High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Finding a Career Sponsor

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• The Key Qualities Every Employer Looks For: "Ask the question and most people will tell you that they are a self starter, but it is actually quite tough to find people who have the right personal drive and can work under their own steam."

• 3 Strategies for Managing Life's Many Big (and Small) Transitions: "By naming that you are in a transition, you are likely to be kinder and gentler with yourself, be open to the fact that 'not knowing' what’s ahead is a natural part of this state, and also attract other people who are in transition or who have made a similar transition who can support you."                                                      
• The Right Way to Find a Career Sponsor: "When it comes to powering your career up the corporate heights, you need a sponsor.... sponsors may advise or steer you but their chief role is to develop you as a leader."


• The Interview Questions You Should Be Asking: "It’s important to not only find someone with the qualifications to do the job, but also someone who is uniquely driven to help make the company the absolute best it can be."


• 9 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Next University Career Fair: "If you are interested in a company, take the time to review their history and current projects. Explore their website by looking for news reports and press releases to find topics of interest to you. These make great conversation starters with company representatives attending the event!"

Four Things You Can do at a Career Fair Besides Job Hunt

I love multitasking and I am always looking for ways to optimize my time to ensure I get the most out of every minute. As a job seeker, we have a tendency to become singularly-minded on landing a job. However, I caution you to take a step back and realize that if you focus too much on the end game, and not enough on the process, your job search may just take longer.

A common activity for job seekers is going to a career fair. In the spirit of multitasking and optimizing your time, I wanted to give you some alternative focuses for the next time you attend a career fair. Of course you will go to the career fair to job search. However, once you have walked the career fair and talked to your target companies, I urge you to take advantage of these other activities before you call it a day.

Network
It is always a great idea to network with the company representatives at each booth. Gather business cards and jot brief notes on the back of the cards after you step away from the booth. The key is to personalize your follow-up communication and to do it quickly, while the career fair is still fresh in their mind. However, don't just stop at networking with employers. Do your best to network with fellow job seekers and representatives from educational institutes. Tap into the hidden job market by expanding your network of referral resources.

Build Your LinkedIn Contacts
As you meet people at the career fair - employers, recruiters, career services professionals, and fellow job seekers as them about connecting on LinkedIn. Your sphere of influence and potential for referrals and personal introductions grows each time you add a connection through LinkedIn. Once again, it is very important that you send a personalized message, and not use LinkedIn's template message.

Have Your Resume Reviewed
This can be a tricky one because everyone has a different opinion on what should and should not be done on a resume. When having your resume reviewed, ensure they are a professional that has current and updated information of resume writing. If the reviewer recommends you change something on your resume, always ask them the strategy behind their suggestion. If the answer is "that is the way I prefer it to be done," then you are getting opinion instead of strategy-driven constructive feedback.

Explore Educational Opportunities
Most every career fair has representatives from several educational institutions including trade schools, certification programs, and formal degrees. Talk to the school representatives about your options, not only for improving your marketability through additional education, but also about gaining funding to pay for your education.

How to Avoid the Most Common Career Fair Mistakes

In today's online job search market, human contact is at a minimum. Career fairs are an excellent opportunity that - when done right - can be very valuable to your job search. In an earlier blog post I provided tips to help you make the most of a career fair. Today, I am going to examine some of the most common mistakes and how you can avoid making them.

Mistake:  An unfocused job search or an "I'll take anything" attitude
Solution:  There are few things that make a recruiter crazier than this type of approach to a career fair. Companies don't want to hire you just because you NEED a job. Before attending a career fair, research the companies, find out the type of positions they have open, pick at least 5 target companies, and figure out how your skills and experience can benefit each company. This approach enables you to make a concise, targeted presentation to each company when you visit their table.

Mistake:  Unprofessional appearance
Solution:  The career fair should be treated no differently than an interview in terms of your appearance. Should you wear shorts and flip flops to an interview? Should you take your children with you on an interview? Should you walk into an interview holding hands with someone? In case you are unclear, the answer is NO to all the above. Just like an interview, at a career fair you should dress to impress, attend alone, and pay attention to your non-verbal communication.

Mistake:  Asking inappropriate questions
Solution:  Never ask questions about salary, benefits, or vacation time. Instead, focus your questions on gaining more information about the company and how you can fit into the organization.

Mistake:  Grabbing free stuff
Solution:  Most every table has free stuff to give away. If you go from table to table collecting giveaways and then approach employers with a bag stuffed full of goodies, you will look unprofessional and will offer the impression that you do not take the job search seriously. Focus your efforts on the job search first, then if there is time discreetly pick up a few items - if you must.

Mistake:  Not taking advantage of the networking opportunities
Solution:  You should walk out of every career fair with a fist full of recruiter and HR business cards that you can follow up with in the coming weeks. In addition, network with your fellow attendees to make additional contacts. Today's job search market is referral-based, make contacts wherever and whenever you can!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!


1. A Must-Listen Interview for Job Hunters


2. New Ways to Make the Most out of a Career Fair


3. How Blogging Can Help Your Career


4. 22 Game-Changing Job-Search Tips from a Recruiter


5. How Twitter Hashtags Can Help You Find a Position

How to Make the Most of a Career Fair

A career fair is a great opportunity to make face-to-face contact with recruiters and hiring managers that is often lacking in the job search. Career fairs are a valuable part of the job search process. Following are some helpful strategies that will set you apart from the other participants.

BEFORE THE CAREER FAIR
• The first step is to get your resume in top shape. A resume can not get you a job, but it can prevent you from getting the opportunity! Some recruiters may ask you to submit your resume online when you get home. Make sure you have an internet ready resume to send.

