Job fairs are a great way for veterans to build the connections they need to advance their career search. People speak of “attending” a job fair, but the more accurate verb is to “work” a career fair. Effectively utilizing the opportunity of a veteran career fair includes setting goals, preparation, execution and following up. When job seekers complain about job fairs being a waste of time, it is usually because they either attended a low-quality event or they failed in one or more of these four steps.
1. Goals: As with any job search tool, effective and efficient use of a career fair begins with understanding your goals for the event. Do you know who you are, what you offer and what sort of work you seek? It is OK to change the answers to these questions as your search campaign develops, but it is never acceptable to not have crisp and concise answers to these questions because they inform the execution of your strategy at every step.
In most cases, veteran job seekers seek some combination of these benefits at career fairs.
–Information: Knowing the positions companies seek to fill, the skills they need and the people responsible for hiring.
–Contacts: Developing social capital (“humint” in military intelligence terms) to facilitate networking.
Be as specific as possible and write down your desired end state. For example, you might have the following specific goals: Find out who is responsible for hiring new sales reps at Liberty Mutual. Find companies looking for sales people in financial services or consumer goods. Get reactions to whether your experience is seen as true sales experience by companies.
[Read: Veterans: Would You Hire You?]
2. Prepare: Having determined the goals for the event, the next step is to prepare. Veterans need to get “psyched up” to work a career fair. This is especially hard for introverts, but you need to get ready to hold yourself accountable for engagement.
Find out which companies are attending and research every single one online. Understand what they do and what sort of positions they might be seeking. Brainstorm a conversational hook for each one. The hook should refer back to your well-understood elevator pitch.
[Read: Veterans Need a Good Elevator Pitch, Too.]
For example, if you’re talking with Home Depot, you might open like this: “I grew up with a very handy father. I love tools and home improvement. I see myself further developing a career in logistics and supply chain. May we discuss your needs in that field?”
Next, be sure you arrive with plenty of copies of a well-prepared resume and dress appropriately. Generally, this means attire that is a notch or two above how people dress in that industry.
3. At the fair: Register online before the fair begins to save time when you arrive. Come early if you are able and enter as the doors open. First, do a reconnaissance lap of the fair, get a sense of where everyone is located and come up with a game plan. Practice your “shtick” on a few companies that are not priorities for you and then move on to your top prospects before you get too tired.
Be sure to stop at every single booth, even those for schools and service organizations. Schools hire people, and they may also help you with your networking. Don’t be afraid to take a break, drink some water or have a snack. The job fair is a marathon and not a sprint.
Take thorough notes using paper, your phone’s voice recorder or a laptop. Record with whom you spoke, append a digital photo of their card and note the next steps.
At the end of the day, stop by your top prospects to say goodbye and remind them of the follow-up steps you discussed. Give the impression that you are in high demand with employers. For example, you might say, “Hey, Lisa. Remember me? We spoke this morning about the sales manager position. I am Peter Gudmundsson, the former Marine artillery guy. We talked about our common love of baseball. I have had a great day today and I am really excited about my job search. But of all the companies, yours really stuck out because (state some reasons). I look forward to your call on Monday.” Remember that each company will have met many candidates that day. How will you rise to the top?
[See: 10 Job Resolutions to Revitalize Your Career in 2016.]
4. Follow up: In addition to your goodbye lap at the end of the career fair, it is critical that you follow up with each prospect by phone or email. Like the example above, remind the contact who you are, what you discussed and a few key points on why you are a fit. Don’t be afraid to be professionally persistent.
You are not being a bother. You are showing the type of resilience that most employers value. Some employers will not take your resume at the event because of their interpretation of federal contracting rules. This is not a problem. Be sure to apply online and forward the electronic receipt to the company contact to show that you followed up.
A job fair is a lot like a high school dance. At the same event, some veteran job seekers will report that the event was a waste of time, and others will be euphoric about their prospects. The factors that separate these two types of experience are clear goal setting, careful and thorough preparation, aggressive execution and diligent follow-up.
No one is going to hand you a job you did not earn. Know yourself, take advantage of the efficiency of the career fair experience and make it happen.
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How to ‘Work’ a Veteran Job Fair originally appeared on usnews.com
