People on the job hunt aren't the only ones who need to prepare to get the most out of a job fair. These events are a talent selection hot spot for your HR or recruiting team. Attract the best candidates by developing a game plan. If you prepare well, you can:

Save money on advertising your job postings
Have in-person access to a large pool of qualified candidates
Engage in face-to-face conversations with people that are most interested in joining your team and making contributions to your company

Every organization should have several factors in place to set themselves up for success. You'll need the right information, attitude, and processes. You must know your organization’s mission, how to communicate that to your audience, and how to follow up with potential candidates.

Job fairs are about finding and having meaningful conversations with candidates who can benefit from and contribute to your company.

How to Have a Successful Job Fair Experience

Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare for your next recruiting event.

Know Your Audience

Like any form of communication, you should know who you are talking to. For job fairs, identify your target audience of potential candidates. You can develop audience profiles—information that will help you tailor your message to the specific group of people that you are targeting. Think about their interests, experience, career goals, and needs.

For example, the people attending a college career fair at a four-year college are different from those attending an event open to the general public. In the first case, fair attendees are most likely looking for entry-level roles, corporate positions with attractive company perks, and opportunities for career advancement.

On the other hand, people attending an in-person event open to the public may be looking for different levels of employment, from service jobs to senior management positions.

Know Your Organization

You know how job candidates are encouraged to have an "elevator pitch" to quickly communicate the value they bring to the table to prospective employers? Well, your company should have the same prepared for career fairs. Know who you are, what you do, and why you do what you do.

Be able to verbalize that information (here's a helpful article if you want to learn how to write an elevator pitch) and be ready to answer any questions that come your way. People might ask about:

How your company can benefit them
What positions (and the number of positions) your company is looking to fill
What you look for in candidates
What type of candidates will excel in particular job openings
What the company culture is like

It's recommended to have printed materials (like company brochures and details on job descriptions) for candidates to keep. You may also want to prepare a sheet of talking points for your team to ensure all major points are addressed.

Determine Booth Setup

Most people are familiar with the adage, "Looks aren't everything." That may be true, but visuals are still important. Whether it’s a virtual booth or an in-person job fair, how you set up your booth can greatly impact attracting the quality candidates you're seeking.

An eye-catching booth layout includes everything from the size and location of the booth in the event venue to the overall look and feel of the environment. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you work on your booth setup for your upcoming event:

Don't set up a table as a barrier between yourself and job seekers. Push the table out of the way and against the back wall of the booth.
Determine ways to stand out from the crowd. Use videos, interactive games, or memorable giveaways stamped with your company website and logo. The goal is to make your company memorable to applicants and reflect your company culture (e.g., fun and innovative).
Make sure to stand, smile, and come across as approachable.
Refrain from using your phone, exclusively talking to your coworkers, or working on a laptop. Candidates are less likely to approach you if they feel like they're interrupting you.
Dress in a way that reflects company culture, and wear a name tag so you're immediately identifiable as a company representative.

Here are other ideas to help your booth stand out at future events!

Bring Marketing Materials

Remember that table you pushed to the back of the booth? Use it to hold promotional items you brought along for the ride.

In addition to handing out plenty of business cards, feel free to hand out brochures, info sheets, or other materials that help people become familiar with your organization's functions, goals, employment opportunities, and corporate culture.

Candidates will likely visit many booths and receive handouts from many different organizations. With that in mind, you'll want marketing materials that stand out. Your goal is to represent your company well and make a positive impression on potential candidates.

Consider putting together a packet that specifically addresses your organization's hiring process and other information potential candidates might want. Your job fair teams can discuss company incentive packages, perks, and amenities. This will set clear expectations of what candidates can look forward to if the process progresses.

When I attended job fairs, I would walk away with a bundle of brochures and printouts from many different companies. I still distinctly remember some companies with innovative and engaging marketing materials. In fact, I still have some of these items years later. Don't underestimate the impact that these materials can make on a candidate. Capitalize on this opportunity to grow brand awareness and interest in your organization.

Have a Job Fair Workflow in Place

With a well-prepared job fair presentation, you'll probably have many resumes to read over. Sorting through the paperwork can be time-consuming, but there are steps you can take to ease this process. We suggest having a job fair workflow or job fair checklist in place.

What does this mean? Simply put, it means outlining a process to help reach your end goal of filling those open job opportunities. This workflow should start before your team attends the event and continue after the job fair is over. Gather your team to brainstorm and develop this workflow. You'll want to establish and describe each step in the process, as well as who is responsible for each task.

Here are some steps you may want to incorporate:

Have team members review the information about open job positions.
Create file folders for open positions. When you talk to candidates, put their resumes in the appropriate folder.
Take notes on resumes while you're speaking with candidates. You can even rate them on a scale from one to five and follow up with the most promising individuals first.

Follow Up After the Event

Maximizing the benefits of a career fair doesn't just take place at the event. This is where you get the ball rolling on exciting opportunities to bring talent on board.

The sooner you reach out to qualified candidates after a job fair, the quicker your hiring process will be. There are many ways to follow up with candidates. For example, you can:

Set up interviews on the spot with the most qualified and promising people.
Contact potential employees 24-48 hours after the job fair.
Email or call candidates to dive deeper into their experience and skills to see if they meet your company's needs.
Send a thank you note to potential candidates.

Sometimes candidates may even reach out to you first. Whether you or the candidate initiate contact, respond to messages promptly. Don't leave the most promising people waiting or wondering for too long, as that increases the likelihood that another firm hires them.

These tips can help ensure that job fairs are productive and successful for your company. When done right, you can end up with a list of candidates who are actively seeking employment and have the personalities, passions, and skills to positively shape your organization.

A company's culture is always a point of discussion when potential employees are looking at different career opportunities. When working with a team for eight or more hours a day, it's important to understand your peers. Promote a culture of communication and collaboration by harnessing the power of personality assessments. From helping new employees find their place on the team to strengthening a company's culture, The Birkman Method delves into a person's unique external behavior, what they expect from their environment to be productive, and what motivates them. With this knowledge, individuals and teams can tap into what helps them best contribute to the entire organization, as well as develop an environment that is attractive to potential employees.