Tag Archive for: Job Fairs

Why Your Company Must Attend Hiring Events

Minnesota companies are currently struggling to find workers, especially for skilled laborer jobs. There are currently more jobs available in the state than there are people looking for work.

As an employer, there are a few tools that will help you find the best candidates before your competitor does. A great way to snatch prime candidates quickly is by attending a hiring event. If you’ve never attended a hiring event, here’s why you’re missing out.

Discover a qualified talent pool

The people who attend job fairs are actively seeking work. They attended the event because they are specifically looking to apply to companies like yours. If the hiring event is located in a particular area or has a theme, you narrow your candidate pool and find exactly the candidates you want to hire. Collecting applications from job fairs increase the number of qualified, interested candidates to choose from.

Have a pre-interview with potential employees

First impressions are huge in hiring – for better or for worse. While at a hiring event you may find candidates that you might not have hired on resume alone. You might also realize that someone’s resume and professionalism don’t match. You’ll save time by avoiding scheduling interviews with unqualified candidates. At a hiring event, you’ll meet your favorite candidates and focus your energy on shepherding them through the hiring process. Meeting candidates face-to-face gives you much more information than relying on resumes alone.

Save time and resources

You have many tasks when you post a job opening: write a description, pay to post it on a job site and field questions and resumes from applicants who aren’t qualified. At a hiring event, your advertisement is your table. Instead of collecting a pile of email inquiries, you can talk to interested candidates and answer questions right there. You only need to devote a few hours of staff time to meeting candidates at the event rather than posting online and hoping for the best.

Find diverse candidates

If you attend a job fair aimed at a particular demographic, like students or women, you can easily identify candidates who meet a particular hiring goal. Connecting with young workers early on builds loyalty to your company. If you have internships or apprentice programs you can find young workers eager to start their careers. Attending a hiring event for a particular group, like women in manufacturing, can help you diversify your candidate pool and workforce.

On-the-spot hiring

If you have entry-level positions that you’re eager to fill, hiring events are a great place to meet candidates. Candidates will bring their resume, fill out an application and have a brief interview. You can add several new team members in a few short hours. Both you and the candidate will be pleased with how smooth the process is.

Did you know that Award Staffing hosts hiring events throughout the Twin Cities? That’s more than 50 opportunities a year to connect with qualified candidates. Contact us today to learn more about how your company can join our next event.

Don’t’ Throw Away Job Fairs: Part 2 – Companies

In Part 1 – Candidates, we discussed the benefits of job fairs for candidates, as well as mapping out a program to success. In Part II, we do the same from the company’s perspective.

Companies – Job Fair Benefits

· While job fairs are not by any means the sole or even the top recruiting angle for companies, they can still play an essential role in recruiting. Job Fairs offer companies the opportunity to:
· Meet face-to-face with multiple candidates without specific appointments.
· Meet talent they might otherwise have missed.
· Target specific talent for specific positions.
· Solidify your brand with potential candidates – this is a key opportunity to shine in your industry; to educate job seekers about your company’s brand and culture.
· Increase your level of diversity among potential candidates.
· Network with other corporations.

Companies – Job Fair Success

Gaining a high return on your job fair investment takes strategic planning. From the initial decision to follow-up every step is crucial.

Planning

· Evaluate: What are your recruitment goals? What positions are you seeking to fill? Participate in the fair that best accommodates your hiring needs; that targets the right audience for your company.
· Be proactive in your participation: Where your booth is located will have an impact on how well you do. Negotiate with the job fair
· Choose your team wisely: Choose employees not only understand the job descriptions of your open positions but also will be friendly, confident, and capable communicators who exhibit the company brand and culture.
· Market your participation: Go mobile. Post on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. Encourage your current staff to get involved in spreading the word and inviting both active and passive talent to attend.
· Prepare your questions: Have a clear understanding of the open positions and prepare your questions ahead. Consistency will help you measure candidates.

At the Fair

· Design an attractive booth: Create a space that aligns with your company culture and attracts industry candidates. Prepare recruitment brochures to send with visitors. Have a generous supply of business cards. Create a space for impromptu interviews. Set up equipment for scanning and uploading resumes.
· Get involved: Conduct a mini-seminar or give a talk at a designated time during the fair.
· Give-a-ways: Pass out merchandise gifts. Consider having a drawing for a door prize.
· Be professional: Welcome everyone who stops and treat them with respect. Remember, they are here to learn about your company as much as you are learning about them. Keep communication going both ways. Don’t present a narrow window of requirements to potential candidates.
· Find a balance: You want to talk to as many candidates as possible. You also want to gain enough information from each “interview.” Set a time frame for interviews.
· Take notes: Write notes during each interview and attach them to the candidate’s resume and business card.

Post Fair

· Contact every potential candidate immediately and coordinate the next steps. They stopped at multiple booths – be the open they remember.
· If possible, contact every candidate who talked to one of your staff and left a resume/business card, etc. Even if it’s a standard “We don’t have a place for you” letter, connecting will strengthen your brand.
· Organize an office meeting to discuss the fair. Discuss what went well and what needs to change in the future. Measure your success against your cost. Christina Pavlou, writer and researcher at Workable, suggests you ask the following questions.
· How many candidates did we source during the event?
· How many of them were qualified?
· How many did we interview for our company?
· How many did we hire?
· What was the overall time-to-hire?

