Four tips for a successful Job Fair

Job fairs are effective recruitment tools. Here are four ways your company can stand out to applicants:

I know that hiring is still one of the big pain points for my manufacturing clients. A recent Indeed article cited many helpful recruiting tips, including these four that  will help your company get noticed and hire the right talent:

1. Develop your recruitment and hiring priorities

Meet with your team members to discuss and determine the desired qualities, traits and characteristics of your ideal employee. Set priorities to establish which roles you’re searching for at the event, so your employees know which positions they need to focus on when meeting candidates.

2. Make your company and brand stand out from the competition

Make  a memorable first impression with your booth design, merchandise and  marketing material. Branded, up-to-date brochures and other company  literature that lets job candidates know about your company, your  values, people and culture should be easy to access. Complementary  signage and booth designs can direct candidates to your booth and help  you stand out in the crowd. Complimentary branded merchandise with your  logo ensures candidates can recall your company and can include basic  items like pens, pencils or notepads or portable chargers, insulated  water bottles or dash phone holders.

Here  is an example of a one-sheet and pull-down display project I created   for Donaldson Company, a filtration manufacturer for a job fair.

3. Think of questions to ask candidates

Prepare  a list of questions to quickly get to know each candidate your employees meet. Start by asking about their education, experience and career goals to determine if they meet your hiring priority list. If not a match for your current needs, request their contact information if  their skills and interests might fit a future opportunity. For candidates whose qualifications match an open role, ask more in-depth questions about their skills and experience. This conversation also affords your employees insight into how candidates might fit into your company culture or uncover other strengths and knowledge that might be  beneficial in a role now or in the future.

4. Market and advertise your attendance at the event

Inform internal and external audiences of your company’s upcoming job fair attendance on social media, website, or in any fair-sponsored  publications. Write social media posts that inform your followers about  the fair and that attendees can meet and speak to company  representatives. Ask your audience to share these posts with their network.

This  same strategy worked well for my client, Minnetronix Medical, a medical device manufacturer in St. Paul, when they were looking to hire. I collaborated with them to create a branded campaign that garnered  employee buy-in and resulted in exceeding their hiring goals. By providing employees with the right tools and information, it made it easy for them to share with their social networks why Minnetronix was a great place to work.

Looking for a designer?

I  have experience creating branded social media hiring campaigns, marketing materials and displays for tradeshows and job fairs. Book a  call today to talk about next steps to get ready for future events!