• Preregister for the career fair and submit your resume online so that potential employers can pre-screen your qualifications.

• Conduct research and find out what companies are going to be attending the career fair. Next, research the companies to identify their openings. Choose 3 to 5 target companies and write a targeted resume and cover letter for each of these companies and their openings.

• Prepare your self-introduction that you will go through as an ice-breaker when you meet each of the recruiters. Instead of walking up to a booth and asking “What does your company do?” make an impression by demonstrating your knowledge of what the company does and how your skills would benefit their organization.

THE DAY OF THE CAREER FAIR
• Bring plenty of copies of your resume to hand out to potential employers.

• When you walk in the door, develop a “plan of attack” to meet the recruiters of your target companies. Hit your target companies first and then walk the career fair to ensure you don’t miss employers that may not have been listed.

• Create a positive first impression and stand out from the crowd by dressing to impress. Leave the shorts, t-shirt, and the kids at home. Dress as though you were going for a job interview – you might just get one. Use non-verbal communication, body language, and appearance to create an impression of confidence and enthusiasm.

• Use the career fair as a networking opportunity. Trade business cards, resumes or even just phone numbers with your fellow job searchers. You never know who you might meet and how they may be able to help you in your search.

AFTER THE CAREER FAIR
• The most overlooked part of the career fair is the follow-up. Within a week after the career fair, send a short handwritten thank you note or even just a phone call expressing your appreciation for the recruiter’s time and asking for an opportunity to meet in person to further discuss your qualifications.

Conquer the Career Fair Cattle Call

In April, our local newspaper is hosting its annual job/career fair, and I can already hear a stampede in the distance: hundreds of job seekers anxiously charging towards the local hotel conference room to shake as many hands as possible and indiscriminately throw out resumes as if they were distributing flyers for a band performing at a pub. If your goal is to land a job, this is not a worthwhile strategy. Where is the attention given to the employer? What are you doing to make yourself stand out? At a career fair, time is limited and a recruiter’s attention span is short. Make the most of your career fair experience by reading our previous post on the subject while also incorporating these strategies to create a connection between you and the company:

Focus on the few: Career fairs can have anywhere from 25 to 250 employers attending. Simple research on the event website or other promotional material can give you an idea of what companies will attend…specifically, the ones that you want to seek out. Once you have identified these companies, get to know them inside and out. Research their culture, organization structure, competitors, and any interesting bits of recent news about them. This information will provide you an opportunity to have more substantive conversations with the recruiters, ensuring that you stand out through your knowledge and familiarity.

Problem solve: Companies obviously want to hire those who meet their needs. Using your research from the step above, try to identify or anticipate needs that the company explicitly or implicitly has. For example, if the company is growing, where geographically? In what business sectors? What kinds of support staff will they need to support this growth? Reflect on the company’s current and future state, and write down ways that you can help. Incorporate these into your conversation with the recruiter so that he/she gets the message that you are someone who can contribute to the company’s goals.

Reverse Interview: To create a connection with someone, oftentimes it’s best to have him or her do the talking. Develop questions that speak to the recruiter’s personal experience at the company, which can include:

• What do you most enjoy about your company?


• How would you describe the company culture?


• What kinds of people are successful at your company?


• What experiences have you valued the most at your company?

Showing interest in the recruiter’s experience by asking thoughtful questions will help you be remembered in the future. Be sure to actively listen and respond to his or her statements with what you are looking for in a company, the kinds of experiences that have made you successful, and other responses that keep the two of you talking but also highlight your strengths for their benefit.

Don’t get caught in the career fair stampede: take the bull by the horns and make connecting with the recruiter through targeting companies, problem solving, and reverse interviewing your principal strategy when attending a career fair.

Make the Most Out Of Career/Job Fairs

Career/job fairs are an opportunity for employers to talk to and screen a large number of job candidates. They also provide a chance for job seekers to meet a lot of company recruiters in one place and find out about available career opportunities. In order to make the most out of any career/job fair, follow the advice below:

• Pre-register: Many career/job fairs allow for pre-registration and even the option to submit a resume in advance. Company recruiters then have the option of doing a preliminary review—noting those of interest to look out for at the fair.
• Research the companies: When participating companies are listed in pre-event materials, take the opportunity to research those companies that interest you. This helps you prepare productive and relevant talking points to use with the recruiters.
• Get your pitch down: You will likely only have a few minutes with each recruiter, so be ready to share a brief pitch that sells why you’d be an asset to the organization and highlights your key qualifications.
• Dress professionally: A career/job fair is an opportunity for you to make a professional impression, so dress the part.
• Review the event map and make a plan: Time is limited—both the recruiters’ and yours—so plan which companies you’ll visit and in what order. You may decide you want to settle your nerves by visiting one or two that are lower on your priority list when you arrive. If you have more energy and enthusiasm at the start, visit your top-priority companies first.
• Bring several resume copies: Your resume will act as your calling card, so bring several copies.
• Exude confidence and enthusiasm: Introduce yourself and extend a firm handshake while maintaining eye contact and communicating enthusiasm for the work you do.
• Establish a follow-up step: Ask whether you can follow up with a call, or even bolder, a formal interview. The appropriate follow-up step will be based on your interaction with each recruiter. For example, if you find out there is an open job that is a good fit, then a request for an interview may make sense. No matter what, send a thank-you note.
• Ask for a business card and take notes: Make sure you ask for recruiters’ business cards and jot down any notes of importance, such as follow-up steps or other company contacts you discussed.