Job Fairs or Job Fairy Tales?

Today's job fairs seem anything but "fair" to me.

Have you noticed lately how every local TV news report has a weekly segment on a career or job fair? The footage may as well be recycled week after week: the camera pans over a long line wrapping around a corner. Then the reporter (always with surprise and a newsworthy sense of self-importance -- almost as if he's breaking a story as hot as Lewinsky and Clinton) marvels over the record attendance.

Is this really news? My God, half the country is unemployed, and people are lining up thinking they might land a job. Surprise! Someone give that reporter a raise.

My absolute favorite part is when the reporter corners one of the attendees and gets her to talk about how she plans to stand out from the crowd.

Oh no, wait, this is the best part: then that same person talks on camera about how she's now begun to make friends in the job fair lines because they all recognize one another from the previous week's job fair. Hmmm... it might be time to reevaluate that whole "standing out from the crowd" strategy.

Sadly, these unemployed job fair attendees have become like lottery ticket addicts. I think your chances of landing a job at a career fair and winning the jackpot are about the same. The unemployed have become regulars, spending their hours, and then their days, waiting on lines to attend these job fairs.

Sometimes, when the fair is designed for a more upscale crowd, the sponsor will disguise it as a "networking event." Then there are Speed Job Fairs, which probably have the same success rate of speed dating, I would guess. I even saw one of the big network morning shows holding a job fair. What group is next? Job fairs for the left-handed, job fairs for blondes, job fairs for smokers...

Do you know anybody that has actually landed a job from a career fair? Really, think about it. Do you? If so, I would love to hear from you or them.

Just think...if the same companies paying all this money to present and recruit at these job fairs didn't go and instead saved the money they spent on the booth, marketing materials, and transportation costs, they would have more money to hire more workers!

America, help me understand: why in the world would any company today need to pay for a booth at a job fair to find employees when there are so many people looking for work? People are sending their resumes to these same companies in droves every day. Can anyone explain this to me? Please e-mail me with your thoughts.

Here's another gimmick that the sponsors of these fairs are doing: I've noticed that today's job fairs are equal opportunity capitalist (rip-offs). These same companies who pay to solicit at job fairs seem to be bullied into not only showcasing their company at a booth at a "regular" career fair, but also at specialized fairs. Some clever marketing genius created these fairs to be politically correct. I'm sure these are huge revenue makers for the fair creators. They are designed to lure specialized groups of the unemployed: women, African-Americans, the LGBT community, and recent grads. Hmmm... so gay people need their own job fair in order to find a job? What's the difference between these fairs and a mainstream job fair?

I have also recently noticed that "executive" job fairs (for 100K+ jobs) sometimes masquerade as "networking receptions" that turn out to be marketing events for an Internet job search site. Hmm, who do you think benefits the most from these fairs? The job seekers? Yeah...right.

Granted, misery loves company, but I'm guessing that the sponsors of these fairs are the only ones making millions. Oh, and also the speakers, and the venue renting out the space. But not the job hunters.

Look, half of the people in our country are looking for a job. Nothing should be overlooked, from networking (the most overused word during high unemployment times) and online search engines to -- yes -- even job fairs. However, these fairs should be taken at face value.

The real trick to make the best use of your time if you're looking for work? My advice is to approach those companies that don't appear to be looking. Just like every employee has had a boss that he can't stand, every boss has an employee she doesn't like. The boss may not have the nerve to fire that employee until the perfect replacement comes along... and that could be you. So don't limit your search to those companies that are "looking" -- get your resume in front of everyone.

This tip is among 50 secrets in my book Bulletproof Your Job (HarperCollins) to keep your job or find a new one.

Another secret if you're unemployed is to offer yourself to employers on a "per-project" or "temp" basis (but avoid the word "consultant"). Think about it: "hires" always come down to a decision between two or more final candidates. If you are unemployed and confident you can do the job, you have nothing to lose by taking some pressure off the hiring authority and suggesting that they basically "try you out" for 60 days. Whether the job is entry-level or executive, what hiring manager would not hire a finalist with the option to just try them out, no strings attached? It's like leasing a car instead of buying! I'm told by readers of my book who have tried this technique that 95% of them go on to land a permanent job at the place where they "auditioned" for 60 days. There you go, another secret from my book, Bulletproof Your Job, and my website: www.bulletproofyourresume.com.

Whether you're applying for a temporary or permanent position, make sure you have a good resume. I create resumes for job seekers, whether you are a mom returning to work, the over-50 candidate, or even the college senior who wants to get an internship. But unlike the other services out there, a "Bulletproof" resume is not just the paper, it is the process. Your resume comes with two personal phone consultations with me, Stephen Viscusi, before and after I do the resume. But enough advertising: this is a column, not a commercial.

