[Nfbnet-members-list] How Job Fairs Work

Dick Davis ddavis at blindinc.org
Tue Jun 24 19:25:09 UTC 2014


How Job Fairs Work

By Dick Davis, Chair

NFB Employment Committee

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This is a brief primer for those of you who have 
not attended a job fair before, but plan to come 
to the one at our 2014 NFB Convention.Â

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When you enter the ballroom, you will find that 
employers are seated at tables in the middle of 
the room and around the outside 
periphery.  Since the tables are distributed on 
a first come, first served basis, we will not 
know before the convention exactly who will be located where.Â

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I sent out a list of employers on the NFB 
listservs, so bring that with you.  If you have 
the time, use the information on the list to do 
some research on the employers and develop a list 
of ones you want to talk to.  We will have a 
limited number of Braille and large type copies 
of the employer list at the Job Fair for 
jobseekers to look at (but not keep, as we 
don’t have enough for everyone).  Â

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We will also have a limited number of sighted and 
blind persons cruising the room, and they may be 
able to direct you to specific employers, but 
they will be too busy to lead you around from 
table to table, fill out job applications, 
etc.  If you need that service, it is a good 
idea to bring a sighted reader with you.  Â

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Now comes the adventure.  Explore the tables, 
ask which employer is at each one, and talk to 
them about what they do.  (You should know 
something about them if you did your previous 
research.)Â  If you are interested in working for 
them, offer them a resume and a cover letter 
(both personalized if possible) explaining why 
they would be interested in hiring you. Â You 
might want to ask for their business card in 
return.  That will enable you to follow up with them more easily.

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Do not expect a full job interview.  They will 
look at your resume, probably ask you a few 
screening questions, and decide what they want to 
do next.  It’s perfectly permissible and 
desirable to ask them what will happen next.  Here are some possibilities:

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·        If they plan to stay at the 
convention, they may set up an interview with you later in the week.
·        They may take your resume and 
others they have collected back to their office, 
screen them more thoroughly, and set up a phone 
interview with you at a later date.Â
·        They may explain to you how to 
apply at their online site, and assuming you pass 
the online screening, contact you for an 
interview at a later date (this is common with state and federal agencies).Â
·        They may hire you on the spot 
(not too likely today, but it could happen).Â

·        They may decide not to interview 
you, and may send you a letter thanking you for 
your interest and saying they will keep your resume on file.Â

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Always send them a follow-up letter thanking them 
for visiting with you at the Job Fair and stating 
your interest in working for them.  If the 
chemistry in the meeting at the Job Fair seemed 
good, you might want to follow up in a couple of 
weeks to learn the status of your 
application.  You can contact them once after 
that if you want, but do not pester them.Â

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Finally, be patient!  It can take months to get 
a job in this market, and the fact that you 
don’t hear from an employer in a month or two 
doesn’t mean they are not interested in 
you.  In any follow-up contacts with them, 
always be pleasant and polite – that goes a long way.Â

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If you are unable to attend the Job Fair, is it 
still okay to contact the employers?  Yes, it 
is.  I would recommend waiting until after the 
convention.  Just explain that you were unable 
to attend the Job Fair, but still are interested 
in working for them.  Contact information is on the list I sent out.Â

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Are you on the Jobs listserv?  If not, you 
should be, as you will learn about more job 
openings that way.  Go to 
<http://www.nfb.org>www.nfb.org, search for 
“listserv” and find “Jobs” partway down the list.Â

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I hope this information helps you during the Job 
Fair and that you get a good job as a result.Â

Â

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