The Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona is hosting the annual Hospitality Career Expo on Feb. 19. The Career Expo only takes place between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., but there are 68 hospitality and service companies participating in this event. If a student wants to meet with the managers or recruiters from every single company on the list, he or she would only have three minutes or less for each one.
In a career fair like this, how can a job-seeker or a student stand out from other candidates for a job opportunity? The following checklist may help.
Study and rearrange the company list.
Before the career fair, job-seekers should thoroughly study the company list and group the companies into three categories: "dream employers," "potential employers" and "employers with not much interest." During the career fair, job-seekers must make it their top priority to speak with the managers or recruiters of their dream employers. Only after they finish visiting their dream employers, they may check out the potential employers, followed by the employers with not much interest.
Prepare 30+ copies of resumes.
First of all, a resume must be "perfect," with no typos and grammar mistakes, because it should have been critiqued many times before. Then, it must be printed on high-quality resume paper, or at least clean paper.
Purchase a portfolio.
Keep five copies of your resume in the portfolio, together with a clean notepad and a pen. The candidate can leave the other 25+ copies in a handbag. Job-seekers need to take notes so that they can follow up with a manager or recruiter after the event.
Purchase a nicely-cut business outfit.
Having a nice outfit will help a candidate build a very good first impression to an employer. The key is to have a nice dress that fits. Please note that it is unnecessary to wear any designer clothes or carry any designer handbags. Job-seekers must dress in conservative business attire, but at the same time, they should not "show off" their designer’s collections. What would a recruiter think if he or she sees a candidate carrying a $5,000 handbag, but interviewing for a job that pays for $3,000 a month?
Maintain a "clean" look
For men, a clean look means a nice haircut, shaved or trimmed beard, clean hands and nails, and no excess jewelry. For women, it means light makeup, nicely-done hair, clean hands, nails with no extraordinary colors or designs, and no excess jewelry.
Practice self-introduction.
A job-seeker only has one or two minutes to introduce himself or herself. So, a good self-introduction is incredibly important to create an "exceptional" first impression.
Prepare a few questions to ask the recruiters.
Write down a few questions that are related to your dream employers and at the same time demonstrate you qualifications for the job. For example, a managerial candidate for a hotel or restaurant can ask a question about what the company's strategies are in responding to a new trend, or questions to get to know the recruiter better.
Keep the schedule open for the whole day and show up early.
Do not schedule to work before or after a career fair. I have seen students not wanting to participate in a career fair just because they "had to" work to support themselves, or they "had to" work right after the fair. Think about it. That could be a life-changing day for job-seekers. There is really no excuse for not showing up in a career fair. Likewise, it is unwise to schedule to work right after a career fair. What if a recruiter wants to invite all candidates to an info session or a reception in the evening?
Follow up after the fair.
Send a recruiter or manager a thank you note or email to remind them who a job-seeker is. A thank you note also gives a job-seeker an additional opportunity to express his/her interest in the company.
Are you ready now? Good luck in the career fair!
