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In this article, we will explore 10 tips to make your job fair a success. We hope you find these useful as you try and fill up open positions!
The “questions to ask candidates at a career fair” is a list of 10 questions that employers should ask. The questions are designed to help employers prepare for the interview process.
A job fair is an event where prospective candidates, casual job searchers, and HR professionals may get information from businesses and recruiters. Job fairs are a terrific way to interact with a large number of job searchers at once in one area, and they may be a valuable complement to your recruiting strategies. Employers benefit from these sorts of events. Hundreds of thousands of prospects will travel to your place to discover more about your firm and its brand, unlike anywhere else.
Although each job fair is unique, there are some general guidelines that may help you save money, time, and effort. These pointers will provide you ideas and put you in the right path for developing your team for the future. Employers are marketing or promoting their positions to applicants just as much as candidates are selling themselves to employers at job fairs.
1. When deciding which job fairs to attend, be strategic.
Employment fairs can place in a range of settings, including various businesses, specialized job categories (such as healthcare or accountancy), and, most often, colleges. One of the most common services given by college career centers is job fairs.
In the 2017–2018 academic year, 91.7 percent of colleges and universities reported having at least one job fair. Employers should clearly attend these sorts of events if the employment they have to offer match the skill sets and education of the participants.
Because you won’t be able to visit all of the job fairs that appear intriguing and useful, your organization will need to devise a strategy. National Career Fairs is a good place to start since it shows all of the job fairs that are scheduled for the year, as long as they are registered with the website. Over the previous 19 years, National Career Fairs has conducted over 10,000 career fairs around the country, with over 1 million job seekers attending.
Employers may also look at resumes, explore job boards, post job openings, and plan dates and strategies based on the career fairs that are posted.
Clearinghouses such as National Career Fairs make seeing and signing up for job fairs more simpler. The calendar lists events by date and place around the United States.
Local job fairs may be found using the following tools by both employers and job seekers:
- Jobfairsin.com
- AAEE.org
- (Employers may look for “upcoming job fairs near me” on Google to find relevant events.)
2. Make preparations for the event
A lot of effort goes into preparing for a job fair. The work that must be done before to the job fair in order for it to go well must be precisely supervised. We propose assigning someone to be in charge of all aspects of the event, including planning, hotels and flights, and event registration.
Please remember to register for the event.
You’d be shocked at how often firms forget to register and pay for events ahead of time. If you do not register, the event organizers will not anticipate you, and your group will be denied a booth space.
Make a list of your event’s recruitment goals.
A game plan may benefit your attending team and company in a variety of ways. It first lays out how many people you’ll need to succeed and what you should concentrate on throughout the event.
“Meeting 100 candidates for our open warehouse position,” “getting 20 really good candidates for an IT software developer role,” or “making contact with 10 employees from our top competitors and establishing a connection” (yes, poaching top talent from one’s industry competitors is a longtime honored tradition at job fairs).
Choose a team for the event.
The number of your squad will determine how big the event is and how long it lasts. Thousands of people attend such events, and multiday job fairs, although uncommon, might need additional staffing.
In addition to the size of your team, keep in mind that there are appropriate and inappropriate candidates for job fairs. Not everyone is born with the ability to mingle with strangers for eight to ten hours. It may be a draining experience. Furthermore, if one of your goals is to recruit applicants for IT jobs, you should have one or two employees within the IT department who can speak to the duties and culture of the department while also enjoying talking to people. Remember, it’s your first impressions that count.
Make a schedule for your booth
You should have a solid concept of what you want to achieve at the event since part of step #2 is “defining your recruiting goals for the event.” Scheduling shifts for your team manning the booth is the most effective method to tackle a job fair. Every two hours, everyone should have a pleasant rest break.
The flooring are usually rough, there isn’t a lot of sitting for booth attendants, and your team, presumably, does a lot of talking… a lot! Allow your team members to take breaks—the easiest way to do so is to schedule them.
Plan and prepare for interviews if desired.
