Ten Tips to Help You Prepare for Job Fairs

If you know how to handle yourself at a job fair you will find that it will be easier to find work. There is no other time and place where hundreds of potential employers get together to hand out jobs. Most smart people know a job fair can be a career altering event. If you think you can just show up and start calling the shots you will see you are sadly mistaken. You'll need to prepare to be sure your job fair trip actually helps you land a job. These ten tips will help you prepare, research, and follow up on your next job fair.

Before the Job Fair

The first thing you should do before a job fair is prepare. Prepare, prepare, prepare; it couldn't be said enough. Make sure you practice your interview skills by rehearsing potential questions with a friend, co-worker, or family member. Create a list of the ten most likely questions the interviewer will ask you and practice giving your answers. Be real in your answers because interviewers can see right through a lie.

One of the biggest mistakes many people make is not having a completed resume. Your resume should include your accomplishments and goals, as well as specific descriptions of your job responsibilities. Personalize your resume based on your professional character and relevant work experience. A cover letter is a great opportunity to really sell your self to the employer and no resume should be without one.

Generic resumes are always the first ones to end up in the trash. Make sure that you proofread and spell check your resume before you make copies. There is almost nothing worse than seeing a resume that is full of typos, spelling, and grammatical errors. Make sure you bring a stack of resumes with you to the job fair so that you don't run out of copies half way through.