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Lori Rank, supervisor of Pennsylvania CareerLink of Lancaster County, has some tips for people planning to attend a job fair.
Exhibitors will often ask job candidates to fill out applications in addition to accepting their résumés.
"Employers are asking to see if you can follow directions," she said. "You need to fill out the whole thing."
Patty Pasquino, job recruiter for Willow Valley Retirement Communities, for example, said she asks job seekers to fill out applications online. The company's Web site has a program called Job Agent that allows them to sign up for positions not currently available and receive e-mail notices when openings come up.
Rank also suggests that job seekers treat their conversations with job-fair exhibitors as mini-interviews. They should use the time to talk about their job skills, she advised, and not about their families or other irrelevant subjects.
"You're selling yourself in a very short period of time," she said.
Eric Rotz, of Turkey Hill, offered similar advice. "One thing people don't think about — it is a three-minute interview," he said.
That means taking the time to learn a little bit about the companies you're interested in working for before attending the job fair.
"The biggest thing we get is people who don't dress for the job," Rotz said. In Turkey Hill's case, that's not a suit and tie. It means business casual.
He also cautions job candidates to be careful about following up after the initial contact.
"I'll tell them what my game plan is," he said.
If Rotz is interested in the person and it's a position that needs to be filled right away, he'll tell the person he'll call within a relatively short time. If he's mildly interested in the applicant or the position doesn't need to be filled immediately, he'll give a longer time.
"If I tell them it's two to three weeks out ... it's important for them to listen to what I say," he said. "There's a fine line between follow-up and annoying the recruiter."
If the candidate has made a favorable impression during their short contact with him at the job fair, he'll remember the person, Rotz said.
"This will be my fourth [chamber job fair]," he said. "It's a lot of talking. You earn your keep by the end of the day."
Dennis Larison is editor of the business section and can be reached by telephone at 291-8753 or by e-mail at dlarison@lnpnews.com.
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