A job fair exploration:
As I was doing the dishes, my ear caught the ending blurb of a radio broadcast promoting a local job-fair. As an entry-level advertising job seeker, I had often wondered how much success could be generated from attending a generic job-fair. Keep in mind that this was a completely random job-fair, not tailored towards those seeking a career in advertising.
The following video was shot en route to the job-fair. I had no idea what the potential of this fair could be, but I kept an open mind and a positive attitude. As we all know, the coolest opportunities can materialize from the most random situations.
The next video was shot outside the parking lot before entering the job-fair. It's important to keep in mind that massive amounts of people attend events like this one. Prior to attending any job-fair, it's a good idea to create promotional pieces that will make you stand out among the rest. Being aspiring-advertisers, we are all bubbling with creativity. Use that to your advantage and help make yourself standout. :) I think the best self-promotion pieces not only draw attention, but work together and help tell your unique story.
At the job-fair:
Most of the opportunities within this job-fair were not related to advertising or design in any specific way. However, participating in this job-fair offered a great opportunity to refine and polish interview skills. It was extremely helpful to talk to the prospective employers about the various positions, as it helped me understand my strengths and weakness when talking to people on the spot. Also, I have noticed that a lot of the generic 'are you a good fit for this company' questions were similar to those asked on advertising-specific interviews.
A cool nugget:
The final video is an interview with an innovative job-seeking company, 'hired on the spot.' This company uses new, different and forward-thinking methods to help people, like ourselves, land jobs. If this interview sparks your curiosity, feel free to gain more info at www.hiredonthespot.com
Video Note: Sorry the camera is on it's side for some of the interview... I hope it looks more artistic this way. :)
General Thoughts:
This job-fair was not a good resource for specifically landing a potential position in advertising. I feel most agencies who would want to embrace a job-fair like setting, would stick to those that are advertising specific.
Although this fair did not provide leads for a specific position in advertising, it did help me gain much needed practice in 'on the spot interviews' and helped me refine my language when referencing my skills to others. In general, being involved in an interview is not an easy task; practice makes perfect. On another note, it was helpful to meet other people who may not be in the advertising industry, but are in the same 'job-seeking' boat.
My advice is that if you hear of a generic job-fair, such as this one, and you have the spare time, go. These fairs provide the opportunity to place yourself in new and uncommon situations that will help you become better at the interview process. Remember, being able to communicate your skills to a potential employer is just as important as having the skills.
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