How to Talk to Recruiters at a Job Fair

Job fairs are important components of a job search. It allows you to pitch your resume and market yourself to a number of recruiters in just one day. It is also the easiest way to directly meet a recruiter and have them take a look at your resume on the spot. You will be able to impact a hiring coordinator or manager by selling yourself, so it is important to present yourself in the best way possible. Among the hundreds of candidates in a job fair, the kind of impression you make can influence a hiring manager's decision of hiring you. Here are ways on how to talk to recruiters at a job fair.

Things You'll Need

• Resume
• Portfolio
• Business attire

Instructions

1. Tailor your resume for easy reading. During job fairs, recruiters meet a lot of people so it is to your advantage that your resume will allow them to read through yours with ease. This makes your resume memorable and also allows you to be able to reference skills and experience easily. Since you will be talking to the hiring team, shorten some of the descriptions on your resume and instead communicate the longer explanations and anecdotes directly to the recruiters. Use active words and show how you are motivated to get the position.

2. Mimic the volume, tone and pace of the recruiter's voice. It is true that people are most attracted to those who are similar to them, so if a recruiter shows great energy and enthusiasm, meet him or her on that level. If he or she is more soft-spoken, talk to the recruiter in the same way by minimizing the volume of your voice.

3. Ask a lot of questions. Job fairs tend to be more casual than formal job interviews and they welcome questions from job seekers. They know that job seekers want to know a lot more about the company and the position and it may be the case that you have only heard of a particular company on the day of the job fair itself. Talk to them and ask them direct questions, such as what ideal qualities are they looking for in a candidate, what are the next steps in the hiring process.

4. Gather information through their glossies. Sometimes in-demand companies and positions attract a long line of people waiting to talk to the recruiting team. Instead of standing in line right away, take one of those glossy brochures and information displayed on their tables and read up on a company. Or go through the entire fair itself and survey the companies that are present and make a list of those you want to talk to first.