June 24, 2009

Career Fair Lessons: Know your employers

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While the number of employers at Tuesday's Seattle Career Fair at Seattle Center was less than encouraging, there were some glimmers of hope that the job market may finally start showing a pulse in the Puget Sound region. But according to recruiters I spoke with at the event, your odds will likely improve even more if you do your research on the attending companies in advance.

As has been the case for much of this year, there were plenty of job-seeking attendees (about 800) looking for far too few jobs at yesterday's fair. I counted just 21 employer tables, which all fit into just one of the center's Northwest Rooms. Before the economic downturn, one staff person said, the Career Fair would attract 35 to 40 employers that required two rooms to hold them all. Yesterday, however, two employers dropped out at the last minute--one of which was the City of Bellevue -- but no explanation was given for the sudden decision.

Compared to last week's similarly sized Summer Showcase job fair at Safeco Field, "this crowd was a lot more position-based and looking for immediate openings rather than new career paths," said Lilia Aguirre, associate directory of university outreach for Seattle's Argosy University.

"This is definitely the most traffic I've seen in a while," said exhibitor Sandra R. Vlcek, a licensed district assistant for American Family Insurance's Bellevue office. The line of applicants snaked out the door and around part of the building as the fair began on Tuesday morning.

However, Vlcek added, the crowd was "not as well-researched as it should have been." Many of the job seekers, she said, were IT people formerly employed by Microsoft or various banks in the area, but most of the jobs available at American Family were for sales agents, marketing execs and data entry workers. About five positions at the insurer were open in King County, she said, and about 50 in total across the state.

Because the insurance industry is "almost recession-proof," Vlcek said the demand for these positions will likely stay the same. Over the last 12 months, she said, the company has hired about 15 workers in the Seattle-Bellevue area, which is pretty consistent with their averages before the recession began. "We're in one of the few industries that keeps hiring," she added.

Tania Williams, manager of the Helzberg Diamonds store in Lynnwood, said Tuesday's Career Fair was a first for her franchise, which recently expanded into the Puget Sound region. She agreed, however, with Vlcek's assessment of the attendees' preparation. While traffic was brisk, Williams said that most of the applicants did not have the sales chops needed to fill the five positions Helzberg is looking to fill at its three stores in King County.

A representative for the Community Psychiatric Clinic in Seattle said she had seen a fair number of decent candidates for the higher-level positions the clinic was offering. In all, the clinic was looking to fill about 14 full- and part-time positions, ranging from entry-level work to management jobs that required graduate degrees and certain accreditations for social work.

So, when the next local Choice Career Fair rolls around on Sept. 16, be sure to do your homework about the presenting companies, sign up for the VIP access online and learn about what positions the firms are looking for. That extra knowledge may give you a noticeable advantage when the recruiters start weeding through the application stacks.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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Steve Grisham | June 27, 2009 7:41 PM | Reply

I also attended the job fair and had the opportunity to speak with nearly every recruiter there. As an interview expert, I agree that preparing for a job fair begins with research and here are seven more ways to Fire up Your Job Fair Results:

1. The number one tip: dress to reflect. That means your appearance should reflect the company’s culture and the position you hope to eventually be invited back to interview for. It’s not necessary to appear trendy but if you don’t appear professional, you risk being eliminated right off the bat. Your appearance frames your message.

2. As stated above, research the companies and (if possible) the positions that are going to be featured at the job fair. If you can’t research them before you are there, take the time to walk around and to determine what positions each company is looking to fill. For example, at the Seattle job fair, some employers had posted the positions they were looking to fill. Take that information and …

3. Confidently greet the recruiter with a firm handshake, a look in the eye and state your name. Be prepared to answer fundamental questions like (a) why you want to work for them and (b) what qualifications you have that fit their needs. Both of these questions are easier to answer with the results of your research.

4. Prepare for the three basic interview questions: getting to know you questions (ie Why do you want to work here), traditional interview questions (ie Why do you want to leave your current employer) and some behavioral based questions (ie Tell about a time when you exceeded your sales goals) by verbal practice and feedback from someone who can actively listen to you. The goal here is to sound natural and to have many of the typical job fair questions answered days in advance. By being ready to go, you’ll reduce the number of times you have to “think on your feet” which will increase the quality of your answers.

4. Show enthusiasm for the conversation and the opportunity to work for the company with whom you are speaking with. Remember that recruiters will see hundreds of other job seekers and one way to set yourself apart is to demonstrate your passion for the job and the company (yes, research helps here too).

5. Don’t dominate the interview. Remember, the recruiter has a job to do and it’s best if you let them guide the conversation so as to not appear over bearing or desperate. Knowing what job you want and what they are trying to fill is different than forcing your way through their planned questions.

6. Keep in mind that job fairs are rarely places to receive job offers. The goal is to move to the next round of interviews so your preparation and performance should be toward the objective of receiving a call back which leads me to my last tip (but one that most job seekers miss)…

7. At the end of the meeting, ask for the recruiter’s card and tell them you would like to follow up with them. Unless the recruiter objects, later the same day leave them a voice mail message that thanks them for their time, reminds them of your enthusiasm for working with their company and touch on your skills that make you perfect for the job (ie your technical, transferable and personal skills).

Using proven interview strategies can help prepare you to be a stronger contender in the job market.

Steve Grisham
My Job Interview Coach
Kirkland, WA

Mai Vu | June 29, 2009 3:16 PM | Reply

Steve,
Great points. I want to expand on the handshake rule.

Firm handshake conveys confidence and trustworthiness. At the same time don't end up with your hand on top or on the bottom of the other person's hand. Another word, keep your hand position straight up when you shake their hand. If you hand ends up on the top, you are saying, "I'm dominating you." If you hand is at the bottom, you are saying "I am a push over and am here to please you."

These are very subtle movements, but they communicate a lot!!!

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