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• Coach’s Corner

  Q: Pat asks: How useful are jobfairs or career fairs? How much time would you invest (% of time)? A: I am so glad you asked this question, Pat. The unfortunate truth is that many job fairs are a waste of time and just lead to further disappointment. These are the ones where: 1)the types of jobs available are below your skill level or 2) there are a lot of commission only-type jobs represented or 3) the company reps are simply collecting resumes. I once drove around 60 miles to attend a career fair because I was looking for an engineering position and the participant companies list included Exxon-Mobile. Turns out, it was the service station branch of the company, looking for attendants. Not exactly what I had in mind. That said, some career/job fairs are quite good and well worth the effort. Such events include companies who are actually hiring for professional positions and send representatives authorized to conduct "mini-interviews" and answer your questions. Oftentimes, these types of fairs are conducted by individual companies, though there are some good ones that are more general in nature. So, how do you know the difference? Start by asking around. Talk to people in your network who have attended various fairs to get their input. If you don't know anyone to ask, contact the event organizers to get as much info. as you can. And always try to find out ahead of time which companies are going to be represented (but be careful - don't repeat my mistake!). Bottom line, don't spend all your time going to job fairs but certainly take advantage of the good ones. Do your homework first then decide which, if any, fairs to attend. If you do choose to go, dress as neatly and professionally as possible and carry a stack of resumes, preferably in an attractive portfolio. You want that first impression of you to be as positive as possible.

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