Get Ready for your Next Veterans Hiring Event
What to Expect at a Hiring Event
Career fairs are an important component in any Veteran job search. They give you direct access to recruiters and hiring managers, offer a chance to grow your professional network, as well as a chance to practice your elevator pitch in a live setting. How well you prepare in advance and navigate the event on the day can make all the difference between wasting your time and landing your dream job.
These tips will help you ace any and all opportunities one would find at a RecruitMilitary event. Our partners at RecruitMilitary hold Veteran-Specific career fairs all over the country and are the go-to for companies seeking to hire Veterans.
Veteran Hiring Events Tips
Check out these tips to help you make the most of the event.
Review the attending business’s career pages in advance to see what jobs they have available. Print job descriptions that interest you.
Prepare and print tailored resumes for jobs you want to discuss with recruiters. Have master resumes available for unpublished jobs and hiring managers who want more detail.
Prepare and practice your “elevator pitch” in advance. Who are you? What do you do? What’s your supporting background/education/experience?
Check your LinkedIn profile to be sure it’s up to date with your master resume.
Email yourself documents and links you may want to share digitally at the event from your phone.
Treat the event like an interview. Be well-rested, well-prepared, well-dressed, and well-groomed.
Arrive early to catch people at their best and take advantage of your energy and theirs.
Prioritize who you need to speak with to manage your time but try to talk to everyone. Every conversation is a chance to build your professional network.
Collect business cards and ask people to connect on LinkedIn. Grow your network.
Many companies have unpublished jobs you didn’t see online so be ready to discuss these opportunities. Have extra resumes available for this purpose.
Keep conversations very polite, professional, friendly, and brief. Don’t let them get you talking or too relaxed where you might offer information that turns them off.
Ask good questions. “What can you tell me about the team I’d be working with in this role?” “How long would I have to be fully up to speed?” “If you hired me today, how would you see me performing a year from now?”
Avoid any religious, political, or controversial topics. Recruiters are not your friends or family so assume you are ALWAYS being interviewed.
Be professional and confident, but RELAX! They expect you to be a little nervous, and they’ve likely done many job fairs. Do your best. Prepare in advance. You’ve got this!
Remember, from the time you enter the venue until you’re back in your car you are in the interview. You may just land an impromptu interview and even a job offer! Be polite and patient with everyone. Plan to spend some time there. Make hiring events part of your overall job search effort to find the fastest route to your new career.
Need some help improving your resume and LinkedIn profile, brushing up your interview skills, or deciding what to search for and how? Contact Still Serving Veterans and we’ll work with you to find your next career as quickly as possible. This service is completely free for Veterans and their spouse.
