Job Fairs

In economic climates that demand skill and ingenuity from people seeking to remain within the labor market or looking for an initial entry into it, one of the most important and potentially useful tools for the job seeker exists in the form of job fairs. By allowing face-to-face contact between the prospective employee and employer that cannot be afforded through other, remotely conducted methods for interviewing and selection, a job fair can offer a valuable and useful experience to both people searching for their ideal career opportunities and companies seeking to find the best employees for helping them maintain and strengthen their brand. Like any other aspect of the process of navigating through the labor market, however, job markets carry with them their own set of challenges and potential pitfalls, and job seekers looking to make the best impression on hoped-for employers and trying to avoid wasting time and energy funneled into the job-search process should be aware of the right attitude and most helpful expectations to carry to a job fair.

During the economic downturn sparked by the financial difficulties experienced in 2008, the number of attendees at job fairs has been observed rising rapidly as greater numbers of professionals are placed out adrift in the labor environment and forced to compete against each other. Though a well-organized job fair is prepared to take in and serve large numbers of hopeful job applicants, some events since the beginning of the recession have found their services adversely affected by the large numbers of people attending and in one instance reported to media have been compelled to turn away would-be attendees. Because of this observed phenomenon, making the resolution simply to show up at scheduled job fairs with resume in hand and answers to likely questions in mind may no longer meet the bill for the needs of job seekers. Job fairs have been reported to fill close to capacity early in the day, with the earliest attendees to a job fair getting the first shot at speaking to recruiters and making a professional impression on them. A crowded job fair environment may present a less conducive setting for hopeful job applicants to locate likely sources of employment and investigate them at leisure.

Even more practical ramifications of attending a job fair is raised by the spike in attendance. Driving to job fairs that lie beyond walking distance can present another stumbling block for the job seeker, as the large numbers attracted to a job fair event can hold up traffic and put parking spaces at a premium. At one event that was widely reported in the media, the Project Economy Job Fair, held in New Hampshire, traffic heading toward the event caused delays and quickly took up all of the parking spaces provided. Organizers of job fairs should be aware of the likelihood of projected numbers being quickly exceeded, as at the New Hampshire event, which attracted twice the number of expected attendees in its first two hours.