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!

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• 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 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.