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The Hindu job fair - seize the day
Many of you must be gearing up to attend the job fair at Chennai on 29th and 30th September to be held at the Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam. Here are some tips to help you succeed in the fair.
Gift of the gab: Learn to talk effectively and clearly because you can expect questions and more questions at the fair. But be very careful about how you answer these questions and what you say. You can do very well at the interviews if you do some preliminary research on the companies participating in the fair, especially those you are interested in. You can do this by searching on the web or asking for information from those working in those companies.
Interviews: In a job fair you may only have two to five minutes to market yourself and prevent yourself from being screened out, so make the most of your time.
Experts suggest that you develop a one-minute "commercial" that highlights the key benefits that you can offer the organisation and to use this at the beginning of the interview. You should also be prepared by rehearsing answers to possible interview questions just as you would for any employment interview. The most common question you will face is something like "what are you here for today?" This question would be easy to answer if you have done your research, your answer can be tailored to your interests and the company’s interests, thereby marketing yourself.
Questions to ask the rep: When you walk up to a company representative, introduce yourself and give them a little background about yourself.
Adopt a firm handshake, make eye contact and maintain it with the interviewer when speaking or listening. Also watch out for your body language, the cues must depict you as confident and in control. Above all show your enthusiasm, offer your resume and ask for a business card.
Networking: Career fairs are all about networking with recruiters. However, you can also network with your fellow job seekers in terms of sharing information about job leads, companies and their hiring strategies and styles.
There may also be professional organizations or placement agencies at the fair, which are also good sources for networking.
Follow-up: There are two methods of follow-up, either you can actually call the recruiter on the evening of the fair and thank him/her for their time that day. A more concrete and traditional method would be to write a thank you note and mail it the next day to the address on the recruiter’s business card.
The most important thing is to present yourself in a professional manner, convey maturity, be respectful and arrive prepared. Soft-skills will add that extra shimmer to your personality. The will to succeed, good academic potential, backed by the decent appearance are the right ingredients for success. Chennai is all set to play host to this job fair; so, what are you waiting for! Go ahead and seize the day!!!
NITYA SAI SOUMYA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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