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Opportunistic Career Fairs
Career fairs are an excellent opportunity for you in many ways. You get to know of different companies, connect with recruiters, and decide on an enticing career path for yourself. It is also a chance for you to begin networking at the right places and leave a lasting impression. So, you are one of the firsts that get considered for a job interview and, of course, be hired.
How to leave a lasting impression at career fairs?
Recruiters have many people visiting them at career fairs. This means your chances of being noticed are slim among all the competition. But you can use a few tools or techniques that guarantee that you leave a lasting impression.
Being prepared and asking the right questions are your two biggest tools. Inquire about the companies but remember, it is not they who are actually interviewing, it is you. Your chances of being noticeable reduce when you are asking only the basic questions. However, the silver lining is that while you are looking for a job, they are also looking for talent. And there is another tool you can use to really stick in their mind.
Following up after career fair.
Following up after a career fair is your ace up the sleeve to make your mark in the recruiters’ minds. They have dozens of profiles to go through before they begin hiring someone for a job role or internship. Imagine they are going through several CVs and there are still many more to go through. And then they receive an email, thanking them, and it’s your email.
It not only moves your CV up the queue but also enables you to receive special consideration. Special consideration in the sense that instead of skimming they would read your profile carefully. Give you the time and benefit of the doubt. So, how can you follow up and do it the right way? Here are a few tips for you to follow for your follow-up.
“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” – Benjamin Franklin.
You should be quick in sending your follow-up, preferably within 24 hours. Because at the end of a career fair, recruiters are bound to receive many emails. It might be quite a hectic task to go through them all. Especially, when spam emails can find their way into an inbox. But when you are quick to follow up, your email would appear somewhere top of the queue. And hence, your chances of being considered rise.
Short and Sweet
You don’t need to try too hard to oversell with a follow-up email. A simple thank you note with a few essentials would suffice. You should simply thank the recruiter for their time and express the desire to discuss details in the future. Also, mentioning a personal connection that you might have had during the career fair would remind them of you. You can attach your CV as well. But it is not necessary since they would already have it from the fair.
Your Tone is Important
In your brief thank you note, it is vital you keep your tone in check. It should be professional and not too casual. You don’t want to come off as an amateur, unaware of the norms of the workplace. So, avoid the “Hey”s, “Hi”s, and definitely don’t start your email with a “Yo” (unless of course, you interviewed for a hippie job).
Hopefully, now you have enough information for your follow-up. All being well, you would definitely land an interview and optimistically the job that you want. Here is a template that you can use for your follow-up after the career fair.
Template:
Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. [NAME],
Thanks again for meeting with me at the [CAREER FAIR NAME] on [date]!
It was an exciting experience for me to learn about [DETAIL FROM THE MEETING]. I have been really thinking and researching it on my own and I feel my [SKILLS/EXPERIENCE] would be a good fit at your firm.
It would be my pleasure to connect with you regarding my future at the [FIRM].
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks again for your time!
Best Regards,
[Your Name]P.S. (optional)
Please find my attached CV.
team eaboute