If they have the possibility, most businesses like to have fast meet and greets of five to ten minutes to qualify the applicant. Employers have only enough time during these interviews to check certain elements on the application (which also serves as the first resume screening step), ask a few follow-up questions, and respond to queries from the candidate.
To make this go as smoothly as possible, try to block out some time to meet with the candidate and have a list of interview questions ready to go (again, you don’t need a long list—five or six will do).
Materials must be ordered.
It’s critical to identify and order, or acquire, all of the supplies you’ll need for your event. This list should always be compiled by the team members who have attended the most job fairs. The procedure entails gathering:
- Contact information for recruiters on business cards
- Each team member is given a name tag.
- a plethora of pamphlets and brochures containing information about your business
- Giveaways
- A lovely tablecloth and lettering that stands alone
- Staplers, pens, and paper (essential)
- Water for the employees
- Chairs and a tiny folding table (which depends on the event and its facilities)
Note that your packing list may vary from mine since you may need to carry a lot more. Every organization approaches it in a unique way.
Arrangements for Travel
Making all of the Arrangements for Travel for the team attending the event is a big job. Even if you have one or two people attending, if you have to fly or take a long drive to an event, book hotels, and plan meals, it can be a lot of work.
Make sure one person is in charge of booking and planning; otherwise, little but critical aspects may be overlooked or mistakenly moved to the other person without their knowledge.
3. Attend a Job Fair Online
A virtual job fair tries to replicate the actual job fair as closely as possible, but the aims are the same: to connect applicants with employers who are seeking to recruit. A virtual job fair (also known as an online job fair) is an online or web-based event that is planned similarly to a traditional job fair.
The job fair takes place in a virtual setting, similar to today’s Zoom and Teams group meetings, and uses face-to-face meetings online, chat rooms, teleconferencing, webcasts, webinars, and other technologies to carry out instructions, interviews, and meet-and-greets.
Virtual job fairs are, without a doubt, the trend of the future (the immediate future anyway).
Virtual event and job fair advertisements are more widespread than we realize. We’ve probably all seen ads like these on the internet. This is the major means through which job fairs publicize their forthcoming event.
Virtual job fairs are also available in a one-on-one format. Hiring managers may often plan a call to meet for 10 minutes while having a virtual job fair event to determine if there is a suitable match.
The job fair listed here enables applicants to choose an open interview time and get information about the interview through email.
Although it is the objective to accomplish all that a team achieves in a physical event in a virtual event, the value has not yet been equalized across the board.
Virtual events are becoming increasingly essential for both companies and workers, according to Bizzabo.com, and the trend is expected to accelerate in 2020 owing to COVID-19. Although there are increasing favorable figures when it comes to virtual job fair events, there is always potential for progress in this area.
When arranging a virtual job fair, the following job fair suggestions might be very useful:
- Make a list of all accessible employment openings.
- All job openings should be advertised ahead of time.
- Make sure you have a space in your workplace where you can have many online calls with prospects.
- Choose an interview team and a traffic policeman. This means you should have your traffic policeman arrange and allocate projects to team members when there are tasks to be accomplished, interviews to be planned, or resumes to be processed.
- Ascertain that all applicants are followed up with. Virtual events, like physical events, leave applicants hanging after they’ve finished, and timely follow-up ensures that they remember your business and stay involved.
4. Conducting an interview at a job fair
When it comes to conducting interviews at job fairs, there is a science to it. Although job fairs are typically noisy, crowded, and filled with static noise, it does not imply you cannot or should not interview there. If you can get the first interview out of the way, you may be able to plan a second-round interview for the following week. That’s how prolific and efficient you can be.
When conducting interviews at job fairs, use these procedures as a general rule:
- Create a space: As far as feasible, make the interview a private and calm environment. This is challenging since job fairs are neither private (they’re packed) nor quiet (they’re noisy), but give it your all. Candidates are aware that these events will not be peaceful or quiet.
- Keep it short: In certain circumstances, interviews may run no more than five minutes. These first interviews are mostly for verifying information on the résumé, giving some basic facts about the position you’re meeting for, and answering any early questions the applicant may have about the role or the organization.
