How do I go about giving an employer my resume at a career fair?
How do I go about giving an employer my resume at a career fair? I have a list of employers I want to talk to and a list of questions for each employer. After they answer my questions, how do I transition to giving them my resume?
Unfortunately, most job fairs are a waste of time. Don’t go with the plan to go from booth to booth handing out resumes like halloween candy. Have a few with you in the event a particular recruiter you like requests your resume.
A better approach, if you think a particular job fair might be beneficial, would be to collect the recruiter’s business cards. Ask lots of questions including what jobs they are filling and qualifications they require. Then go home, customize your resume and cover letter to the job and personally address the recruiter/hiring manager. Email is OK, but I prefer professional grade paper, folders and full size envelopes to help set myself apart.
Joshua
Owner, http://www.UpResume.com
At a job fair, the people at the booth representing that company might ask you for your resume after speaking with them. If that’s the case, just give them your resume. If they don’t ask for your resume then you can transition by saying something like, "Here, let me leave you my resume." If they protest, you can tell them things that are relevant on your resume to the positions they are looking for, etc.
More and more these days, I see companies refusing resumes, saying that the person looking for work should just visit their web sites and upload their resumes and cover letters that way instead.