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Learn how to stand out in a career fair and get noticed immediately. These tips will help you get the job much faster than you imagined.

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This http://www.WorkTree.com career article will give you somegreat tips on successfully navigating thru career fairs. This issue will quickly cover the following:A) Purpose of Career FairsB) How To Best Prepare C) Tips & Strategies During The FairD) Career Fair Follow-UpA) PURPOSE OF CAREER FAIRSCareer fairs are designed to provide job seekers a way to explorecareer opportunities within a variety of companies at one location.Job seekers should take advantage of these fairs to be better informedabout the job market. Career fairs must be a part of your overall job search process. It’s a great way to learn about job openings,research companies and practice your interviewing and networkingskills. B) HOW TO BEST PREPAREIts important to make the most of your time at career fairs. Therewill be many employers and even more job seekers vying for attentionso its critical that you prepare in advance of setting foot into thecareer fair. Here are 5 tips that can help you be well prepared:#1 – PRIORITIZEFind out what companies are going to be attending prior to the day ofthe career fair and identify and prioritize the top companies that youdefinitely want to visit.#2 – RESEARCHSpend a little time researching these companies; the more you know thebetter. Use the Internet, library, etc. Employers love talking tocandidates who are familiar with their company and business. It alsomakes you look smart. Candidates who are knowledgeable about a companycome across as intelligent and interested. #3 – YOUR RESUMECreate and/or refine your resume and bring many, many clean, crisp copies to handout. This is very imporant!#4 – APPROACHCreate a one-minute introduction that summarizes your skills, goals, experience, etc. Practice this until you are comfortable using thisas your opening. The career fair will present many mini interviewsand you need to be prepared for this. Anticipate interview questionsand practice your responses.#5 – APPEARANCEDress professionally – don’t wear shorts and sandals. Use good judgement in what you wear and project professionalism. Bring a nicefolder to carry your resumes and a notepad and pen for taking notes.C) TIPS & STRATEGIES DURING THE FAIRFollow these tips below and you are on your way to a more productivecareer fair.- Relax and plan on spending time at the fair. Career fairs are not that frequent so plan your time well. Try to avoid standing in long lines. Go early if possible because the first hour is usually the slowest.- Always request business cards or at least get an email address so that you can follow-up and pursue leads.- When you get to actually talk to a company representative – remember to shake hands firmly and introduce yourself. This is your chance to make the best first impression.- Be mentally prepared with a list of question to keep the conversation flowing. Ask about the company, the industry, what job opportunities exist, etc. Always try to relate your skills and experience to the company or jobs that may be open at the company. – Visit companies outside your industry. You will be surprised at how many companies hire in all types of professions (ie. hospitals, banks, etc.)- Visit your lower priority companies first. This way you can practice and fine tune your approach. When you are ready, then proceed to the top priority employers on your list.- Network! Talk to both employers and other job candidates. If you are standing in line, don’t be shy talk to the people in line. More jobs are filled by networking than any other means.- Conduct yourself with a professional manner at all times. Employers are watching at all times. So when you are walking around or waiting in line, always maintain professionalism. – Be aware of time. Don’t stand and monopolize an employer’s time. Its not good for them or for you. Ask specific questions, get to the point and most importantly get the contact information for later follow-up.D) CAREER FAIR FOLLOW-UPIts important to keep yourself fresh in the mind of the employers.To do this, you must send follow-up or thank you letters within twodays. Always refer to the date and location of the job fair. Tryand highlight any part of the conversation that stood out to make iteasy for them to remember you. Always include a copy of yourresume. You might also want to follow-up with a phone call.Also its important to re-group after a career fair and evaluate yourexperience. Try and understand what you did right and what can beimproved upon, as this will help you be more productive at the nextfair. Most importantly, just have a very positive attitude. Always have asmile and thank each person you speak to for his/her time. You havesomething to sell and employers are there to shop around, and viceversa.

Making a career change is nothing new in today’s job market.

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I’ve heard it said that the average American changescareers at least once in his or her life. Long gone arethe days of working for the same company from the timeyou graduate high school or college until that magicalretirement day.

You sure won’t find that kind of loyalty from companies to their workers these days, and it’s rare to find that kindof loyalty from the average worker as well. What withcompanies merging, downsizing, and moving their operationsoffshore, you’d be wise to plan for a career change somewhere along the line in your life.

Of course, losing one job doesn’t automatically mean thatyou can never find another job in the same industry orcareer path. Hopefully, you will. But what if you can’tfind another job? Or what if you don’t really want to? Maybe you’re bored with what you’ve been doing, or you’vegone as far as you can in that career and you’re ready fornew challenges?

Is it really possible to switch to a new career midstreamin your working life?

The answer is a resounding yes! But you have to know how togo about it. It takes a bit of planning, thorough self-assessment, and perhaps additional training.

When I tired of the grind in health administration as anurse, I spent about 2 years trying to figure out what elseI could do. Luckily, I was able to parlay a love and talentfor writing into a new career as a health writer. I did have to prove my ability to write–even though much of myjob responsibility in my previous healthcare administrationjob did involve writing. I was fortunate enough to be able to use networking and some lucky breaks to get into thecareer I wanted with a minimum of effort.

My partner, Jim, has been a systems engineer for more than20 years, but graduated with a bachelors degree in math originally. When he began to search for a career changealternative, his path was not quite as clear as mine hadbeen. Finally, though, after spending quite a bit of timeon self-assessment, he honed in on his love for trainingand teaching. But you can’t just move into the field ofteaching with no experience or education. Fortunately, theshortage of qualified teachers–especially in certain highneeds areas–has led to the development of a number of “alternative path” programs for teaching. Jim has enrolledin just such an online program out of Montana State University and will be launching his new career later thisyear as a high school math teacher!

So, the question is… once you’ve figured out what you want to do in your new career and you’ve gotten the training you need, how do you sell yourself to a newemployer?

The first thing you want to consider is the format for yourresume. The traditional chronological resume format is notyour best choice for a career change. Instead, you want touse either a functional–or even better, combination–format. You can read more about the different types of resume formats here:http://www.powerful-sample-resume-formats.com/formats

Second, you need to take a look at your transferable skills. That is, what current or past experience or skillsdo you possess (either from past jobs or in your personallife) that you could use in your new career?

For example, one of my readers recently asked how hecould get into interior design without any previous jobexperience or training. I’m not sure you CAN get intothis field without any training, but if so, then Iadvised him to look at any design experience he’s had,perhaps with redecorating his own or a friend’s home. Ialso encouraged him to build a portfolio of his work,which can be a very effective way to get an employer’s attention.

Thirdly, you have to be honest with yourself about whetheryou can really make a career change without adding to yourskills and credentials by getting some training in the newfield. There’s a lot to be said for the contacts you can make during such training too, that may help you networkwith people who can provide an entree into the new career.

In summary, anyone can make a career change if they reallywant to. But to do so, you’ll need to know what related skills and experience you bring to the table. And you’llneed to know how to sell yourself to a prospective employer. Career change is inevitable… you can count onit! But make sure it’s on your terms by making a solidcareer change plan.