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Do job fairs really work?

Well...I guess I have to say yes


Posted at Mar. 10, 2009 10:21 AM CST
 
Tara Hoss
 

Did you hear about the job fair in Arizona where a number of people showed up to the University of Phoenix stadium? It made the news with people waiting over 2 hours just to enter the event. My brother was one of those people. He waited in line for two and half hours before entering the stadium. Thank goodness it was not summer! Recently laid off from a major cable company, he was on the hunt for his next opportunity with his two bachelor’s degrees in hand (accounting & finance). A major grocery store chain was to attend the event. Looking at the list of other companies, my brother admitted this was the only company of real interest to him. Walking around, he finally came upon the company. Eager to provide a resume he was given a card that directed him to apply online to open positions. Not sure what this exactly meant, he was able to strike up a conversation with a person at the booth. They chatted about the company and the job fair overall. Upon leaving, this person handed my brother a business card and asked him to contact her if he had applied to any of the positions on the company website. A short time later my brother did apply to a position on the company website and made his job fair contact aware. A short time later he completed interviews and was offered a position utilizing his experience in accounting and finance. Yesterday was his first day and I do hope all goes well!

 
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Comments

Posted by:  helpdesk software  on  September 22, 2009 01:57 AM CST

According to me job fairs are not working well enough and the reason is lack of management. And the crowd. So many people are there so it becomes too difficult to handle them. And interviewee are like just finish it and let's go back home. They are like in so much hurry and panic also make interviewer panic and everything is messed up.



Posted by:  Tom  on  July 12, 2009 06:11 PM CST

I will agree with Dave it is all about Networking, I suppose at school it was about getting on with your peers which is a precursor for future Networking skills.



Posted by:  Dave from International Careers  on  June 30, 2009 05:31 AM CST

Good thing your brother made it through! I still believe in job fairs if run properly. It's still a good venue for meeting and networking with company representatives. It's networking nevertheless, which is an essential tool for any job seeker out there.



Posted by:  John Mooney  on  June 20, 2009 05:05 AM CST

Yes, I believe that job fairs do work and exactly for the reason in the article. We usually only get one chance to make that first impression and if we get the opportunity to meet with senior members of the HR department face to face it is a golden opportunity. For example, at our sister company <a href="http://www.kalatechnology.com">Kal Technology</a> we market HR solutions and for us to get to speak to the HR Director or HR Manager is worth it's weight in gold. So at a job fair, it is the ability to sell yourself and sell yourself well. Treat it like the first interview, do well and you will be invited back. Yes job fairs are worth it.



Posted by:  Faryal Humayun  on  March 12, 2009 02:57 AM CST

Losing a job is devastating. Not being able to find is even more devastating! With the current global recession, this has become a hot topic. I have written a similar post on how to cope with the challenges of being unemployed: http://www.aarknet.org/press/unemployment-on-the-rise-how-to-face-the-challenges-11



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