What is your mission for attending a job fair?

2016-04-27T22:34:02-04:00

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Apr 27 at 2016 10:40 PM

2016-04-27T22:40:27-04:00

I attended one career fair during my transition and it was a great way for me to work on my own professional sales pitch and interview skills. This takes a lot of practice and I definitely crashed and burned a few times ;)

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2016 10:46 PM

2016-04-27T22:46:36-04:00

I agree with Brandon, no matter what happens the interaction is good training. Practicing your pitch, practicing not using military jargon, and practicing interacting with industry professionals is invaluable. Oth than that, really dig into different roles and learn what they're about. I'm transitioning as well and this is one of the most confusing parts of the job hunt for me. Each industry and company can have a variation of what a position does. Good luck!

Response by MSgt Abraham F. Negron made Apr 27 at 2016 11:21 PM

2016-04-27T23:21:00-04:00

The mission should be to communicate my value to the company and how I can contribute to the company and its mission. You have to make it about them and communicate the value you bring effectively.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 28 at 2016 1:11 AM

2016-04-28T01:11:23-04:00

To actually get a job interview other then a we will call you.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 28 at 2016 3:00 AM

2016-04-28T03:00:41-04:00

CW3 Dylan E. Raymond, PHR Plan the mission. Review the organizations that will be there to focus on the companies that you are interested in. Research those companies as to their products and services, culture, and whether you could see yourself at that company. Attend professionally dressed with paper and pen to take notes. Visit those companies that you are interested in and make a good impression.

Response by SSG Kyle Johnson made Apr 28 at 2016 6:50 AM

2016-04-28T06:50:49-04:00

I have participated in several job fairs both as an attendee and as a employer and to have been on both sides of the spectrum I would have to say one of the biggest things I have noticed is that the majority of the time when Soldiers/Marines show up they usually are the more interactive of all patrons. They typically will talk to many of the Hiring Managers while their Civilian Counterparts just mosey around and never really ask questions or even approach the booths.

When I was an attendee to countless of Job Fairs in my transition at first I just walked around talked to employers and never really tried until I realized my peers were passing me up on the civilian side. So I focused on my mission of being able to get a job and sell myself to the best of my abilities. I went in with a portfolio of civilian accomplishments as well as that of my military accomplishments that could help build a character review for the hiring managers in attendance. During these fairs I was able to practice my interview skills as well as my civilian communication approaches as well. I was able to find ways to use my experience as a Infantrymen in Iraq and in Afghanistan as experience to how to work as a team, build team cohesion as well as how I was under stressful conditions and translate them into how they relate to the job(s) i was applying for.

Having that mindset of going in with a mission contributed to my overall success of attending these events however, when I moved to the other side of being the Hiring Manager of the fair I found that same mission mentality was paramount to how successful the fair is going to be for me as a employer. While waiting in the booth i found that it was hard to get individuals to talk with me and many times it seemed like individuals would walk through and then leave and many never appeared to be prepared or even interested in learning about a potential career. I started changing my approach and started to actively search out employees that seemed prepared for a interview or just for a introduction of what my employer was and what working for us could do for them via benefits and some career opportunities that were coming up in the future.

Like everything in life when you don't approach it with a mission or goal you find you rarely ever achieve it.

Response by SP5 Mark Kuzinski made Apr 28 at 2016 7:46 AM

2016-04-28T07:46:20-04:00

Thanks for the post.