Blog Post: Is hosting a career fair the best strategy for your organization?

It seems like every other week I receive an invitation to attend career fairs throughout the community. Middle schools, high schools, college, professional organizations or even industry specific groups organize career events on a regular basis. And for a good reason – these career events provide a great opportunity for local employers to meet the future workforce, promote their organization as an employer of choice, and in some cases identify potential candidates for selected positions. For the organizing organization is also a great opportunity to showcase their programs, and the quality candidates they attract.  However, with the abundance of career fairs in the Greater Miami area, I am finding that career fairs are also a determining factor that affects the reputation of the organizers.

With career events becoming a great conduit to connect job seekers to local opportunities, it seems like career fairs are popping every day in the local market and for local recruiters the idea of yet another career fair invitation seems less appealing.  Here are some things to consider before organizing one of these events at your school or organization.

Are candidates ready?

I have seen it all at career fairs.  Job seekers come in all forms: ranging from the overly confident to the clueless ones. Attitude is key and of course, the good, the bad and the ugly are also evident at these events.  For recruiters, the quality and attitude of job seekers at a career fair is also a reflection on that college or organization. In business time is money, and for employers the investment of their time and efforts is as important as well. Most local educational organizations have a career center, counselor or placement officer. The intervention of the career center staff in the preparation of students to meet potential employers is a basic step. The better prepared the students or job seekers are for the career event, the higher the participation of local employers in your future events.

Local speakers, trainers, and career development professionals often volunteer to complement the training of job seekers. What a concept! Take advantage of this local support and encourage your students, members or colleagues to get ready for career opportunities. This includes, resume review, career development workshops, image or personal appearance and one of my personal favorites, how to maximize participation in a career fair.  As I mention before, attitude is key for success.  Therefore, providing support and guidance to potential job seekers before they attend YOUR event will be ideal.

Consider the logistics and cost

From the outside, these events seem easy enough to organize. Therefore, many schools and organizations jump at the opportunity to host several career events every year. However, these events also take time to organize and present an additional cost for the organization.  Needless to say, the focus of the school counselor is to help prepare students for their next step in their career – may it be advanced studies or entering the workplace.  Becoming a special events organizer may not necessarily be their forte.

Consider partnering with other organizations with perhaps more experience in the planning of career fairs. Attend as many events as possible before making a decision. There is not need to reinvent the wheel.  If someone’s forte is organizing quality events and have a strong reputation in the community, it only makes sense to combine efforts and explore joining forces to benefit your members/students.  It can certainly be an asset in the planning and execution of such event.  Career transition specialist can focus on preparing students to successfully attend the event and yes, getting the right job. Joining forces and partnering with other organizations makes sense. At the same time, consider inviting local professionals to speak at your school or organizations. In many cases, this may be the best support your organization can provide its students/members.