| Have you been to a career fair lately? If not, take | | | | Tip #5: Be prepared for the possible "tell me about |
| advantage! Here are a couple of simple tips that will | | | | yourself" by having your unique selling proposition |
| make attending worth your while: | | | | personal brand, (whatever you want to call it) well |
| Tip #1: Get prepared by making a list of industries and | | | | conceived and practiced. Who knows, you might even |
| employers in attendance at the event that are of | | | | have the opportunity to interview - so make sure |
| interest. You certainly don't want to waste your time | | | | you've got a couple of success stories and |
| at booths of employers with jobs that are unrelated to | | | | accomplishments to talk about. Ideally, you should be |
| your job search. | | | | able to quickly demonstrate what a positive impact |
| Tip #2: Dress appropriately by dressing as you would | | | | you'll have on the company. Don't take this one too |
| for an interview. You'll want to bring along a briefcase | | | | lightly. In this economy the personal brand is one of the |
| or writing portfolio so you can store your resumes and | | | | most important tools for an applicant. This is one way |
| collect any brochures/contact information from various | | | | that an applicant is truly able to pull away from the |
| employer booths. | | | | pack simply by being memorable and demonstrating |
| Tip #3: Since you're only targeting employers (and | | | | uniqueness. |
| jobs) of interest to you, make sure your resume | | | | Tip #6: Don't forget, this isn't all about you and how |
| reflects just that. Align your resume closely to your job | | | | great you are. You want the company you're looking |
| target to maximize your success. | | | | to work for to be great too, don' you? Make sure to |
| Remember there is no such thing as an effective "one | | | | check out the company to see if they're a good fit for |
| size fits all" resume. And, make sure you bring enough | | | | you. You should have several questions ready for |
| resumes! | | | | interviewers or recruiters. Keep salary, benefits and |
| Tip #4: If you don't have a career portfolio, consider | | | | the like for a much later date! |
| creating one and bringing it to the event. Your career | | | | Tip #7: Network, network! Build rapport and make key |
| portfolio should showcase you and your experience. | | | | connections by getting in front of your targeted |
| Also, do some digging and look at some examples to | | | | recruiters, employers, and other professionals. Put |
| find out what makes a great portfolio. Don't just toss | | | | together a collection of business cards or write down |
| letters and certificates in a file folder - this is about | | | | contact information so you can reach out (ideally the |
| presentation. | | | | next day) to each of the individuals you met. |
| The career portfolio should include letters of | | | | Tip #8: Definitely send out handwritten thank you notes |
| recommendation and samples of your best work. If | | | | to any recruiters, HR reps, and other professionals you |
| you're a recent graduate, your career portfolio could | | | | met. |
| demonstrate your writing and research abilities; add | | | | Reiterate your interest in the job/company and highlight |
| relevant publications, presentations, and special reports. | | | | your strengths. Send your resume to the same group |
| You could also include degrees, certifications, and | | | | of professionals and follow up with a call! Use these |
| licenses as well as any transcripts. You can round out | | | | easy tips and you'll be ready for anything at the next |
| the career portfolio with any volunteer and community | | | | career fair! |
| service experience. | | | | |