What to Expect at a Job Fair?

Fox8 News in the Triad did a report this morning on what to expect at the job fair today at Quality Inn & Suites in Greenboro.




We'll be around from 9am and 1pm if you're in the Greensboro area so stop by and talk to our recruiters.

Are Job Fairs Worth Attending?

Last week's job fair had a phenominal turn out. Unfortunatly there were more job seekers than jobs available, a sign of the times. For more than 300 job seekers there was good news, they were hired on the spot or called back for more formal interviews, but there were over 1,700 job seekers at our Tuesday event, which means many others were not so lucky.

It may seem like the odds of obtaining a job at a job fair are pretty slim, but actually the ratio of jobs to job seekers was 1 available job for every 6 job seekers. That's actually not too bad. If you think about how many people apply to one job on job boards, the ratio then becomes more like 1 job for about 50-100 resumes. With the job fair, at least you are able to speak directly with an employer and present yourself in a way that may lead to an interview. Being able to approach a recruiter with your success stories and add a personal touch are so invaluable.

In this sense, job fairs are a great asset to your job search and can provide an excellent opportunity to find employment. It's so important to be proactive in your job search, job fairs are a great way to do that.

If you're in the Greensboro area, please stop by our job fair tomorrow, Feb. 24, 2009 from 9-1. Be sure to check out tips from the last Greensboro Job Fair!

If you're in Raleigh, we also have a job fair coming up on March 3, 2009 as well. You can also check out the News & Observer's list of other upcoming job fairs as well in the area.


Can't make it? There are other ways to stay proactive and get connected to people who can help. One way that EmploymentGuide.com offers is through Job Alerts. Click on the Job Alert Icon and enter your email, zip code and industry. We'll email you jobs as their posted online. This is a great way to stay notified of new jobs as their posted on our site in the industry you're looking for.

The Employment Guide Carolinas Office Wants To Help

Today was our second “Putting Americans Back To Work” job fair in Charlotte. Again, over 1,000 job seekers attended this event looking for employment. Unfortunately, there were more job seekers than jobs available, and while many walked away with a new job or at least a follow up interview, many more were not as fortunate. You've probably seen some of the blog posts and news coverage we've received in the last few days.

A few weeks ago we received an invitation to Job Angels, a group that's sole purpose to help job seekers out - just help 1 person find 1 job. We were moved by this initiative, so we at The Employment Guide here in the Carolinas decided to get on board.


At each of our job fairs we collect resumes for people who cannot attend or who would like to pre-register for our event. We then share these resumes with employers who attended our event. Because of the overwhelming amount of resumes we received for our February Job Fairs we decided to do our part and try to be “Job Angels” ourselves.

We originally published our offer on Twitter but decided to open this up to all of our blog readers as well. Throughout the month of February, if you have a job to offer, you can direct message @carolinajobs via Twitter or email ncjobs@employmentguide.com (Subject: Job Angel); we'll search our database for job seekers who match the type of jobs available.


To qualify for this promotion, you'll need to send us your:

• Company Name
• Job location (Charlotte, Greensboro or Raleigh & surrounding areas)
• Job Title or Keywords (to give us an idea of what you're looking for)
• How you want the job seeker to contact you
  

Only companies with hourly or salary jobs will qualify. We will research all companies who make request and of course reserve the right to withhold job seeker information from any company who does not qualify. We want to help as many job seekers as we can, plus this is a great opportunity for those of you with one or two jobs that you'd like to fill.

Once you send us your information, we'll research your company, search our database of job seekers, and then contact a few that we think might qualify to fill your position. We will encourage the job seekers to contact you directly. The great thing is it's free for all involved… our own little stimulus package right here in the Carolinas, and we didn’t have to spend Billions of $$$$.

- Rosie Reilman

Job Fair Today Gets A Lot of Traffic -- Still One More Day, Thursday!

Photo copyright Davie Hinshaw/Charlotte Observer

Today it was apparent that there certainly is a need for jobs in the Queen City. Our Charlotte Employment Guide job fair attracted approximately 1,700 people. If you were unable to make it today, we still have added a second day to meet with employers. You can check out that information here or by clicking on the Charlotte Job Fair banner above.

