Participating in a job fair can be great for your company. It helps you see many job seekers at once within a short time frame, and eliminates much of the back and forth of scheduling interviews. But just as employers weed through tons of candidates for a good fit, the reverse is also true. Job candidates — especially at a job fair — will be exploring lots of places that might be a good fit for them.
Know Your Audience: Be really clear as to the target audience of the career fair so you get a jumpstart on possible candidates. For example, a job fair for those just out of college wouldn’t work for you if your company is about getting Baby Boomers back into the workforce.
Promote Your Participation: Get the word out early and get it out on social media. The “know your target audience” tip is also true for getting the word about your presence at the upcoming job fair. Make sure you target the right demographics by your choice of social media. For example, would Snapchat be a better platform for you than LinkedIn?
Location Matters: Jump at the chance — and even pay a little more if necessary — to get a booth at a great location. (Nobody puts your company in the corner!) See where some other highly visible companies are located and try to get near them to piggyback on the high traffic flow.
Catch Their Eye: What can you do to make your booth get noticed? Print colorful, large signs, print professional posters, play engaging videos, and other attention-getting devices. Send some of your good reps out on to the floor to talk to candidates, hand out cards, and steer them over to your booth.
Free Stuff: What a waste that some companies have all these candidates ready to hand in a paper resume only to be sent away and told to apply online. Set up a small corner where you accept resumes and even offer jobseekers free advice regarding their resumes. That would be a lot more valuable to them than another free magnet or bottle opener. You can also jot down your own notes on each one after talking to the candidate right there in person.
Keeping these important tips in mind will help you to be ahead of the game right from the start. So, be confident in your company, be proud of what it offers, and present it in a way that shows that off to jobseekers.
Want to learn more? Register now for our Free employer boot camp; How to Maximize your ROI from your Job Fair Participation, Wednesday, September 19th. Call Neila today to register at 508-862-6134 or email: nneary@masshire-capeandislands.com.
