGROUNDS
Don't present materials that will only attract a specific
group of candidates. For instance, you should avoid
displaying signs that say things like: "Looking for finance
majors!" or "Are you an IT professional? This is the
company for you!“
You could be missing out on a highly qualified candidate
who'd be a great fit.
11. 8. DON'T JUST REFER JOB SEEKERS TO
YOUR WEBSITE
The No. 1 complaint from job fair participants is that they talk to the employer
and then they're told to "go online and apply."
Candidates want to know that they have an "in" or a special relationship because
they came to the fair.
"Otherwise, they could have just stayed home and applied online".
Job Seekers know that their resume says nothing about their integrity or their work
ethic so they are coming to introduce themselves to you.
Katharine S. Brooks, executive director of the Office of Personal and Career Development at Wake Forest University
12. 9. RESPOND TO INQUIRIES AND
FOLLOW UP ASAP AFTER THE EVENT
When you speak to a job-seeker get their name, number, and
what they are interested in on a sign-up sheet so that you can
contact them after the fair.
Be sure to follow up and respond to all inquiries as soon as
possible after the event. Finding employment is a serious
matter for any job seeker, so don’t keep them guessing.
13. 10. GIVE FEEDBACK
Your survey responses will be your way to provide the
reliable feedback needed to improve the next event and
help you reach your goals.
Be sure to respond to survey inquiries as soon as
possible after the event.
Your responses can unlock understanding to promote
informed business decisions.
14. Summary
Following these best practices will increase your success before,
during, and following the job fair.
Best practices are born from failure and success stories. Our
goal is to help you to avoid what doesn’t promote likely
successful outcomes while encouraging you to learn from the
challenges of others and provide for you more successful Best
Practices.
15. Contact Information
Katherine Anderson, Yavapai College, 928-776-2008, Katherine.Anderson@yc.edu
Sheryl Gillum, Arizona@Work Employment Services, 928-759-1673, SGillum@AZDES.gov
Patrick Kuykendall AZ DES Veterans Workforce Specialist, 928-759-1678, PKuykendall@C.gov
Dwayne Miller, Northern Arizona Council of Governments, 928-778-1422, DMiller@NACOG.org
Deeidra Skipton, Goodwill, 928-515-6540, Deeidra.Skipton@GoodwillAZ.org
Laura Warne, Prescott Chamber of Commerce, 928-445-2000 ext. 114, Laura@prescott.org