While some companies may decide against the Job Fair scene, most will find that with strategic planning, careful delivery, and prompt follow-up, job fairs are beneficial and a vital part of successful recruiting.  Learn how our Recruiting Specialist – Jared Fessler is being effective at Job Fair Recruiting.

If you’re looking to hire the best talent in the business, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to help you find the right employees for your unique business needs. If you’re searching for more tips and trick on how to improve your company’s workforce, check out our hiring solutions blog.

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

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Don’t Throw Away Job Fairs: Part 1 – Candidates

There’s a lot of negative vibes concerning job fairs and other hiring events, and some of the reasoning behind those vibes carry a measure of truth. After all, how many companies can a candidate interact with, in a three to six-hour window? Who wants to put the time an effort into preparation and then travel only to be told to upload their resume online? But wait, maybe the issue isn’t whether to conduct job fairs, but rather how to gain the desired result. Job fairs, both traditional and virtual can be a powerful networking tool when companies and candidates approach them with the right attitude and apply commonsense networking principles.

Candidates – Benefits of Job Fairs

Whether you are looking for a job following college, returning to the workforce after an extended absence, wanting to move forward and upward in your career, or making a career change; networking with potential employers is beneficial. Job fairs are not only a networking event but also an opportunity to:

· Meet with several companies in one location – and compare what they have to offer.
· Learn more about your industry; how it’s changed, what skills are in demand, how industry players are presenting themselves, and the latest job market trends.
· Face-to-face communication and an opportunity to give your elevator speech to company representatives who are typically difficult to reach.
· Stand out as the person behind the resume – getting feedback on your resume, as well as a jumpstart on preliminary screening and interview.
· Interact with the company’s employees and gain insight into the company culture.
· Make connections with and collect contact information for relevant company personnel. (Sometimes these contacts result in a future career opportunity)
· Get the scoop on types of jobs the company offers, qualification requisites, and in some cases, typical salary and benefits.
· Learn about new opportunities for your skill set.
· Take mini-seminars and sit in on panel discussions and talks.

Candidates – Job Fair Success

Yes, there are multiple reasons to attend and benefits to gain, but success is up to you. Output depends on input – and that’s oh-so-true with job fairs. The following steps will help you to succeed.

Preparation

· Obtain a list of the participating companies and prioritize them in the order of importance to you and your career. Starting with the first company on your list, do your The more you know about a company going in, the more you will gain from your conversation with the company representatives. Make a list of the questions you want to ask. Customize your resume to the positions that interest you – and mark them, you certainly don’t want to hand a resume customized for company A to company B.
· Get ready for the job fair in the same way you get ready for an interview.
· Plan your route and leave in enough time to arrive early.
· Be well rested and eat a low carb, protein-rich breakfast.
· Dress professionally – choose cool and comfortable.
· Wear shoes that fit and support
· Keep your load light – a folder of resumes, pen, and paper for notes, your wallet . . . fill in the rest, but keep a short, light list.

At the Fair

· Be confident, professional, and friendly. Smile, keep eye contact and give a firm handshake. Be ready with your elevator pitch but listen to cues; the company representative will often “lead” the conversation.

· Give them your resume as quickly as possible. Communicate your interest and why your experience and skills are a prodigious fit for their company.
· Ask questions that show your knowledge of the company (this is where your research pays dividends) and your interest in working for them.
·  Pay attention to culture cues and share your personality via your communications.
· Treat your connection like a preliminary interview; ask them the next step. Ask for their business card and give them yours – if you have one.

Follow-up

· Follow-up begins immediately – when you leave a company’s booth, take a couple minutes to make notes about your conversation and your impressions. When you get home and try to write 6-10 thank you’s, these notes will be invaluable.
· When you get home – send your thanks immediately. Whether you take the time for handwritten or send emails, do it. This is rarely a time for texts. Thank them for their time, express your interest in going to the next step, and reiterate why you are the right fit for their position.
· Even if you are not interested, send a note of thanks for their time. You never know where your connection may lead to in the future. That’s the beauty of networking.

With committed preparation, focused participation, and swift follow-up, candidates can build their network, gain career advice, and either win a job opportunity or open the door to a future one via Job Fairs. Learn how our Recruiting Specialist – Jared Fessler is helping win with candidates at Job Fairs. In Part 2, we’ll discuss how job fairs are also beneficial for companies.

If you’re looking to hire the best talent in the business, contact Award Staffing. We will be able to help you find the right employees for your unique business needs. If you’re searching for more tips and trick on how to improve your company’s workforce, check out our hiring solutions blog.

 

FINDING YOUR TALENT

Want to learn more about how Award Staffing can help your organization with your staffing and employment needs? Start by providing our team with a few pieces of information about yourself, and we will take care of the rest.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.