The typical approach to job fairs can often feel like an overwhelming activity – with dozens or even hundreds of other job seekers lined up to speak with a limited number of recruiters and opportunities. Everyone has a resume, pretty much the same elevator pitch, and they all dress for success. In such a highly competitive environment, how can you help your job seeking clients to stand out? How can they attend the job fairs to ensure that they are noticed, remembered, and eventually, offered job opportunities?
The key, as always, lies in adopting unique and different strategies – tactics that aren’t just about being noticed, but about influencing opportunities. Below are some of my lesser-known approaches that your clients can employ to make job fairs a good use of their time – to achieve worthy outcomes.
Treat It Like a Marketing Campaign, Not a Job Hunt
Most job candidates attend a fair hoping for interviews or leads. But what if they approached it like a marketing campaign, where they proactively researched their prospects, created tailored value-pitches (not elevator speeches), and followed up relentlessly – but professionally?
This all begins with, 1) Pre-event Research where job seekers identify the companies that will attend, understand their missions, recent news, culture, and current openings. Then, 2) Create Custom One-Pagers: Instead of a generic resume, develop a one-page document tailored to each company being targeted. Include a brief bio, relevant skills, achievements, and even a small section on “How I Can Add Value to [Company Name].” Finally, 3) I suggest job candidates Bring a Portfolio or Business Cards to job fairs. Create a sleek card with your name, LinkedIn QR code, and a brief tagline. For example: “Maria Chen | Turning Data into Successful Business Strategies.”
Create a Personal Pitch Video (And QR Code It)
Instead of handing out resumes alone, job seekers can offer a scannable QR code that links to a 30–60 second video introduction. This could be on YouTube, Vimeo, or a LinkedIn profile. This demonstrates that the job candidate is tech-savvy and proactive, where the video lets one’s personality, communication skills, and confidence shine in a way a paper document can’t. This allows recruiters to watch it again later – reinforcing the job seeker’s first impression… and value. Job seekers need to keep the pitch concise and structured to include 1) Who they are, 2) What they’re skilled at and results they can deliver, 3) What they’re passionate about and why they’re interested in the company.
Reverse the Roles: Ask Insightful, Business-Centric Questions
Most candidates ask surface-level questions like “What positions are you hiring for?” Instead, flip the script. Ask, “What’s a challenge your team has faced in the last 6 months?” Or, “What skills are most lacking in your current team?” Or, “How is your organization adapting to techno-info onslaught?” These questions show the candidate is thinking like an insider, not an outsider begging for a job. The quality of questions a job candidate asks, are just as important as the answers they provide to recruiter questions.
Position Yourself as an Asset – Not a Job Seeker
All employers are looking for people who can contribute. If job candidates shift their thinking from being just “another sheep in the herd,” to being a valuable talent that can contribute, they gain a competitive advantage. So, job seekers must attend job fairs prepared with intelligence on the companies they are interested in to best communicate, “This is how can I best contribute.” Knowledge is power.
A Job Fair as a Soft Networking Event, Not Just an Interview Opportunity
Many attendees think they’re there to get hired that day. While that’s possible, job fairs are more about starting relationships. I had my job candidate clients network horizontally. This means they connected with other job seekers, not just recruiters, to share leads and/or refer jobs to each other (during and after the job fair). My clients also networked with company reps, even if they were not hiring for positions my clients wanted. Perhaps they might refer them internally or share valuable insights. Bottom line: The objective is to “connect meaningfully” rather than trying to make “hard sales pitches.”
Offer to Help at the Booth (If Appropriate)
Of course, this won’t apply in all cases, but if a job candidate is speaking with a startup or smaller company and they hit it off, they can offer to help with booth logistics for an hour. It’s unconventional but shows initiative and creates more interaction time. Even just helping them clean up a spill or carry a box can be a memorable touch. The key here is that job candidates can show initiative and humility—not just need.
Bring a Leave-Behind That Isn’t a Resume
In addition to resumes, I suggest candidates bring something else. It could be a mini ‘case study’ portfolio, a reference (testimonial) portfolio, or a short collection of one’s career stats and achievements. Or, why not a branded item like a USB stick with one’s digital portfolio? (an investment in one’s future). This is genuinely effective because recruiters get hundreds of look-alike resumes. Non-gimmicky leave-behinds are rare, memorable, and effective.
Arrive with an Agenda and a Target List
Most job seekers wander uncomfortably from booth to booth like a fish out of water. The key is to coach job seekers NOT to be in that category. Here are three steps to achieve this:
- Set a goal: “I want to have meaningful conversations with at least 5 recruiters in the food and beverage space.”
- Make a list of top targets based on company presence and job roles.
- Prioritize the booths that will be most popular with the longest wait times. Then, get their earlier than anyone else when recruiters are fresher and more focused.
Go After the Companies With Shorter Lines
On the other hand, job candidates should not always chase the booths with the long lines. The lesser-known or newer companies might offer better access and more meaningful conversations. Then, once the longer lines shorten, armed with powerful leave-behinds and other strategies noted in this article, recruiters will be more appreciative and engaged. Even if recruiters are tired at the end of the day, if the conversations and tools presented are different and valuable to the recruiters… job candidates will be remembered in a positive light.
Follow Up Like a Pro
The job fair isn’t the finish line. It’s the beginning of a relationship with recruiters and other job-seeker-friends you made at the fair (horizontal networking). Few attendees actually follow up – and even fewer do it well. Below are four tips for job seekers. This positions them as thoughtful, proactive, and engaging.
- Follow up within 24 – 48 hours with a personalized thank-you email or message on LinkedIn. (I also suggest a US mail thank you message).
- Reference a specific part of your conversation: “I appreciated your insights on your company’s shift toward AI-powered solutions…”
- Reattach your resume and link to your portfolio or pitch video.
- Reinforce your desire to work for the company, how you can contribute to the company, and why you want to work for the company.
Document the Experience and Post It Online
Recruiters may check a job candidate’s LinkedIn after meeting them. What if the job candidate’s profile featured a brief reflection post like:
“Had a great time at the Boston Tech Career Fair today. Spoke with reps from HubSpot, Drift, and a few exciting startups. Loved learning about their approach to data analytics and innovation. Excited to explore next steps!”
Tag the companies if appropriate. It increases a job seeker’s visibility and shows they’re engaged in their professional growth.
Be Organized
I suggest job candidates bring a small notebook or use an app like Notion, Trello, or Airtable to track: 1) Companies they met, 2) Who they spoke to, 3) What was discussed, and 4) When they’ll follow up. This level of organization is rare – and it gives job candidates the edge when following up.
Attend Workshops and Seminars (If Offered)
Job fairs often include side sessions / workshops on various topics like resume prep, panel discussions, or industry talks. Most people skip these. Insist your clients do not. These sessions create more ‘exposure.’ They can serve as informal networking opportunities. Attendance demonstrates initiative. And one just might connect with someone who can eventually lead them into the Promise Land.
Bring Positive Energy and Curiosity
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, job candidates must not only be prepared logistically, but they must also show up with a sense of curiosity. Job candidates must be genuinely interested in others. Enthusiasm, authenticity, and curiosity are rare qualities in high-stress environments. It produces positive energy – good karma – good vibrations… whatever you want to call it, because a good, self-confident attitude makes job candidates… magnetic.
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