What is Your Job Search Advantage?

A couple weeks ago there was a local job fair at an accredited college in the Cleveland, Ohio area. This job fair made local news because they were highlighting the change in how job fairs operate. Many of the job seekers had brought with them several resumes to drop off at each booth they were interested in. This may sound traditional to you but on this day, many of the employers were not interested in taking the resumes but instead, directing the job seekers to their website to apply online.

My reactions on this scenario were felt for both sides:

Employers
Understandably, companies want to get the word out about their job openings and not have to spend a lot of money to do it. Many job fairs are nominally priced or don't charge anything to set up a booth, so this can be a great way to advertise your company on a small budget. Be aware that there are other "hidden" costs associated with a job fair, such as the opportunity cost of your employees' productivity time. This could be quite expensive if you are sending multiple staff to cover the job fair. However, the advantage to sending your employees to work a job fair is having the opportunity to meet with job seekers first hand and save time on setting up interviews of candidates that look good on paper but lack the company's brand or fit that is needed. It is not a good use of time to use a job fair only to advertise for the company or position openings, posting on your web page, or online job boards can cost a lot less. If a company is truly hiring, accepting the resumes and jotting down notes (on a memo pad to stick on resumes-DON'T write your comments on the resume for legality reasons) will save you a lot of time when looking to fill a position. The job seeker can also be directed to to the website to apply online. When receiving their online application you can then refer back to your initial meeting with them at the job fair.

Job Seekers
It is not as simple as just putting on your "interview clothes" and bringing copies of your resume to a job fair these days. Even before the recession, you needed to stand apart from your competition. With our current economy, you are competing among many other job seekers for the same position. Many companies are going to online applications because they do not have the time to sort through a stack of hundreds or sometimes, thousands of resumes to fill one position! Ask yourself, what are you doing to separate yourself from the others in your job search or job fair experience? I would encourage you to take into consideration your personality and if it doesn't lend itself to being very creative, talk with some friends/family who are. Some examples of standing apart from the crowd can be:

• Showcase your resume differently on paper (use landscape, different size, finish, or weight paper)
• Instead of using a "traditional" resume, put together a work profile piece that could fit on a postcard and include your picture on it
• Put together a free or inexpensive business card that has your contact information and position you are seeking (this is great if they are not taking resumes because you can just hand them your card)
• Personalize your resume's aesthetics-don't just use the traditional format offered through a resume making system or online template

There are many more ways you can stand apart, you just need to think outside the box. You also need to consider the position or industry you are looking to get a position in. Someone looking to hire a machinist may not be looking for a creative card with your picture on it but an employer looking to hire a CAD Designer might be!