[nabs-l] Navigating Job Fairs

Tue Mar 12 19:13:00 UTC 2013

Did you use a cane, or a dog/

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mary Fernandez
Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 1:52 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Navigating Job Fairs

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

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