Convention connection - making the best use of job fairs

Black Enterprise, July, 2000 by Tanisha Ann Sykes

Make sure to talk to people who are familiar with the company or who work there, says Angelia Allison, 38, associate director of strategic sourcing in the Worldwide Medicines Group of Bristol-Myers Squibb, in Princeton, New Jersey. That's exactly what she did just four months ago when she decided to make the switch from the oil and gas industry to the pharmaceutical field after attending a professional conference.

How, you ask? After she attended the conference, Allison talked to a friend who had worked for the company. "We talked about mobility within the company, how people were treated, whether there were a lot of minorities and how she liked the company." Allison had the good fortune of having an insider to turn to, but for job hunters who don't, she advises that you turn to the company's Website or log on to a search engine. "It's best to know something about the company [before you go to the conference], because at least you'll know what they're working on, to explain your skills set better ... to coincide with what their needs are," days Allison. Balun advises that one way to find out insider information is "to contact the recruiter [before the conference] to find out the culture. However, you must explain that you're a true job seeker, not a headhunter, and it's best to go through the HR department as a courtesy."

Researching the company's position is one thing. Researching your own is quite another. Do a self assessment. Read books like The Mid-Career Tune-Up: 10 New Habits for Keeping Your Edge in Today's Fast-Paced Workplace by William Salmon and Rosemary Salmon (AMACOM Books, $17.95), which is chock-full of practical tips on self-assessment, such as effectively communicating to others and balancing time and resources. Try your hand at the exercises throughout the book to figure out where your strengths and weakness lie as an employee, such as the section "Balance Multiple Demands on Your Time and Resources," which discusses time wasters and solutions to rectify them. The tips are designed for those on the job, but can certainly transfer over to those on the job hunt.

"I had a 30-second to one-minute spiel about myself to say this is who I am and this is what I'm interested in," says Carr, who entered Honeywell through a rotational program for new M.B.A.'s that typically lasts from two to four years.

Many Fortune 500 companies offer programs that allow candidates "to rotate in different functional areas throughout the company," says Carr, who identifies sales opportunities for the company on environmental control equipment. One such device regulates the air you breathe when you step on to a plane. "Whether they're a targeted company or not, make sure you have that short story ready, and know what skills and attributes you want to target," he says.

AlliSon sums up how she got her recent job: "When I went [to the conference last year], my plan was to find a job. So I kept my focus, did a lot of homework before I went, made contacts ahead of time and had several interviews set up before I got there." Some professional conferences have a prescreening process where candidates can have their resumes sent to the companies they're interested in. In turn, companies that are interested will contact recruits and set up interviews. Contact your association to see if this option is available.