Tag: Bilingual Job Fair
Q: I just recently interviewed an impressive candidate who had the experience and right qualifications for a job my company posted on BilingualJobFair.com . The candidate proposed a salary that was 25% higher than I wanted to offer, but within my budget. Should an employer stick with their offer to save the company money or accept a candidate’s salary proposal? Anne
A: Your question is an easy one for me to answer. When a candidate impresses you and you feel this is the right person for the job; then you need to view it as an investment and not a cost. If the candidate turns out to be an exceptional hire and works at the company for many years, you will be glad you made the initial investment. My advice would be to go ahead and hire this impressive candidate now before you lose him or her to your competitor.
March 10, 2010
We’ve all heard the common saying, “Dress for the job you want”. This is an important idea to remember when attending a job fair, and should help you avoid the last common mistake on my list:
Mistake #3: Inappropriate attire
Too many times, I’ve seen job seekers attend job fairs dressed too casually to make a good first impression. When getting dressed for a job fair, where you may meet your next employer, do not make the same clothing choices that you would if you were going to the mall or to a concert. The more professional you look, the better the impression you will make. The opposite is also true.
My advice: when dressing to attend a job fair, select apparel that does not detract from your professional image. Here are some guidelines that you can follow.
For men:
Acceptable options for men (cleaned and ironed, of course):
• A suit, including a jacket & a tie
• A blazer and a nice pair of pants, with no tie
• A nice pair of pants, and a nice shirt, with no tie
With all of these options, clean, polished shoes are your best bet.
Clothing to avoid:
• Jeans
• T-shirts
• Sneakers or other casual shoes
For women:
Acceptable options for women (cleaned and ironed, of course):
• A suit (a jacket with matching pants or skirt)
• A dress
• A blouse and a nice pair of pants
Clothing to avoid:
• Dresses and skirts that are shorter than knee-length
• Transparent or tight-fitting clothing
• Low necklines
• Jeans
• T-shirts
• Sneakers or other casual shoes
Note: If choosing to wear perfume, it should not be strong. Keep the accessories simple, including simple earrings, rather than large dangling ones. The idea is to keep the focus and attention on your credentials, not on your appearance. Your attire should help you create the impression of being a professional and should not be a distraction.
December 11, 2009
In addition to not bringing family members with you to a job fair, you should take extra care to avoid this job fair mistake as well:
Mistake #2: Attending without (or with too few) printed resumes
The resume is essential to a job seeker’s success at a job fair. It is the introduction their credentials, their work experience, attributes and qualifications. (For more on resumes, click here.) A job seeker attending a job fair without copies of a resume to hand to prospective employers is equivalent to a baseball player stepping up to home plate and facing a pitcher to hit a ball without a bat. Don’t hurt your chances at a home run by making this mistake!
My advice: don’t leave home without plenty of copies of your resume! It is better to have more copies than you think you’ll need than not enough. Bring a folder or briefcase with you to the job fair to keep your printed copies organized and looking neat. (More on this here.) You don’t want to miss a single opportunity.
December 10, 2009
This week we will continue to cover job fairs, specifically mistakes that I have seen job candidates make at job fair events. When job seekers make any of these mistakes, I believe that they cut their chances of getting a follow up interview with the companies participating at the job fair.
Mistake #1: Taking family members to the job fair.
Believe it or not, I have seen this a dozen times. In some cases, the job candidate may not have someone to watch his or her young kids the day of the job fair, and they decide to bring the kids along. Or they bring Mom with them for company and moral support. Simply put, it is unprofessional and will not make a good first impression with any company. I’ve even seen people with strollers at job fairs — definitely not the best presentation of professional demeanor. From an employer’s perspective, if a job seeker is unable to find someone to take care of their kids the day of the job fair, it may give the impression that they will not have enough freedom to come to work every day, or that they have too many responsibilities at home to be able to perform well at work. Taking Mom along also gives the impression that the job seeker lacks confidence, and may not be able to independently manage the responsibilities that the position entails. My recommendation: to make the most of the job fair day, leave family members at home. Attend the job fair on your own, as you would the first day at a new job.
Read this post for more information about how to prepare for a job fair, and check back tomorrow for the next mistake to avoid.
December 9, 2009
You made a good impression on the recruiters at the job fair and did your best to communicate your serious interest in finding a new career. You came prepared for the event, dressed professionally, and were confident, positive and polite. Now it’s time to follow up.
For the job openings that appealed to you most and fit best with your skills and experience, it is important to take the time to send a follow up email to the recruiter who you spoke with. Say that you enjoyed speaking with them and learning about their company. Reiterate that you would like the opportunity to take the next step to move the process forward – with a formal interview if appropriate. You can also inquire about other opportunities in the company if the position that you discussed wasn’t the best fit for you.
Remember, attending job fairs is a great way to make all sorts of connections. You may find the perfect job opening, or make a contact in another area of a company that interests you, or even learn of employment opportunities from other job fair attendees. Make your best effort to make a good impression, make the most of the day, and you may find your next great job.
(Start your job search now at BilingualJobFair.com, and don’t forget to sign up to be notified of future Bilingual Job Fair events in your area. Click here to sign up!)
November 25, 2009
You arrive at the job fair prepared, looking great, feeling positive — you are ready to start meeting companies. What now?
It’s time to make your plan for how to make the most of the day. As soon as you walk into the job fair, pick up a program. Review the map which shows where each participating employer is located and make some decisions about which companies you want to meet the most. Depending on the number of people at the job fair, you may be fighting through crowds, but your first objective should be to meet with your top 5 or 10 companies.
