Job fairs offer more than jobs

Before coming to the Nich school, job fairs were a fairly new concept to me.  Now that I am about to attend my fourth job fair in the last 1.5 years, I am beginning to understand their value.  While before I thought the only purpose of job fairs was to score a job, I now go to them now with a different set of expectations and goals. I don't expect to come away with a job, but I do plan to practice networking and expand my knowledge of what careers are available in the environmental field.  Here are notes from the field about some surprising benefits I have discovered by going to job fairs...

Practicing your pitch: Job fairs give me a chance to go up to a new employer and give them a 30 second pitch on my interests and skills.  While as grad students we are encouraged to practice this on our own, I usually don't feel moved to give my pitch in front of a mirror or volunteer to be videotaped.  By going to a job fair, I can practice my pitch live five to ten times  and refine it as I go along. 

Exposure to new career types:  I went up to an engineering-focused employer last week and gave my pitch.  While the recruiter wasn't hiring people with my interests and background, he generously took time to give me advice on a place where my interests and his field united.  He proceeded to tell me about technology transfer.  Before then, I had no idea there was an official field dedicated to disseminating research to the general public so that it could be picked up and applied by commercial businesses and industry.  I would never have found this out if I hadn't approached the employer.

Each recruiter is a network: I am currently seeking a career path that combines my interest in  education, outreach and sustainability.  At the last job fair I attended at Duke, I found myself talking with Outward Bound recruiter and asking if they had any positions that fit this description.  While no such position existed, she mentioned that she has connections with 500 schools. She gave me her business card and listed some of the schools that may be more open to creating a position that aligns with my interests. This recruiter is now part of my network as I take the job search forward.

Recruiters have insider tips: At a recent job fair, I found myself getting tips on how to apply for federal jobs.  The recruiter told me about the prevalence of resume scanning and how to write my resume to include the keywords for the position. She also encouraged me to use the automated job alert feature of the of the USAJOBS website.  This feature allows you to initially specify your interests and sends you matches via email whenever a new job is posted.  Many jobsites are doing this now and save you time by doing the search for you.