The second day of our event will take place this Thursday, February 19th from 9:00am - 1:00pm at the Hilton Garden Inn on Statesville Rd. I-77 exit 18 off of Harris Blvd.

Here's media coverage that we received for the event today:
Charlotte Observer: Charlotte Job Fair attracts huge lines, or view the Photo Gallery
WBTV: Charlotte Job Fair today
WCNC: Line wraps around building for job fair (Video)
WSOC TV: Unemployed Seeks Scarce Jobs in Charlotte Job Fairs (Video)

Employers who are hiring, we've still got some last minute space available so please feel free to contact us if you'd like to attend Thursday. And if you're a job seeker we suggest that you:

• Come prepared and bring plenty of resumes
• Show up early so that you are sure to make it in to see the recruiters
• And check out more job fair information and advice on our blog
• Prepare a 30-second pitch for recruiters

If for some reason you cannot attend, or would like to send your resume, you can email it to us. Just put Charlotte in the Subject line. We'll give your resume to every employer that attended.

Update 2/18/09: Here are additional helpful news articles.

• WCNC: Recruiter says Dress to Impress at Job Fairs
• DigiTriad: Making Yourself Standout at a Job Fair

Networking is Important to your Job Search

Yesterday, the Charlotte Observer published a story about a local Charlotte job-search group that gathers to network and share job searching tips and stories.

With unemployment rates reaching highs not seen in decades, career experts say networking has become more important than ever. In the Charlotte region, new
networking and support groups are springing up, and old ones are seeing new
life. Employment experts estimate that more than 70 percent of jobs are found through personal contacts, such as those found at networking groups.

Of course, fewer companies are hiring nowadays. At local networking groups, there are few tales of quick success landing a new job.

But those who attend say the networks offer leads, tips, motivation and, most importantly, hope in tough times.

Read the full story here.

It's so true that our networks are some of the first places we look and a lot of the times the best place to find employment. Sometimes a networking group like this can help, as the article said, with motivation and hope. It's hard not to get discouraged sometimes when searching for a job, let alone when the economy is the way it is.

One of the best networking opportunities in the Carolinas is the North Carolina Job Seekers Group on LinkedIn, hosted by EmploymentGuide.com. If you are a member of LinkedIn, check out the group and network with others looking for a new career. If you are not a member of LinkedIn, you might consider joining this networking site.

Related Stories:

• Why Social Networking is Important To Your Job Search
• Network Smarter

Good News For A Change

We have what we think is good news in the Charlotte area and want to share it with everyone......More Recruiters Are Attending Our Upcoming Job Fair Than We Anticipated!

That's right, we initially expected 15 to 20 recruiters would participate in our February 17th Job Fair at the Hyatt Place Hotel on Arrowood Rd, but we have sold out the venue and have ADDED ANOTHER JOB FAIR on Thursday, February 19th at the Hilton Garden Inn at the intersection of Statesville Rd and Harris Blvd, Just off of I-77 exit 18.

Job Seekers in both South and North Charlotte now have the opportunity to meet with companies that are actually recruiting. These events are part of the National "Putting Americans Back To Work" Job Fair series. The Employment Guide and employmentguide.com are hosting over 200 General and Healthcare Job Fairs in 2009 in the effort to put Americans back to work.

For more information on the upcoming job fairs in Charlotte click here.

Sell Yourself -- The Job Pitch at Fox Charlotte

Fox Charlotte is doing a unique contest called the 30-second job pitch. For those of you who have had a hard time landing a job, this might be a great opportunity for you. Fox is taking contact information and will bring in selected people to give a 30-second pitch to employers in the viewing audience.

Read more details on the Fox Charlotte 30-Second Job Pitch

Even if you decide not to enter the contest or don't make the cut, knowing how to describe who you are and what you are looking for is still a good skill to learn.

Related Articles:

• Communicate Value to Potential Employers
• How to create a compelling, branded Elevator Pitch for your job search