Job fair challenges for HR: How recruiters can target and attract the best prospects in a sea of candidates - Focus on Employment & Staffing

HR Magazine, April, 2002 by Martha Frase-Blunt

In October, more than 10,000 job seekers filled Madison Square Garden for the first Twin Towers Job Fair, intended, for displaced New York workers in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The massive turnout took organizers by surprise, and, by mid-afternoon, thousands lining up outside were sent away.

In January, scores of the 4,500 laid-off Enron workers showed up for a job fair at Houston's Enron Field. The exhibitors had few jobs to offer, however, and many of the open positions paid considerably less than former employees of the bankrupt energy trading firm had been earning.

Even in cities that have not faced massive layoffs, job fairs have taken on an air of desperation. Job Fair USA, based in Lakeville, Mass., hosts nationwide employment events, but they are drawing fewer exhibitors and many more job seekers, says president Jesse Medford. "Exhibitors find themselves collecting more resumes than they know what to do with and no longer see the point of attending a job fair when they could get just as many resumes on the Internet," he laments. "They believe that the most-qualified candidates don't go to job fairs."

Target Practice for HR

A general job fair is likely to attract a herd of unemployed--and unemployable--attendees, but HR should not give up on this recruiting tool. "There are certainly career fairs out there that specialize in getting as many candidates through the door as possible," says Wendy Hodgkins, manager of client services at Career Conferences of America Inc. in Natick, Mass. She reminds recruiters that quantity and quality are not equal. "It's Important to remember the value of networking and also of presenting yourself as an employer in the marketplace, so it would be foolish to discount career fairs in their entirety as a waste of time."

Job fairs of the future will likely be more industry- or skill-specific events that offer more satisfactory candidates, says Medford. College job fairs will continue to be important recruiting and networking options for entry-level positions. But the biggest draws these days tend to be diversity organizations' events linked to an annual membership conference.

Monica Reed, who manages events for the HR department of Prudential Insurance in Newark, N.J., used to signup for general job fairs, but she found they were attracting unemployable candidates. "So we started looking at targeted job fairs for financial professionals, particularly when we had several hard-to-fill vacancies, or a number of open positions we needed to fill right away," she says, adding that the company also focuses on diversity events.

Mike Hall, president of Personnel Strategies Inc. in Minnetonka, Minn., agrees that targeted job fairs work better in the current marketplace and are still a strong option for recruiters. A specialized job fair--one that targets a particular skill or industry, or attracts candidates from underrepresented groups--can draw employed candidates who are looking casually, rather than the unemployed masses. "For those who want discretion and won't put their resume out on the Internet, job fairs provide passive candidates a way to look for other opportunities, to exercise their curiosity with no risk."

On Your Mark, Get Set, Hire

How can HR professionals who've settled on the right career fair make the most of the frantic booth-jockey experience? One key is not to leave the marketing entirely up to the hosts. "You can't rely on the promoter to market to your ideal candidates," says Daniel Parrillo, president and staffing consultant for Strategi LLC in Stockton, Calif. He favors sending personal e-mail invitations to candidates in his database. "Go through your database and find all resumes that have been submitted for a specific position for the past 30 to 90 days prior to the event. Then search by ZIP codes in the vicinity of the job fair, extract the e-mail addresses and broadcast a message.

"Candidates who might not have known about or considered the job fair might attend if they know your company is going to be there. It's a great way to get additional traffic to your booth."

Medford advises recruiters to sign up early to make sure their company is included in any advance advertising. Early birds also get the best real estate. Some job fairs charge a premium for the best booth positioning, and this is usually a good investments, job fair veterans agree. If you want a particular spot, just ask.

Prudential gets more bang from its job fair buck by exploring additional branding opportunities, Reed notes. "If we are doing a national conference, we look for places to put our signage--some hotels will even imprint your logo on the room card keys. It's so important to get and keep their attention." She adds that having a visually appealing booth is critical. Even inexpensive gimmicks such as balloons can attract attention.

Countering the Cattle Call

Clearly, one of the most difficult feats for employers is distinguishing themselves from all the other glad-handing, resume-amassing exhibitors, while also forging meaningful connections with the right candidates. It's all too easy to come away with a few vague impressions and a crush of paper. That's why it's critical to have a game plan as well as players in place who can make the score.