Sure, my strategies for landing a job are a bit gimmicky.

As I tell you in my book, during a recession, you need an extra edge to separate you from the other final candidates.

Stephen Viscusi is the author of Bulletproof Your Job (HarperCollins) and founder of BulletproofYourResume.com. For more of his secret tips and strategies to keep or land a job, visit him at www.bulletproofyourresume.com or e-mail him at [e-mail].

Comments

[John Varlaro]

"Just think...if the same companies paying all this money to present and recruit at these job fairs didn't go and instead saved the money they spent on the booth, marketing materials, and transportation costs, they would have more money to hire more workers!"

Very true - I was at a fair with a friend, and was appalled that some companies were not even accepting resumes, and were rather directing candidates to apply online. What a waste of company resources., as well as time for candidates.

In my recent article discussing this topic, "Job Fair Tips for Companies?" I explore the opportunity that job fairs provide to employers, as well as take jabs at companies who do not.. Please consider further discussion/my response at my website- www.thehumanisticstrategist.com

[KaliSophia]

Dear Stephen,

I could not agree with you more. As a graduate student, I recently attended one of those job fairs for college students. Around 90 percent of all the employers listed were only looking for internships, and a few even specifically mentioned that the interns had no chance of being hired immediately following their internships, since the companies had long-term hiring freezes! The companies tried to market it as great networking experience, but essentially they were all just looking for free work. That might be ok for an undergrad, but for a grad student with 70,000 in debt, that's pretty scary.
Thanks again for not jumping on the job fair bandwagon.

[Stephen Viscusi - Huffpost Blogger]

Truer words cannot be spoken. I couldn't have planted a better reply myself!

Thanks for your comment and I'd love to hear how your job search progresses. Best of luck to you.

Stephen Viscusi
[e-mail]
www.BulletproofYourJob.com
www.BulletproofYourResume.com

[Louis Stemmler]

Stephen. I got a job from a women for hire job fair 6 months ago and my sister made many valuable contacts when she attended with me. Job fairs are very valuable networking events.

[Stephen Viscusi - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for reminding me about Women for Hire. They have job expos and they are an excellent resource. Tory Johnson is a real pro and if you were ever to find at a job fair, hers would certainly be the one.

It might interest you to know that so far, I have received over 600 direct emails about this subject, and not one person but you so far has admitted to landing a job. Good for you and Bravo, Women for Hire!

Stephen Viscusi
[e-mail]
www.BulletproofYourResume.com
www.BulletproofYourJob.com

[jdevans]

Often the job fairs don't advertise what companies and positions they're looking to fill will be at the job fair. So they get hordes of people attending the fair only to find out there's no jobs for which they're interested or qualified.

[Stephen Viscusi]

Thank you for your email.

I hate to say, “don’t attend them,” but I just do think it’s a gimmick in which people are profiteering off of. Candidates are just wasting time that they could be using to contact companies themselves.

Please visit www.BulletproofYourResume.com

Best,
Stephen

Stephen Viscusi
America's Workplace Guru
Direct Office: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

[JobExchange]

Stephen - I would encourage your readers to see my "Open Letter to Human Resources Leadership". http://plasticskyscraper.wordpress.com/

The time has come to make dramatic changes in the process companies use to hire people. While recruiters are overwhelmed with applicants, they need a solution to manage the tsunami of candidates and applications.

These days, a "good resume" isn't enough, and the cattle calls of job fairs is costly and inefficient. Recruiting technology is now overused and, as a result, highly flawed. As a result, the best people are never seen and remain unemployed.

[Stephen Viscusi]

P.S. Funny how we haven’t heard from anyone yet who’s gotten a job from one of these fairs.

-Stephen

Stephen Viscusi
America's Workplace Guru
Direct Office: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

[marykennedy]

Stephen, you are right on target, as always! Many of these job fairs have an "American Idol" quality to them, with hundreds or thousands of wanna-bes competing for a handful of jobs. Does anyone really find a job at these things? In my work as a psychologist, I see my clients coming away from the experience more demoralized and disheartened than ever. I recommend your book, BulletProof Your Job, to all my clients and I have two copies in the waiting room. It's practical advice they can use immediately and I've heard loads of positive comments on it. You're helping a lot of people, keep up the great work! Mary Kennedy

[Stephen Viscusi]

Thank you for your support, Mary. Is this Mary Kennedy, famous thriller mystery writer? Distant relative from the Kennedy clan? I’m sure it is. Thank you.

Stephen Viscusi
America's Workplace Guru
www.BulletproofYourResume.com
Direct Office: [phone]
[e-mail]