[nabs-l] Navigating Job Fairs

[Mary Fernandez]

Hi all,
I used a cane during all my adventures.
Thanks.
Mary

On 3/12/13, justin williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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-- 
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