Job Fairs are a Waste of Time

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who has landed an offer as a result of attending a job fair.  You know the kind I mean.  You show up with a few dozen copies of your resume and are herded down lines of look-alike booths hosted by companies you’ve never heard of, collecting handouts and brochures in a plastic bag.   

I remember to going to one job fair in New York City just after I graduated from college.  At the time, I thought it was a good opportunity to network with corporate executives, except I didn’t realize that the people who typically work job fairs are low-level human resources or recruitment staffers who are just looking to get through the day and add a few hundred names to the database.

Perhaps job fairs are good sources of company information, but today, couldn’t you just get that online, without having to waste time getting all dressed up and commuting out to some convention hall?  And in terms of meeting people who work at the organization and are in a position to hire you, wouldn’t you be better off going to a relevant conference or setting up an informational interview? 

I look at attending a job fair the same way I look at posting your resume online and just sitting back and waiting for something to happen.  You can tell yourself that you’re looking for a job by doing these things, but if you want to locate viable opportunities that will result in interviews at the very least, you’re going to have to get a whole lot more active.  An active strategy includes researching specific companies that do the work you’re interesting in pursuing, and then using personal contacts or online channels to get yourself introduced to the right people in the organization.  

 

 

Comments

[Kevin@OutOfYourRut]

Job fairs can look impressive, but the only thing they seem to offer for the most part are sales jobs. You don't need to go to a job fair for that!

It's almost akin to going to a bar looking for a date--the prospects are there, but so is the competition. Plus, you can never be sure how serious any of the prospects are or exactly what they're looking for.

If you're unemployed and have the time, go for it--what the heck. But there are better places to look.

Good post.