Rose and I have both lost our jobs due to this recession that may or may not be over. She has been out of work for much longer than I have, but nonetheless, we are both itching to find good jobs and get back out there. I know that this normally is a photography blog, but I feel that this needs to be put out there.
A few days ago, a friend emailed Rose about a job fair at Longfellows in Saratoga yesterday. All he had was a scan of an advertisement for vendors, telling them that the job fair would be yesterday from 10am til 4pm. I was excited for the chance to possibly get my resume out to a potential employer or two, hoping I could get back to work.
So, I Google “Job fair Longfellows”, “Longfellows job fair”, “Saratoga job fair Longfellows”, and a few other terms to find more info on this job fair, because I like to be prepared. It’s also a good hike to Saratoga from Albany, and I didn’t want to drive all the way up there and waste their time and mine if the jobs were not suitable for me or vice versa. Nothing. Absolutely nothing came up on Google. Wait. One hit. This crappy little blurb on a job fair at Longfellows and a chance to win $100. No listings of participating employers. Who is this job fair for? Were they hiring staff for Longfellows, or were there actual companies in the area looking to hire qualified employees? Who knows?
Either way, I really need a job. So, Rose jumped in the shower, and I got busy ironing my shirt and getting a nice tie to wear with my suit. I am an old school kind of guy. If I were to go for an interview at McDonalds making minimum wage, I would wear a suit and tie. It’s the way it should be.
When we get to Longfellows, there were no signs in the parking lot or on the entryways to the building. We guessed that it would be in the restaurant area, so in we went. We walked in and found our way to the area that held the job fair. There we about 10 or 12 companies in attendance. Well, at least we made an effort. If you don’t go, you don’t know, right?
If I were one of the ten or twelve companies that were there, I would have been very upset that I spent between $400 and $900 for a print and booth package and no one showed up. The advertising for this event was horrible. Huge FAIL!
But, wait. There’s more.
I have also been to quite a few of the job fairs at the Marriott on Wolf Road. They are put together in a much better manner. The Times Union does a great job advertising this event on their site and in print. There are usually 50 plus companies that participate in this job fair. A lot of times, they are the same ones that are there every single time, looking to fill the same exact position they were looking to fill last time. A lot of them are life insurance sales that require you to get licenses and Series this and that. No thanks. To quote Austin Powers “that ain’t my bag, baby!”
Others may be positions I am qualified for, so I drop off my resume and chat them up, hoping I make a good impression. Hopefully, they will like me and call me in for an interview.
As I move about through the job fair, though, I notice lots of things. I am a people watcher. I love watching people and trying to figure out what’s going on in their heads. Let’s go back to my McDonalds comment. I ALWAYS wear a suit to an interview. As I walk through the crowds of people, I see sagging pants, baseball caps, jeans and a menagerie of other things that makes me wonder what the heck is wrong with people. How do you expect to get a job dressed like that? Or, did I miss the memo?
When did it become OK to present yourself as a slob at a job fair? What happened to being respectful?
Another thing that really bothers me about the companies that attend these events is that you go there to meet the potential employers and give them your resume. At a good number of the booths, the companies wont take your resume. You must go to their website and fill out an application online.
Say what? Why are you here? Why did you spend the hundreds of dollars it must cost to be here if you can’t do anything more than chat with people all day? What a waste of money. Here’s an idea – take that money and donate it to a local charity, give a valuable employee a bonus, advertise online, something. Maybe I am missing something, but it just doesn’t make sense to me.
Am I really missing something? Is it just a write-off? Please comment and subscribe. See ya soon…
The World Through My Lens 
Couple of reasons why you’re told to go to a web-site & fill out an application vs submission of your resume on site:
1st reason is so that the rep’s from these companies can remain non-biased. No one can ‘lose’ your resume in favor of a friend of theirs or just cuz they know u & don’t want to work w/you for whatever reason. The Companies protecting itself from discrimination accusations/lawsuits.
2nd The rep for the company at the Job Fair has *nothing* to do w/the H/R dept; has no screening ability, can’t schedule an interview & has no hiring authority. Basically the company has an employee who is somehow affiliated w/the organization sponsoring or advertising the event & due to that; the person who has the relationship attends the job fair on behalf of the business. So don’t take it personally or let it get under your skin.
And if I may add my perspective about job fairs based on info I’ve learned about why potential employers participate in these events:
It’s Free Advertising
2nd: Public Relations
They’re looking for a specific applicant, ie. college grad w/a specific GPA; & normal means of advertising a job opening are not bringing in the desired applicant.
