[nabs-l] Navigating Job Fairs

[Mary Fernandez]

Hi Misty and all,
My senior year in college was almost exclusively dedicated to looking
for a job. As a result, I attended more job fairs than I care to
remember. I never really considered having a reader as an option for
me, since many times, I’d go in between classes, if the fair was on
campus, and having to wait for someone, or trying to figure out
people’s schedules, can complicate things. I also loved going to job
fairs on my own and figuring out where things are and meeting people.
Here are some tips that helped me be successful at job fairs. These
are just things that worked for me, and having a guide or reader might
be the best option for someone else.
Before attending the fair I would always look at the online program of
the companies that would be there. I would then make a short list of
the companies I definitely wanted to talk to.
At these things there is usually a registration/information table.
They will hand you a name tag, and usually a print list of the
companies present. I’d take a couple of minutes to talk to one of the
people at the information table, asking about the layout of the room,
and finding out which of the companies I wanted to meet were closest
to the door.
I’d then walk in and find the table. Although it might seem a bit
intimidating with so many people around, I find that career fairs are
usually organized chaos. The people in the isles are waiting to talk
to a recruiter. And each table has fairly big signs, so it is easy, as
you are trying to find a table, to just ask the different people in
line and they will point you to where you want to go.
Once you find the first table, talk to the recruiter and get their
contact information. Make sure to bring a note taking device with you,
whether it be your phone or a notetaker. I have very rarely seen paper
applications at the tables, but if they do have them there, they are
almost guaranteed to have them online. Recruiters are often more than
happy to send you to their website, or send you a follow up email with
the print information they were handing out. If you are truly
interested in a company, you will email them after the event with any
follow up questions, or just a simple thank you for talking to me
note.
Once you are done speaking to a recruiter, it is very simple to ask
where the next company you want to talk to is. I found this to be an
incredibly useful strategy, as they will have a list of booths in
front of them, and they also get to see that you are totally
independent, which always makes a good impression. Lastly, sometimes
when there are so many people around, it is hard to know when someone
is talking to you if they don’t say your name, and in comes the name
tags. Most recruiters will pretend that they know you, and say “hi,
ms…”
Once you get through your first career fair, you will figure out what
works and doesn’t for you. And if you are anything like me, you will
actually really love them, as you get to meet really cool people,
whether students or recruiters, that you would not have otherwise.
Best of luck!
Mary F


On 3/11/13, Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net> wrote:
> Hi, Misty,
>
>          From what I have been able to notice, sighted people sort of
> expect you to have an assistant of sorts to walk around with you,
> reading names, filling out aps. In fact, it would seem to me that
> bumbling around a job fair by oneself might represent an inability to
> know when to call on assistance.  and that could also turn potential
> employers off to the idea of hiring a blind person.
> What do you think of this?
> Keep us posted on how this job fair goes, okay?
> for today, Car,
>
> just about everything on my own, but this is something new for me,
> and I don't want to look bad or awkward to employers while moving
> around the job fair. Also, I do not know if it would turn employers
> away if I go to each table and ask which company it is. Also, if you
> had to fill out any applications there on the spot, how did you
> manage that? Have any of you had any success with job fairs, and what
> did you find that worked for you?
>>Any tips or experiences will be appreciated.
>>Thank you,
>>Misty
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-- 
Mary Fernandez
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will
forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them
feel."
—
Maya Angelou