Old School Meets New School at Virtual Job Fairs

Looking for jobs today can be quite an experience. Once upon a time (about 10 years ago) as you neared your senior year you’d start keeping an eye out for local job fairs to see about securing a job right out of college. Back then you’d walk through row after row of booths staffed by recruiters, and collect free swag with company names to keep in mind for after graduation. 

Today, things are changing. Whether this change is for the better or not, only time will tell, but the new way to look for jobs is at the virtual job fair.  While these virtual job fairs allow you to hunt for opportunities without leaving home, you’ll definitely need to update your approach. This isn’t your parent’s job fair experience!

Let’s Prep!

1. Plan ahead. Although virtual job fairs can be more convenient it still holds its own challenges. In a traditional job fair you had to worry about getting to your top booths before everyone else. Now the situation is reversed. Due to the ease of participation there are more events, recruiters, and information to sort through. In order to be successful you’ll need to establish priorities so you know where to concentrate your best efforts.
2. Edit your profiles. Whereas back in the day you had to worry about having your clothing choices, today you’ll need to ensure that your online presence reflects your suitability for the job. Ask yourself, does your LinkedIn summary need tweaking? If you're making your Twitter account public, ensure your comments are suitable for the office.  This is especially true with your Facebook account. If your original Facebook page is rated PG13+, you may want to create a brand new public Facebook page for work and keep your personal friends and family page private.
3. Beef up your website. If you haven’t already, you should start your own website or blogging platform to showcase your talents and samples of your work. Add content about the industry that interests you and demonstrate that you’re keeping upon the latest news with reviews and commentaries on what’s trending.
4.  Take a headshot. Yes, we know, people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but let’s be honest, pictures make a strong impression. Do not use your selfies. Yes, we know you’re a pro at taking them, but you need a quality photo when hunting for a job. So take the money that you would have used to travel from one job fair to another and visit a professional photographer for help. It is definitely one of the better investments that you’ll make for your career.
5.  Test your equipment. At a minimum, you'll need a reliable internet connection. You may want to make sure that you even have a backup internet service in mind. For example, if you’re visiting the fair on your laptop, keep your cell phone handy and synched to switch to your mobile hotspot in case of glitches. It's also a good idea to try out your webcam and microphone in advance. There is nothing more embarrassing than to be asked to interview and suddenly discover that your interviewer can’t hear you.
6. Review your materials. When you’re looking for a new position, you need to research keywords for your resume and have someone else proofread it at least once. If you’re looking at multiple companies, be sure to tailor your resume for each company AND double-check to make sure that you’re submitting the correct resume to the correct company. I found some great tips at CareerCast.com that you may want to look at as you craft your resume. If you have your own mobile responsive website you can upload your resume and provide the interviewer with the link. You can also save your resume as a PDF to be sure that the recruiters can view it correctly on mobile devices.
7. Work on your introduction. You won’t know how the recruiter will interact with you until you arrive, so be prepared for both video chats as well as text message only interviews. Rehearse your elevator pitch for both formats and you’ll be ready for whatever happens.
   
   
8. Prepare for interviews. One of the reasons employers like online career fairs is that they speed up the hiring process. You may be invited for an impromptu video interview so clean up your work space and wear a nice suit. 

You still here? You've got work to do -- let's get to and get that job!