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Subject:Re: Career Fair etiquette/behavior From:"Dick Margulis " <margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 20 Jun 2003 15:41:09 -0400
Carolee Burgess <caroleeb -at- earthlink -dot- net> asked a well-formed question that is deserving of our considerate response ;-)
>
[snippage]
>
>My question is this: Does anyone know if there is a particular way to
>approach companies at a job fair?
Sell yourself. Express interest in the company. This means that if you have already heard of the company you can say, "I was just fascinated when I read that you're about to launch .... Can you tell me more about that? I'm particularly interested in ...." If you have not heard of the company, you can say, "Your booth caught my eye. The frammis industry has always fascinated me, but I'm not directly involved in it, so I'm not familiar with your company. Could you tell me a little about it?"
Do you treat it like a mini-interview
Yes!
and
>wait for questions,
No! (You ask the first question. Let it be a conversation between equals. They have to sell themselves to you while you are selling yourself to them. Don't be passive.)
or do you have a quick summary of yourself that you
>deliver with your resume?
That's a good approach. "I know a company like yours needs to have great documentation to help you build and market your product. I'd like to talk to you about those needs and see where I can fit in. Who in your company is the best person to speak with about your documentation needs?"
Should I even ask if they're looking for writers?
No. They aren't. You have to tell them that they need writers and make the case for that need. See above.
>This is my first fair (probably of many) and I don't want to violate any
>rules I am not aware of.
>
Dress better than you normally would to go to work. This is the business equivalent of a singles bar and you want people to find you attractive (in a businesslike way, not a sexual way).
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