Job Fair Success
I have not had success in coordinating and using job fairs. Please provide suggestions on how to get employers to participate.
The secret to job fair success, Ron, is patience and persistence. And of course evaluating how each fair went and what can be done to improve them. It often takes one-on-one invites to employers to participate and also requiring student and grad participation. Also lots of publicity via the newspaper, emailing, mailings, and then publicity after the event. And certainly send thank you's to all participants and let them know of the next job fair. And keep track of results. Statistics like - 90% of grads hired, or all jobs filled is very impressive and an incentive to get ongoing participation. Good luck, Susan
Great suggestions. Keeping records on the benefits and improvements needed is really key to all aspects of a new program.
Right you are, Beth. Evaluation of results of any initiative is vital. Find out what went well and where improvement is needed. Be sure to ask people involved as well as spectators and participants. Everyone will have an idea so you can improve the event. Repeating the event is important as well. Get people accustomed to expecting that there will be a job fair or other activity on a regular basis. Thanks, Susan
Great post! Patience and persistence is the kind of attitude that one must teach students to have, especially in todays job market.
Hi Ezer, Yes, patience and persistence is important. We believe that employment skills and job search training is essential as well. Grads need confidence to look for employment. In fact we find that lack of confidence is the biggest barrier to employment success. Thanks, Susan
It can be very disappointing for a future grad to prepare their resume and present themselves professionally to only find out that the job fair doesn't have any leads that fit their needs/interest. Before holding a job fair, it is important to know your demographic. Where are you have this job fair and who will be coming? What are their interests? What are the "hot Jobs" at the present time? Surveys are the end of the job fair would be a good way to gauge the success of the fair. Was the fair beneficial to you? What was missing from the job fair?
Hi Tiffany, Good point about ensuring that students have great experiences during a job fair. Perhaps it is important to set various expectations and not only getting a job. There are a lot of benefits to a job fair when students are made aware of them. They can learn about the companies that hire. What these companies are looking for, what the representatives have to say about the working conditions, what it takes to get a job, the salary ranges, and more. Perhaps students need to go to a job fair with a checklist and assignments so they focus on the learning experience opportunities. Thanks, Susan
