It’s been almost a year since I worked outside of the home. Tired of asking the Mister for money for yarn, I dusted off my resume and attended a Career Fair.
What an oxymoronic statement. Recruiters are there, asking about your skills, sizing you up in a noisy room filled with others seeking that same position. It’s also kind of sad. In 30 seconds or less, you need to make yourself stand out, pray you don’t stumble over your words, and be mindful of maligning your last gig but also bring on the praises of the possibly new employer without going into overkill. When it’s time to ask for the position/job they all direct you to their website. Why not set up some computers and just have these recruiters coach you on where to go to apply online? Is it heresay to ask whether career fairs are obsolete?
For me, I have specfic wants in my quest to work outside of te home. Is it unreasonable to want to work within minutes from home, the kids, my kitchen? I keep hearing that it is, but I am telling the naysayers to kick rocks. Yes, kick rocks. I have given my request to God and KNOW that in HIS time it will be.
Back to the career fair.
Some dos and don’t:
Do bring clean copies of your current resume.
Do use spell check before handing it over.
Do have various copies of said resume.
Do dress appropriately.
Do bring a pen.
Do follow up with a thank you letter and phone call.Don’t bring your kids (sadly I witnessed a gentleman dragging his kid
around while he tried to talk to various folk)
Don’t dress/act like you were forced to come. Your thong I don’t want
to look at, especially if it is dirty)
Don’t look like you rolled out of bed and remembered that today was the day
for this ‘Jawn’ (again, with regret, I heard this statement as I went inside to
register)
Don’t stand in the middle of the floor looking lost.
The naysayers who think people are looking for handouts should have been there to see the volume of prople looking for work. Nobody wants a handout, they want a J-O-B.
Keep the conversation going. Comments welcomed!