Approach your top companies one by one. Use the introduction you practiced as a way to begin a conversation about the positions each company currently has available, and the qualifications they are seeking. Offer a copy of your resume (and cover letter if you have one) and give a quick summary of your qualifications, being sure to touch on those that match the credentials they are looking for. Before you leave that booth, make sure you have expressed your interest in the position, thank the recruiter for their time and find out what you need to do to get a more formal job interview with the company.
After you have met with all of your top companies, take a break. Take a moment to drink some water and/or eat a little something. Take another look at the job fair program and booth map, and pick out your second tier of companies. Use the time you have left to visit the booths of your “B List” to make sure you are taking advantage of every opportunity to make a connection with a potential employer. By the time you have completed your secondary list, the job fair may be coming to an end. You should leave the event with a good understanding of what each of your top companies is looking for, ready to follow up with the companies that appealed to you the most.
Next: After the Job Fair: Following Up
November 23, 2009
Attending a job fair is a great opportunity for a job seeker to meet and connect with recruiters from many different companies in one location. Job fairs are usually one-day events held at large venues like coliseums or hotel conference rooms, and give job seekers the chance to make a good impression face-to-face with prospective employers.
If you have never been to a job fair, it helps to know what to expect. Booths are set up for the participating employers, and each employer has recruitment representatives available to hand out materials and speak with job candidates about the positions that are available at their company. There may also be additional resources available, such as copy centers and scheduled seminars, as well as an area designated as an “interview zone” for recruiters and candidates to speak in a more private setting.
Regardless of whether you attend a job fair that is broadly focused, or one that is designed for candidates with a specific type of specialty or skill, you will need to make a memorable impact on recruiters to make the most of these connections. It is important to make a good first impression in person, and to do so you will need to put some effort into preparing and planning for the event. At our Bilingual Job Fair Events, the most successful connections between bilingual candidates and companies seeking bilingual employees are made when candidates come prepared.
Next up: Preparing to Attend a Job Fair.
(Don’t forget to sign up to be notified of future Bilingual Job Fair events in your area. Click here to sign up!)
November 18, 2009
Before companies sign up to participate in our events, they usually ask us “What is different about the Bilingual Job Fair?” We don’t have just pipe and drape in a nice hotel room, and link candidates and companies. We try to go the extra mile for candidates and companies.
1.We have our Bilingual Job Fairs at coliseums, because we need a little more space than a regular job fair.
2. We partner with a copy center at each location and offer free resume printing and literature printing for the participating companies.
3. We have ‘interviewing zones’. Let’s say that a prospective employer likes a candidate and wants to talk to him or her in a more private setting, we can accommodate that, since there’s an area specifically designed for more private interviews.
4. We offer free seminars at our Bilingual Job Fairs, like “How to Dress for a Job Interview and Make a Good First Impression”, “Interviewing Tips”, “Do’s & Don’ts in a Job Interview”, “Resume Building”, and other job hunting subjects.
5. We offer free parking at the coliseums for all of the attendees, and make certain that the candidates do not have to pay a cent for anything.
We like to go the extra mile and think beyond the norm to make the best connection with people. I hope that someday you can join us at a Bilingual Job Fair and see what I mean when I say “We want to be more than just a job fair.”
June 25, 2009
When we brainstormed for our Bilingual Job Fair slogan, we came up with a couple of dozen good choices, and in the end, we selected “Changing Lives” because that’s what we all wanted to do. Our goal has always been to connect good bilingual candidates with great companies. From the stories we’ve heard in the last couple of years, I would say that we have been successful.
Following are a couple of stories, where we ‘changed lives’. First, I will share a story of a bilingual candidate. Then, I’ll share a story about a major US company, which was having a hard time finding qualified bilingual employees.
The first story is about the bilingual candidate, seeking employment, at one of our Bilingual Job Fair events. I was being interviewed by a local radio station, and I noticed this young man watching the interview, while I was talking live on the air. When we completed the interview, the young man approached me and said: “I just asked in the registration area who was the creator and organizer of this great event, and they told me that it was you. Is that correct?” I said, “Yes, how can I help you?” The young gentleman proceeded to thank me for putting the event together, for the great idea – and for thinking of the bilingual people of the world. He spoke English and Spanish and was American. I told him that based on the responses I had received, that I was glad to have done it. Then I asked him, not expecting the response I would get, “Well, did you get yourself a job today?”
To my surprise, he said “As a matter of fact, I just did.” And he was smiling big. At first, I thought that he was kidding and I asked him “Are you serious?” And he said “Yes, I start training next Tuesday”…at _____ (he mentioned one of the major banks in the US). When I realized that he wasn’t joking, I couldn’t help myself but to give him a congratulatory hug.
That night, I was exhausted, after being up for 19 straight hours; and I thought to myself “It was all worthwhile. Many candidates connected with companies and some even found new jobs today. We did help that gentleman’s life.”
Another story that I heard relates to a major telecommunications company in the USA. The HR manager told me that in the previous year, they had spent something like ten (or twenty) thousand dollars while trying to locate and hire bilingual employees. She said that at the Bilingual Job Fair, it took her two hours to have the same number of qualified applicants than it did the whole previous year put together. Then she said, “You let us know of future Bilingual Job Fairs and we will be there.”
When we hear stories like these, we realize that we are truly ‘changing lives’. That recruiter’s life had just become easier. The young gentleman might have found his dream job. Yes, we are ‘changing lives’ – and our team wouldn’t have it any other way.
June 25, 2009
