  |
|
Maximizing Job Fairs By Brian Weis In my recruiting days I exhibited on average 15 career fairs a year. Some were successful and some were not. In some cases it was a poor job fair and in some case we did not maximize the day. Here are some tips and secrets to make your next career fair a success. Evaluating and Selecting Job Fairs Your company may not have the budget or manpower to attend every job fair. Here are a few tips to evaluate whether your company should exhibit at a job fair. 1) Media Plan – Where and how a job fair company advertises will help determine the quality and quantity of jobseekers attending. The best fairs I have been to are the ones that partner or are operated by a media outlet like a newspaper, radio stations etc. Why? Because they have the power and resources to cost effectively reach the masses. If the job fair organizers are not partnered or affiliated with a media company ask about their advertising plans. 2) Do Not Be First – I spoke with a recruiter who says their company signs up for every job fair company right away. This can be a mistake. We recommend you wait to see what other companies might be attending. Ask the job fair organizers who has committed. Getting a complete list will help determine if the job fair is “good” from the eyes of the jobseeker. 3) Pricing is Negotiable – The majority of the time you will be able to negotiate pricing. Some fairs will give you an early bird special for signing up early. (Some draw backs as mentioned above but if the price is right take advantage of it) Or if you wait to last minute you might get a real bargain. (Keep in mind some job fair companies will include your company logos, names in the preshow advertising…if you wait to last minute you will not receive that benefit.) 4) Undecided? – If your company decides not to attend. At least walk the fair to see the quality of companies and jobseekers attending. I realize a recruiter’s time is limited but sneak out on your lunch break. The time spent will help you decide in future if the event is worth it. (Bring some business cards…you never know who you might meet in the parking lot or walking the floor.) Preshow Preparation 1) The Game Plan – Establish a game plan for the day. The game plan should include a checklist of items to bring, who is working the fair and what hours, etc. 2) The Check List – Here is a partial list of items to bring
3) Shifts/Manpower – If possible split the job fair into shifts. A 6-8 hour job fair can be a very long day. Setup schedules before hand. The Day of The Event 1) Arrive Early – Setup booth well in advanced. This will give you ample time to setup and be prepared. Nothing is more embarrassing and unprofessional than setting up a booth 15 minutes after the show started and jobseekers are walking the floor. In addition, by setting up in advance you give yourself time to network with other companies before the show starts. 2) Stay Late – On the other hand stay until the show closes. It is just as unprofessional to tear down your booth with an hour to go. (If you have to leave do it discreetly) Stay to the end even if the show is poorly attended you never know who might walk in the doors. 3) Booth – I would encourage every company to have a booth, or at least a company banner. The companies who have successful shows are the ones that display the best image. (Marketing 101) If your recruiting department does not have a booth ask your marketing/sales department if they have one to use. If you do not have a booth, spice up your area with banners, pictures, balloons or anything to differentiate yourself from the other companies. Image is everything. 4) Do Not Sit – When you sit you look very unapproachable from a jobseeker’s standpoint. Observe other recruiter at a job fair, the ones standing always seem to be the busiest. The best place to stand is in the aisle in front of your booth. Here you are very accessible and you are very approachable. The recruiters who do this always get the most jobseeker interaction. 5) Recruit Outside Booth – Some of my best candidate conversations have been in the hallways, bathrooms, parking lots, etc. I simply say hello and ask the person why they are here and what type of job they are looking for? This starts the conversation…if they are not a good fit I tell them to drop off a resume and good luck. If they are…well start recruiting! 6) Job Openings Flyers – How do you find the right jobseekers that day and not waste your time talking to unqualified people? Having your job accessible to the jobseekers is key! It is best to have your job openings available for the job seeker to see, for example print up flyers of your openings, post them on a white board, or on your booth. That way when a jobseeker asks what you are hiring for you can direct them to openings. (Nothing worse than talking a half an hour with a jobseeker that is not qualified.) While they are reviewing the postings ask them what they are looking for. Direct them to the jobs that might be a fit. This will streamline your interaction with the jobseekers. The nonqualified candidates will review the job openings and leave if not a fit. 7) Applications/Onsite Interviews – Give potential candidates a job application or do an onsite interview. This will speed up recruiting/interviewing process. It might be beneficial to schedule first/second interviews the day of the show too. Nothing worse than playing phone tag for 2 weeks with an outstanding candidate. 8) Resume Database Access – Many shows will provide a listing of all jobseekers that attended, either on a cd/diskette or in an online resume database. If it is cost effective this is a nice resource. You may also be able to negotiate the price of this or ask if the job fair company will include it in the price of the fair. Post Job Fair 1) Follow Up This goes with saying but for the sake of completeness…follow up with your hot candidates first. Do this in a timely manner, many candidates will have a few other job opportunities in the works. By being timely you will increase your recruiting success. 2) Evaluation Track all candidates from the job fair to determine how many qualified candidates, interviews and hires you received. This will help determine if the fair was cost effective and if the fair is worth doing again. Many companies can justify the cost of a job fair by getting 1 to 2 hires. You will have to determine your average cost per hire to set your own evaluation criteria. Conclusion In the past I find it amazing that two companies with similar hiring needs can have drastic impressions on how the job fair went. Following these tips will help with your success. I encourage you to observe other companies and discover some tips of your own. Brian Weis is the President of Recruiters Network, The Association for Internet Recruiting. He has over 10 years of recruiting, contract recruiting and internet recruiting experience.
|
 |
 |