- Clarify expectations: At the conclusion of the interview, tell the applicant what your timeframe is and how long the interview and recruiting process generally takes.
- Parting ways: Make sure you have a clean copy of your resume, since copies will be produced often, and it must be readable. Give the applicant a business card as well as a booklet about the firm and what it does.
Using an application tracking system (ATS) like Freshteam during the job fair is one recommendation we have. It may be used to assist candidates with on-site applications and to monitor them throughout the recruiting process. Freshteam offers a free plan that is ideal for small enterprises with three or less available roles at any one moment. Sign up now to get a free trial.
Go to Freshteam.com.
5. Create a brand that caters to job seekers.
It’s difficult to treat everyone you talk with as if they’ll be your future coworker. Even for those who like attending job fairs, they may be tiresome. At the end of the day, when it comes to connecting with job fair visitors, first impressions are crucial. Because your organization is represented by both the booth and the individuals who work it, make sure that job searchers’ initial impressions are pleasant.
It goes a long way to seem professional, intriguing, or even thrilling, and to create a welcoming booth. Keep in mind that how you portray yourself at a job fair should be influenced by your sector, business brand, and even the sort of position(s) you’re looking for.
If you’re a cool tech company, for example, be sure to highlight the qualities that make you “cool.” What kind of environment do you have at your office? What is the work culture like if you work from home? Make a big deal about who you are and why they’d be foolish not to want to work with you! Keep in mind that you’re competing for talent with firms in booths on each side of you.
It’s also beneficial to concentrate on the kind of applicants you want to interact with and the positions you’re recruiting for during the job fair. You could wish to showcase short movies or invite select employees to the HR booth. If you’re looking for accountants or IT workers, for example, make sure someone from your finance or IT department attends the job fair.
6. Look for new college graduates to fill entry-level positions.
Employers that utilize job fairs as a recruiting tool, or platform, have first dibs on the best talent coming out of college, according to John Leonard, since we know that well over half (over 60%) of college grads visit job fairs before and after graduation.
7. Network, Network, Network, Network, Network, Network, Network, Network, Network, Network, Create a brand and sow seeds
This stage is made up of many components. To put it another way, while you’re at a job fair, you’re constantly networking. Many firms will attend job fairs on a regular basis (where it makes sense). These employers recognize the value of maintaining a strong network of top personnel and developing, or promoting, their company’s brand over time. Job fairs may be an excellent way to promote your company to prospective candidates (who are also potential customers).
As a result, we’ll need to brand your booth as well as your general image. It’s important to pay attention to your booth’s signs and promotional materials. “It’s a chance for small firms or startups to obtain crucial exposure and feedback, which will help them expand,” says Careerfairplus.com.
Last but not least, there are possibilities to advertise your business in a manner that connects with anybody who attends these events (keeping in mind that many walking the floor could be future customers). These prospective candidates are also possible consumers, and creating dynamic interactions with passers-by strengthens your brand and the emotions that make up your public image.
Smart Insights demonstrates that during job fairs, every single brand aspect that counts may be used. Job fairs are an excellent venue for promoting your business and raising awareness.
8. Have a good time
Part of the art of creating a successful job fair campaign is making your booth (and, by extension, your organization and its brand) appear hip, entertaining, and engaging. Although this is a serious matter, making it enjoyable for everyone involved, including your workers and job seekers, ensures memorability and engagement. Remember that “fun” may also imply “fun and useful.” These recommendations will lead you in the correct direction:
- Career workshops: Any advice you may provide as a future employer will be welcomed with open arms. Classes like resume writing 101, interview professionalism, and dressing for success will identify your organization with a learning atmosphere that teaches skills rather than just absorbing their talents and time in the office.
- Free refreshments and treats: It’s a proven truth that free food attracts customers to your booth. That’s all there is to it.
- Giveaways and contests: Contests and giveaways are a terrific way to engage with passers-by and collect email addresses. Many firms may provide tiny incentives in return for social media sign-ups.
