Concerts and conversations with your mom have gone virtual,and so have career fairs. If you’re looking for a new gig, you can’t really beat the access these events give you for some informal one-on-one time with a recruiter. But as you probably know, the competition is stiff, so you’ll need to step up your game to stand out. Here are some expert tips that might help.
- Perfect Your Resume. Chris Salzman runs virtual career fairs forCareerBuilderand says “your résumé should be up to date, one page, concise, and relevant to the position.” Keep in mind that these online job gatherings usually have multiple recruiters from within one company hanging out. If your resume is stellar, but the person you're talking to doesn’t think you're the right fit for them, they could slide you to their colleague who you’d be perfect for.
- Communicate effectively.Much of the chatting you’ll be doing at a virtual career fair will be done over a messenger, but don’t fall into the trap of using short answers like you’re texting a buddy. Take your time and give answers to questions like you would if you were meeting in person. It might help to have some go-to on-the-job stories that highlight your skills ready to fire off.
- Do your research.According to Salzman, “when you understand the organization you’re meeting with and the positions they’re hiring for, you can start to weave that information into your dialogue.” So in a way, doing your research before the virtual career fairis like going out on a date with someone while having a cheat sheet of all their interests.It’s sure to impress.
Check out more info on how virtual career fairsHERE.
Source:Fast Company