The Karnataka government held a two day job fair in February 2024 that went by the name BruhatUdyogaMela-YuvaSamriddhiSammelana 2024. It provided more than 1 lakh job opportunities for candidates from over 600 reputed companies that included Toyota, Wistron, Infosys, Schindler India, HDFC Bank, Biocon, Mahindra Aerospace, Molex India, Maini Precision Products, TATA Group and others as per official sources.

Although, attending a career fair does not guarantee a job to a candidate but with the correct networking skills, one is able to understand the primary objectives that need to be fulfilled tolay the foundation of a promising career.  Career fairs are becoming more and more candidate oriented and are also being conducted online, for candidates to gain knowledge about the opportunities that are arising in the sectors they are interested in.

“Around 9,650 people got spot placement against the total 43,000 registered for the mega two-day job fair ‘YuvaSamrudhiSammelana’ on February 26 and 27 in Bengaluru”, said SharanPrakashPatil, Medical Education and Skill Development and Livelihood Minister, Karnataka.

It is high time when candidates must concentrate on the skills that can land them on their dream job in career fairs. Let us delve deeper into this and understand the primary objectives that candidates need to fulfill in order to gain the most out of the career fairs they attend.

Networking with HRs

An organization’s hiring team has become the first point of contact for a candidate at a career fair. The candidate is able to get acquainted with an HR representative, a recruiter or the hiring manager of the company who are generally responsible for the outcome of the first round of interview in the interview process. Here, the goal of the candidate is not only to get recruited on the spot. One needs to first introduce themselves to the hiring team, describe a little about their professional goals and capabilities and make sure to gather the contact information of the concerned HR department. This gives the candidate the very opportunity to start building a dream career as being hired by the right employer can open new opportunities for candidates.

To give an example, it is the primary duty of the candidate to research on the organizations that will set up their recruitment desks at any given career fair. Candidates need to shortlist the companies that they are interested in and try to get enquired with them having prior information about the job vacancies that they are suitable for.

“If networking is the easiest and most pleasant way to make a job change, then building and nurturing professionally relevant networks is the lifeblood of your career—and ongoing economic stability”, mentioned Martin Yate, Career Coach & CEO, Martin Yate’s Knock Em Dead.

Preparing for a Career Fair

Here, a candidate always needs to keep in mind to create a good first impression in front of the recruiter. Staying informed and confident plays a key role in this regard. While attending a career fair, a candidate needs to check on a few touch points like being well dressed, carry multiple copies of their CV and also prepare a pitch or two that can a start a meaningful conversation with the recruiter. Though these, a candidate is able to create a clear view of perspectives that need to be achieved at a career fair.If a candidate is able to create a good first impression with the recruiter that greatly impact on the decision of providing the employment opportunity.

In this regard, preparing customized resumes for selected recruiters can help candidates build a good first impression with an organization. Prior research about the organizations needs to be done by a candidate which they can use to showcase how they can be valuable to an organization by aligning with its core operations.

Preparation is to achieve success in a career fair. Going to one and interacting with recruiters is the final step which can give desired results only if a candidate is properly prepared for it. It is just like what a great man once said.

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."— Abraham Lincoln

Standing Out

A company representative sees hundreds of potential candidates at just one career fair. It is hard to admit but eventually all of it becomes white noise. In fact, it can become a real life scenario that candidates get worried about becoming faceless names in the crowd.One needs to stand out in some way in this regard to attract attention of a prospective employer. The initiatives can include dressing nicer than the standard dress code asks for and highlighting career honors and awards in a resume. A candidate needs to implement as many good practices possible that can make them stand apart from the other candidates at a career fair.

To give an example, the preparation of a good elevator pitch can be helpful in initiating a positive interaction. Research on the requirements of a prospective employer is necessary here. It helps a candidate prepare a pitch that associates the skill set of the candidate and the organizational goals of the company.

"It’s not what you sell that matters as much as how you sell it!” Brian Halligan, CEO, HubSpot

Apart from the above, there are a few other skills that candidates can look into acquiring in order to make the most of a career fair. These include establishing communication with HR departments of organizations post the event and keep a track of the vacancies that are becoming available there. Today, candidates have become more vigilant about the industry requirements and are trying innovative methods to stand out and get recruitment by employers.