How do you rise above the crowd at a Career Fair? The contention can be significant, but you can help yourself stand out from the herd with early planning. At AA-Careers, we have a simple 6-step process to prepare. Plan to go? Here’s how to prepare:

First, research the companies that are going and pick your objectives. Use the web to research the organizations that are there ahead of time. Go to their sites and see if they have their job openings listed. Pick a limited number to go after, and get ready to spend an hour researching each one. It’s hard to do more than 10 in a day, and four or five is a much more reasonable target. For each hiring company, you want to know: executive names, recent news, and key product lines. Try to see if you know anyone at the target companies. You should end up with a page or two of research for each company/job.

Second, if there are job openings on the web, read them to see what the hiring department is looking for. Create a mapping of your accomplishments and skills to the prerequisites of the job. Make the terminology match. If the hiring organization calls customers "clients", your resume should do the same thing. The accomplishments should be written in the style of the hiring company.

Third, create a ‘mini sales pitch’ for each potential organization/position combination. Write down a 90 second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat verbally showing why you are a special prospect for that job. You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet the company at the job kiosk.

Fourth, modify your resume for each position. The objective on your resume should exactly match the job you’re targeting. The executive summary should be a written form of your “mini sales pitch” for the job. Then choose the accomplishments and skills that most clearly match the job requirements. Especially at a Job Faire, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews. It should be simple to see that you’re a match based on your resume.

Fifth, rehearse your ‘mini-sales-pitch’. Collect your research and the resume for each position – bring a couple of copies for each – and put each in a understandably marked folder. Keep them in a light briefcase or folio.

Finally, dress and prepare as if you’re doing on-site interviews. Dress nicely and be fittingly groomed. Avoid strong cologne or perfume…use any eau de cologne or perfume meagerly, if at all.

Remember to smile, and good hunting!

How do you rise above the crowd at a Job Faire? The competition can be substantial, but you can help yourself surpass from the crowd with advance homework. At AA-Careers, we have a simplified step-by-step process to get ready. Plan to go? Here’s how to prepare:

First, investigate the companies that are going and pick your objectives. Use the web to research the companies that are there ahead of time. Go to their web sites and see if they have their openings posted. Pick a limited number to target, and get ready to spend up to an hour researching each one. It’s hard to do more than 7 in a day, and three or four is a much more reasonable target. For each hiring company, you want to know: recent news, key product lines, and exectuve names. Try to see if you know anyone at the target companies. You should end up with a page or two of research for each company/job.

Second, if there are job postings on the web, read them to see what the hiring manager is looking for. Create a mapping of your achievements and skills to the prerequisites of the job. Make the terminology match. If the hiring company calls customers "clients", your resume should do the same thing. The achievements should be written in the style of the hiring organization.

Third, create a ‘brief sales pitch’ for each likely organization/position combination. Write down a sixty second ‘thumbnail’ that you can repeat out loud describing why you are a special prospect for that position. You’ll use this in your resume and when you meet people at the job stall.

Fourth, modify your resume for each job type. The objective on your resume should exactly match the position you’re aiming for. The executive summary should be a written form of your “mini sales pitch” for the job. Then choose the achievements and skills that most clearly match the job prerequisites. Especially at a Job Faire, the purpose of your resume is a sales tool for you – to get you on-site job interviews. It should be very easy to see that you’re a match based on your resume.

Fifth, rehearse your ‘mini-sales-pitch’. Collect your research and the resume for each opportunity – bring a couple of copies for each – and put each in a distinctly labeled folder. Keep them in a light briefcase or folio.

Finally, dress and prepare as if you’re doing on-site interviews. Dress nicely and be properly groomed. Avoid strong cologne or perfume…use any cologne or scent sparingly, if at all.

Remember to smile, and good hunting!