1. Utilizing Job Fairs
Job fairs or career fairs can be a great resource for a student who is looking for a job, a career path, or
even just for ideas on what to do as a profession. But a student can get the most out of a job fair by
understanding how to approach, prepare for, and make quality use of their time at the career fair.
Many students can benefit from attending a career fair, even if they are not ready to look for an entry
level job. The real benefit for these students will be exposure to a vast array of career opportunities
that they have not ever considered like learning how to get a job in a hospital in Colorado Springs, a job
at a major corporation, or a job working for the government or non-profit organization.
Know What You’re Looking For
Additionally, students who make the decision to attend a career fair before they are actually ready to
look for a job can benefit simply from the experience. These students should make the effort to learn
how the job fair arena works, the ins and outs, the recruiters tactics and the tactics of those who know
what they are doing so that when the student is ready to search for a job at a career fair they will be
able to do so more effectively.
For those students who are actively looking for a job, their approach
to an upcoming career fair should be far more involved than those
students not yet looking for a career. Students who are actively
searching out a job can best utilize a job or career fair by being
prepared for each one.
First, a student looking for a job should research the upcoming
career fair to determine if the employment opportunities offered at
the specific fair are careers that the student is interested in pursuing. If there are not employers or
careers that peak their interest of the active job seeker, than perhaps the time that would be spent at
the fair could be spent more effectively elsewhere.
Do Your Homework
A student can do their homework on upcoming career fairs by vising the website of the fair to see the
vendors and employers who will be attending and then following links to individual companies. If it is
found that there are careers and specific employers that a student is interested in visiting with, the
student can take notes and be prepared to meet with only those they have interest in before entering
the fair itself.
By having research on each employer that interests the student, the student will be able to become
prepared for success while at the career fair. Knowing which companies interest the student and which
company’s booths the student can skip will increase the effectiveness of the career fair for the individual
student.
2. A student can utilize the great advantages of a career fair if they are wise in preparing for the fair by
accumulating their list of possible companies that they wish to speak with. Career fairs can put a
student on a path towards their new career if they will be open to new ideas and persistent in pursing
the paths they have chosen.