- Demonstrations and movies: Demonstrations and videos that play in the background offer a professional image and may help your booth personnel by doing some of the hard work swiftly and creatively. These demonstrations or films may provide information about your company’s service or product, as well as its culture, purpose, and employees (we recommend including all of the above).
9. After the Job Fair, follow up
The last gear in the wheel is after-fair follow-up. If you don’t create another connection, your networking efforts will be for nothing, and your chances of landing an open job will dwindle.
If you have an applicant tracking system (ATS) like Freshteam, monitoring applicants you met at the job fair is a terrific way to put it to use. You may often access your application tracking system (ATS) from your mobile device during an event and enter applicant data in real time.
The usual norm is that the business that does the greatest job of following up after the fair gets more of the top talent who attends. This is due to the fact that everyone enjoys being courted. The sooner you contact prospects who have piqued your interest after the event, the more likely it is that the initial connection created at the job fair will remain warm.
We suggest responding to applicants within three to five business days following the job fair (keep in mind that your firm isn’t the only appealing employer pursuing the employee—they interacted with a number of businesses at the job fair).
10. Planning for Job Fairs in the Future
Take a look at the timetable for the future year once you’ve completed the job fairs for the year, which may be only one or many. Some events may have been ineffective or inappropriate for your company’s requirements, according to your staff. These are events that you may delete or replace with new ones that would benefit you more.
Choose whatever events you want to attend as soon as possible. The sooner you register for numerous job fairs, the less money you will have to spend.
Job Fairs: What They Are and What They Aren’t
Some employment fairs are huge and include a diverse range of firms. Some are geared at relocating former military members, while others might be hosted on college campuses, and so on. Here are two images of job fairs, both huge and little.
(North Carolina University is the source.)
(Image courtesy of the University of Michigan)
Small job fairs may be just as effective as huge job fairs, depending on the kind of positions you’re looking to fill, where you’re situated in the nation, and other considerations. Recruiters or recruiting managers staff the booths of the companies. Job fairs may range in size from a few dozen to several hundred businesses and can be held in person or online (which is the growing trend, especially in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
What Does Job Fair Success Look Like?
To be sure, there are several methods to determine whether or not the job fair was a success. Although it may be difficult to think more dynamically, firms cannot simply count how many new workers they recruited at the previous job fair to evaluate whether or not the event was a success.
Seeds are planted, brands are strengthened, and job seekers are simply gathering information about their preferred companies or positions they know they want to learn more about during job fairs. Many businesses are aware of the need of developing a talent pipeline that will result in future employment.
The following are some of the features of the event to keep note of:
- Dimensions of the event: The total number of people that attended the employment fair. Was the attendance as expected?
- Number of booths (or vendors): In fact, the more booths (or vendors) you have, the better. There will be more applicants at a job fair if there are more businesses. It is beneficial to company.
- Opportunities to enhance your brand: Job fairs may be a fantastic way to market your business. Even if no direct hiring result from the event, having a booth at a big job fair may result in new clients, relationships that lead to new business, and connections with other organizations that are also vendors at the event.
- Attendance: Throughout the major events, you will hear how many people attend each day. It should go without saying that the greater the number of people who visit the fair, the better.
- Attendees’ degree of engagement: While the economy and labor market play a role, it’s always encouraging to see attendees who are actively engaged with vendors. Attendees at certain job fairs will be combing the terrain for the perfect chances, while at others, casual job hunting and exploration will be the norm.
- Following the event, the degree of participation among attendees was as follows: One last indicator of whether or not an event was a success is how engaged participants remain after the event has ended. If they reply to your follow-up and/or follow up on their own, this is a very positive indicator.
Conclusion
Job fairs might be beneficial to your organization’s recruiting objectives. Despite the fact that there are several types of job fairs, taking the time to study which ones are appropriate for your requirements is worthwhile. Remember that attending job fairs that cater to your industry’s demands may also help you nurture and spread the word about your company’s culture and brand.
The “job fair announcement examples” is a job fair that will be held at the local library. The event is free to attend, but there are some tips for employers who are interested in attending.
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