Networking

Job Fairs: Matchmaking 101

Wendy Terwelp 4 Comments

Job fairs – a big speed-dating festival for job seekers and employers seeking their “one and only” who will be a perfect match…

Here are some tips to get the most out of your next job fair: 

1. Know what you want. As a job seeker, what kind of position do you wish to target? What kind of employer? Is that employer represented at this job fair? Find out by reviewing the ads for the fair – check out the sample companies represented at the job fair. Are they companies with whom you wish to work? 

2. List and research all the companies where you wish to work. I recommend creating “cheat sheets” for each company listing the following: company name, space for contact info (get a business card from each booth you visit so you can follow up), one or two things you learned about the company from your research, and three questions you want to ask them at the fair. This helps you stay on track, targeting the companies of your dreams, and also enables you to follow up with recruiters at the fair. Only one in 300 people ever follow up, so be the one who stands out. 

3. Dress professionally – just because recruiters are there doesn’t mean your attire can be sloppy, ill-fitting, and wrinkled. Recruiters get first impressions too. Make them good ones. 

4. Be prepared for a brief interview. As a former recruiter who’s attended lots of job fairs, we often had positions to fill immediately and were able to interview job seekers at the fair in a sectioned off interview area. Many of the other companies at the event did so as well.  

5. Have several CAR stories at the ready that demonstrate your ability to handle the job. CAR stands for “Challenge, Action, Result.” Since the majority of interviewers ask behavior-based interview questions, you want to be able to address them with specific examples of your expertise. 

6. Bring along several copies of your current resume. (No typos please.) Even if it is a job fair that provides an electronic copy of candidates’ resumes to each booth at the fair, the candidate should have plenty of resumes with him or her. Instant gratification is never a bad thing. And you’re prepared, in case you get a chance to interview on the spot. 

7. Smile. Just like dating, people are drawn to those who smile in a warm, friendly manner. And smiling keeps your attitude positive. As one HR manager told me, “I hire for attitude. You can always teach a skill.” 

Now, go get ’em. And let me know how your next job fair turns out. Good luck!  

Get a Coach and Get a Promotion in 2008

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Guest Author: Lori Cates Hand of JIST Publishing:

My Experience with a Career Coach

Many of the top career book authors these days call themselves “career coaches.” If you’ve never heard the term before, it might sound a little funny. Do they blow whistles at people and make them run laps if they have a bad job interview?

In April 2006, I attended the Career Masters Institute (now Career Management Alliance) conference in San Francisco. I go to this conference as often as I can to support my authors (who are founding members) and hopefully find some new authors. At the end of the conference they were giving out door prizes, and I ended up winning one. It turned out to be two free sessions with a career coach named Wendy Terwelp of Opportunity Knocks in Wisconsin.

I figured, what better way to understand what career coaches do than to be coached a little? So we scheduled our two hour-long sessions. We started by getting to know each other. Turns out, Wendy was a journalist in her early career. So she could relate to me.

Wendy asked a lot of questions, and pretty quickly was able to pinpoint my issues and size up what’s holding me back in my career. She gave me assignments and held me responsible for tackling my issues. She also helped me lay the foundations of a plan for career progress. I kept her advice in my head and it played a big role in my recent promotion.

I didn’t end up paying for more sessions because, well, it would have been expensive (at that time, her services ran about $200 an hour). But she has stayed in contact with me, sending Christmas cards and birthday wishes each year, and occasionally touching base by e-mail.

So if you are feeling really stuck in your career or your job search, I can recommend giving a career coach a try. Just a few sessions can make a big difference. Check out the Career Coach Academy website for a listing of coaches around the country (but remember that you don’t have to be in the same place–coaching works fine over the phone).

Posted by Lori Cates Hand at 8:54 AM

You can visit Lori’s blog here:

http://publishingcareers.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-experience-with-career-coach.html

Thanks for the kind words Lori! A quick note regarding the investment of using a coach, Lori snagged a promotion in only 2 one-hour sessions. That’s only 2 sessions that resulted in a promotion with a huge lifelong return on the investment in the way of increased earning potential, greater confidence, greater circle of influence, greater impact on an organziation and self, and of course future promotions.

When you look at an investment with this kind of return, what’s holding you back? Call now and get the latest cutting edge coaching for your career (and of course our latest rates).

Use Black Friday to Network to Your Next Big Gig

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving – when U.S. retailers open at 4 a.m. to capture loads of sales and get into the black.

Have you been there? Waiting in line until doors open for that special something someone wants? I have – and it’s a great time to network. Yes really. Here are some tips to get the most from networking – while grabbing the last do-dad for your holiday gift-giving.

1. Look good. I know, who wants to get up earlier just to put on makeup? But, it pays off. You know darn well you’ll see someone you know – and haven’t seen in years – if you look like you rolled out of bed and are wearing pajamas and a coat.

2. Get a quick sound bite ready to roll off your tongue. Keep it at 60 to 90 seconds TOPS. How do you create this sound bite? Go here: Use Personal Branding to Network Without Begging.

3. Be friendly. ‘Tis the season you know. Lines are a great time to start up a conversation. You’re stuck there ready to ring out, so why not talk to the others waiting as well? Makes the wait time more fun – and then it seems a bit shorter.

Ready to shop? Grab the caffeine and go!