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Employers Maximize Job Fair Success By Reaching Out Early

We all know it, and we’ve all probably said it. To make a job fair successful, job seekers need to do their homework and prepare ahead of time. But to be fair, good employers need to understand that this advice goes both ways.

For employers, the key to a successful recruitment event is not based on cool trinkets or how flashy the signs are behind your table. The key to a successful job fair is making a connection with the right people. And in this hyper competitive market for cleared talent, it’s not enough to sit around and wait. You need to be proactive. Here then are a few things to consider.

1. Tell people what you’re looking for. At a Cleared Job Fair® we’ll publicize the positions you’re looking to fill in an effort to help drive the right job seekers to the right events. While listing job titles is a good start, including the clearance level and general location of the positions is even better. Cleared Job Fairs are not cattle calls of job seekers meandering the room in search of a handout. We attract high quality, in-demand cleared talent. Telling people what you need ahead of time helps non-qualified people opt out of approaching your booth, allowing you to spend more time with the right candidates.

2. Reach out ahead of time. A few days prior to each event you’ll get copies of resumes from all job seekers that had pre-registered up to that point. Search that file by key word to help locate the top job seekers that are most important to you so that you can contact them ahead of time.

Remember, if you’re interested in speaking with someone, there’s a great chance that other companies are also interested in them. It’s likely some of those companies are also attending the same job fair. Reaching out ahead of time is one great way to separate you from the pack. If you’re bringing a hiring manager or someone from the operational side of your organization, make sure to mention that. Even better, have the hiring manager reach out to the job seeker directly. A few lines about why you’d like to speak with a specific job seeker will go a long way in differentiating your company from others that may be on their radar.

As part of your outreach you can also send the candidate a copy of the job description(s) that you think might be a good fit. We had one company at last year’s CyberTexas Job Fair do this and it led to an interview, job offer, and acceptance, all taken care of before the fair even started. Now, we’re not saying this is the norm, but it does show how companies can move quickly to secure the best talent.

Employer outreach also encourages general participation. We know that not all job seekers who register actually make it to the fair. Sometimes the weather affects attendance, other times it has more to do with a job seekers daily schedule. Regardless of the reasons they’re considering not attending, outreach by an employer can encourage them to put those reasons aside and show up in person.

I spoke to two job seekers at an event recently who told me specifically that outreach by an employer was the primary reason for their in-person attendance that day.

The first job seeker told me that due to a change in his schedule he thought he wouldn’t have the time to attend but added, “I came anyway, went straight to the employer that had reached out to me, had a great conversation, secured a follow up interview, and then left to make it to my next appointment.”

The second job seeker told me that because he was preparing to leave the military and this was his first job fair, he just wasn’t sure he was “ready.” He was worried that it wouldn’t be worth the time investment of taking time out from his current job. The Naval Academy grad, with only a few months left on active duty, then told me that when two companies reached out to him, he felt much better about showing up.

When I circled back to those companies to pass along the story, they both told me that based on his unique skills and experiences that he was a highly sought after candidate and they were both happy that they were able to connect with him in person and looked forward to furthering their discussions.

3. Leverage your existing resources. The ClearedJobs.Net marketing team does a great job of getting the word out about each event, to include highlighting the participating organizations and positions they’re looking to fill.

Companies that also leverage their own resources will do even better. Announcing your participation through your company social media channels helps reach audiences that already have a positive opinion of your organization and makes it easy for others to share that info with their peers.

LinkedIn is another terrific place to share your participation. While recruiters have terrific networks, don’t forget to also leverage your operational team. Having a current employee share that your company will be at a hiring event is essentially telling her peers that your company is both a great place to work, and that you’re hiring.

Finally, go back and utilize the resumes in your own ATS. Remember those job seekers that came in second for a position or perhaps they turned you down in the past?  A gentle reminder that you’re in the market again for their skills might encourage them to swing by and say hello.

In the end, it’s worth remembering that in the world of security cleared talent, the job seekers hold the cards, especially the outstanding ones. These job fairs are not just opportunities for candidates to show off their stuff, they’re really opportunities for companies to shine. And the best way to set your company apart from the competition is to reach out early.

Bob Wheeler is a ClearedJobs.Net Account Manager, a Navy veteran, a former recruiter and a certified veteran transition coach. You may reach Bob at [email protected].