So ditch the suit & tie in favor of a pair of nice dress slacks or khaki’s w/a collared shirt; & save it for the day of the interview.
Thanks for filling in those blanks! It makes a little more sense to me now.
I agree, I wear a suit NO MATTER WHAT (except for my job in retail, in which I got a cute outfit from the store for the interview… figured that’s more like a suit to them than pants and jacket since they are in the business of selling a casual image).
And Kristine, I’ve been to plenty of fairs where they scheduled interviews right on the spot, with the exact people I’m interviewing with! Makes a lot more sense than wasting time with people who aren’t even involved in the hiring process!
Jaci, I agree. I have been to some where they schedule them on the spot as well. I guess maybe some of the larger companies are stepping away from that practice. I would think that the one on one initial interaction would be much more of a relationship builder than just submitting an application online.
Ugh. That sounds really frustrating. So then what is the point of a job fair? And I agree with you on dressing to impress for events like that. At the least it makes you stand out from the saggy pants and baseball cap wearing masses.
Exactly! It seems like morals and work ethic are slowly fading away.
Kristine was headed in the right direction with her first comment but the reason more of your larger companies are not taking resumes at these events is because of EEOC regulations. There has been debate as to whether submitting a resume is a formal application. If so, then companies with government contracts need to provide identifying details of the applicant toward a specific position. Trying to keep track of that at a large event can be rather hairy.
As far as your attire for these events. You will always make a good impression when you dress the part. Typically you want to dress in line or just above how you would dress for the actual position. However, if it’s a professional role in a business casual work place, “SUIT UP” as Barney Stinson would say.
You’ll find a variety of employers at these events but as you noted usually you see the same ones back there each time. That can be a sign and not always a good one. For instance, you likely see a large not-for-profit at the TU each quarter. It’s an employer that is typically dealing with a higher then normal vacancy rate.
Also find events that have a reputable sponsor. If the only marketing you find for something is a 1 inch ad then something may not be right. I’m sure they worked the phones though to get some employers to pay to be at the event.
I work in the field so if I can be of any help feel free to reach out.
Thanks a bunch, Mick. This definitely clears up a few things I was unsure of. What ‘field’ do you work in? Recruiting or job fair event planning?
I work in HR. Spent the better part of the last 4 years focused on recruiting.
I’m going to have to disagree with Kristine on her comment about proper attire at these events. There was a time in my life when I was much younger and used to worry about being too ‘dressed up’ for events like weddings, parties, etc. I recall a comment from my mother… if someone’s going to talk about you, wouldn’t you rather them talk about you for being too formal then looking like a slob? I’ll never forget that and I have followed her advice ever since.
Wear your suit and tie and wear it proudly. I’m pretty sure that if the position was being offered to someone and all elements were equal, you’re going to get it over the guy in the baseball cap and baggy jeans. Good luck in your job search… I’m right behind you.
That is some excellent advice. Your mother was very wise. Good luck to you as well!
Sorry to hear that the job fair at Longfellows was a bust. It sounds like The Saratogian needs to get their act together, and I agree the companies that paid should be upset if turnout was poor due to near-zero publicity.
As for companies not taking your resume at job fairs, I think it’s a horrible practice but I know why they do it: tracking. They use job codes and keyword databases to store your credentials. I think their time would be better spent accepting resumes and sizing up candidates, but it might not work for big companies or companies with a large candidate draw. Still, it’s quite impersonal to talk to someone and redirect them to a web site. Take the resume, OCR it into a database if need be, but don’t redirect someone away after they’ve shown enough initiative to dress up, get out and meet you.
BTW, what companies were at the job fair? I’d given up on them for a while since actual jobs were few and far between, but now that there are more jobs out there (albeit not in my immediate field) it’s time well spent to press some flesh and talk some game.
At the job fair yesterday, the companies were CDPHP, Bellinis, Fidelis Care, The National Guard, The Record, The Gideon Putnam, and a couple others I can’t remember. The only one I can think of the might have even been remotely in your field was CSC. That’s it.
At the Times Union job fairs as of late, the attendance has obviously been down due to the economy. As I stated in the blog, it’s a lot of the same companies that are there every time. To me, it tells me that they are growing incredibly quickly, or they can’t keep employees. I assume the latter is the problem.
I also get frustrated when there are companies at job fairs that tell you that they don’t have any openings, but they’re collecting resumes for their data bank. If I go to a job fair that means I most likely need a job now, not a year from now….
I’m all about dressing nicely. Lola makes a good point, better to be overdressed than to look like a slob….
I look at it this way though, all the slobs that show up at the job fairs make me look REALLY good!!