Stop Looking For A Job When You Attend Career Fairs

It's so easy just to wander around a career fair throwing your resumes like Frisbees instead of using the opportunity to expand you brand and market exposure by showing potential employers how you can solve their problems.

- As the #1 employer-generated question is "What can you do for me?", select companies that provide you the opportunity to demonstrate your best talents right from the start.

- Knowing which companies will be in attendance helps you create a short list to target - the ones with whom you have the best fit in terms of career goals, values and opportunity to show your ability as a problem solver. This keeps you on-point and prevents the total burnout of trying to meet with everyone there. You'll stay more energized.

- Learn everything about your target companies, watching for growth patterns, organizational expansion and new product developments. Identify the types of business challenges these initiatives would create and prepare a response detailing how you would address and resolve them. Compare competitor's strategies with what you would have done?

- Develop your resumes options: one for your best-fit choices, one for alternative choices, perhaps even a web portfolio. If you are in the Creative Arts, have a mini portfolio that highlights your best work.

- Professional business cards are very affordable now and make a nice first impression. Your name, contact numbers, e-mail address and a few key words highlighting your qualifications provide all the relevent information at a glance. Look into hyper-cards, which are digital versions. Make sure all information is up-to-date and that each card works! Include your web portfolio URL and LinkedIn URL on your business cards.

- Exchange business cards for easy reference later. Ask if there is anyone else you should speak to in that company and get the contact information. Find out what the best way is to follow up and with whom. Before moving to the next company, take time to make notes of important details about that meeting so you have a record and can send out your thank you notes. Then, recompose yourself, breathe and go to your next target company! Approach a career fair as a resource where you obtain insider market intelligence, contact information and referrals. You'll increase your credibility, personal publicity and productivity. You'll differentiate yourself because you enter from a position of strength seeking information, rather than just looking a job.

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