One of the best way to hire dozens of employees at once is to attend a job fair. That’s the case for fast-growing businesses in need of a slew of new workers, or large firms with high employee turnover that are always looking for new workers at all levels of the organization. In this guide, you’ll learn how to get yourself a stall at a jobs fair, and how to make your attendance there as beneficial for your firm as possible – securing new workers who are perfect for your firm.
Finding a Fair
Job fairs come in all shapes and sizes. There are general job fairs, which are often attended by those who are currently out of a job and who may offer low-skilled services. There are those that are specific to a certain industry, which can be great if you’re looking for people with niche experience. Or, there are fairs that look for a certain level of employee, such as white-collar workers or those with experience working on building sites. You’ll need to pick your fair wisely to ensure those passing by your stall are going to be interested in the jobs you’re promoting.
Setting Up a Stall
Next up is your stall. Now, many large firms already have promotional materials such as banners and flags that they take to other conferences and events. Others won’t – and so will be entering the job fair with nothing other than a couple of friendly employees who are keen to share what it is that they do and what they’re looking for. It’s highly advised that you buy some branded material – even just one banner and some colourful T-shirts – in order to make your stall more attractive and interesting to passers-by.
Travel
Some job fairs will take place in your city, which means you’ll not need to travel, whereas other fairs are state-wide, national, or even international in scope, designed for those workers who are willing to relocate, or for those firms with offices in several different cities. In this case, you’ll need to book travel – and business travel assistance, from a specialist firm, is often the best option in these cases. Experts will help you sort out your accommodation, transport and every other factor in your job fair attendance, helping you focus on what really matters: finding new employees.
The Sell
Your success at a job fair will be tied to how well you sell your firm. Because of this, some preparation is vital. Get your sales team together to run through the script for meeting potential employees – going through what it is your business does, and the roles you’re recruiting for. Feel free to sell your company as a brilliant place to work – this is, after all, your chance to show why you’re better than neighbouring stalls. Collect as many contact details as you can, so you can follow up after the event is over.
Jobs fairs are exciting events, where a huge amount of talent can be acquired in one weekend. Make the most of them with the four tips outlines above.
Photo: Evangeline Shaw
