STOCK QUOTES     More market data...

Job Market
How to work a job fair

By Blanca Torres
Seattle Times business reporter

JULIE BUSCH / SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLE TIMES Seattle University law students Gail Manuguid, left, and Robyn Rader get ready before their interviews at the 18th annual Northwest Minority Job Fair hosted by Dorsey & Whitney of Seattle. "I'm so nervous," Rader said.

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

The scene can be daunting: hundreds of people lined up at booths dressed in their best suits and shoes, trying to hide their nervousness and get a break.

Many job seekers look forward to job fairs like motorists look forward to ice patches on roadways.

But a job fair can be a seeker's dream come true.

An improved economy has helped revive hiring, and job fairs (currently in a holiday-season lull) provide a quick way of interviewing one-on-one for both job seekers and employers.

"It was a really, really good experience," said Robyn Rader, a second-year law student at Seattle University who recently attended a job fair in Seattle. "Even if I don't get a job, it was definitely well worth it."

To make the most of the experience, applicants should come armed with résumés, a smile and knowledge about the employers who will be participating.

"I always look at job fairs as having fun," said Tammy Pitre, the King County business liaison for WorkSource, a state agency that helps people find jobs. "You get all this info at one time. You get to talk to all these companies at one time."

Steps to job-fair success Before the fair: Do your homework. Find out what employers will be there and decide which ones you want to target. Find out as much as you can about those companies and prepare intelligent questions. Practice a 30- to 60-second spiel about yourself. During the fair: Come prepared. Bring plenty of copies of your résumé and a pen to fill out applications. Be ready to smile, meet new people and learn. After the fair: Always follow up. Write thank-you notes and send additional materials within a week of the fair. Keep in touch — don't let potential employers forget they met you. — Blanca Torres

Doing background research about employers is imperative, said Brian Park, who is a hiring partner at the downtown Seattle law office of Dorsey & Whitney, which organizes an annual job fair for law students.

A job candidate should come to an interview knowing as much as he or she can about a company, especially basic information such as its products or services, location, number of employees, size and history. That type of information is usually found on the company's Web site.

Knowledge can give applicants a competitive edge because they use their interview times for effective questions that impress recruiters.

"They come to the interview prepared to ask more specific questions rather than general questions they could find out with a five-minute search on Google," Park said.

Besides seeking candidates who ask good questions, employers are also looking for good listeners.

"Sometimes during the interview, I can tell that right after a person asks a question, they aren't listening to the answer," Park said. "The person's eyes gloss over and I can tell they are thinking of the next question to ask. There's no tolerance for lawyers who don't listen."

Pitre also recommends finding out what openings the employer has so job candidates can tailor their résumés for those positions.

"A lot of people who feel uncomfortable go in there without a game plan," Pitre said. "Those who have done the research and know what's a good fit and what their skills and abilities are, are the most comfortable."

Sell yourself

Park's law firm recently held its 18th annual Northwest Minority Job Fair that included about 250 aspiring lawyers from around the country and 35 employers from the Northwest.

Students select the employers they are most interested in when they register. Fair organizers then make each student a schedule of interviews based on their choices and the employer's availability.

Law is highly competitive, and usually only students with grades in the top 5 to 10 percent of their class land interviews.

Rader said she doesn't fit that category, so the job fair gave her a chance to show employers one her strongest assets: her personality.

"I think they (job-fair coordinators) got me a lot of interviews with people who normally wouldn't have interviewed me," Rader said. "It allowed me to get in front of people and meet them and talk to them."

Like many job fairgoers, she had to learn to overcome nervousness.

"Waiting outside the door for them to call you in, your stomach is in knots," said Rader, who had seven interviews that day. "Once I went inside, the nervousness went away. The people were totally cool and I was very comfortable."

The fair that Rader attended had pre-assigned interview slots while other fairs may be more informal, where employers staff booths and wait for candidates to approach them.

In those situations, candidates should have a list of prospective employers ready and manage their time to meet each one, Pitre said.

Walking up to an employer to introduce yourself can be hard if you're not an extrovert.

Pitre recommends applicants practice 30- to 60-second "commercials" about themselves detailing their experience, skills and career interests.

"It's just not an option to be uncomfortable and not have any confidence," Rader said. "Even if you're really qualified, you have to show that you have people skills. You have to learn to sell yourself, you have to say really nice things about yourself."

So, while confidence is important, job-seekers should make sure they don't tread into arrogance.

"You don't want to walk into an interview like you are already own the firm," Park said.

Details, details

Small gestures such as having a firm handshake, smiling often and maintaining eye contact make a big difference.

Park is turned off by applicants who turn his hand over — he finds that disrespectful — or whose handshakes are weak "fish limp" or "pinch lip," when someone barely grabs his hand with two fingertips.

Another pet peeve: "Interrupting — huge mistake." he said. "It's a good example of someone who neither listens well nor speaks well."

Also, with employers talking to dozens or hundreds of people in a short amount of time, applicants need to be clear and concise.

"If you can capture a concept and communicate it in 10 words, then there's no need to spend 100 words," Park said.

Another detail to keep in mind is appearance. Professional dress is always expected, Pitre said.

More conservative attire is better because a job-seeker's outfit shouldn't distract the interviewer from the conversation.

For lawyers, the general rule is a dark-colored suit.

Rader debated between pants or a skirt, but decided on the more modest pants option.

She purposely wore glasses instead of contacts "to look more intellectual."

"If I'm interviewing, I want to look classy," Rader said. "I don't want them to think I'm a freak or something."

Blanca Torres: 206-515-5066 or btorres@seattletimes.com.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More business & technology headlines...